Jonah Hook was a man who had lost everything a  man could lose--but the iron will to reclaim what  had been taken from him. Now he must confront the  fiery religious heretic who has enslaved his wife  and the fierce Comanche tribe who has raised his  long-lost sons. From Fort Laramie, land of Sioux  and Cheyenne, to the empire of the Mormons in the  shadow of tall mountains, and on to the Texas  panhandle, where he will join the ranks of the Texas  Rangers, the journey ahead will test Jonah's courage,  cunning, and endurance to the limit. On this  bloody trail of rescue and revenge, nothing will stop  him save success . . . or death. "Terry C.  Johnston's powerful narrative hives his characters  blood, sinew, and bone. More than that, he gives  them soul."--Robert Vaughan, author of The  American Chronicles . "In   Winter Rain , Terry Johnston  combines brutal realism with a romantic perception of the  Old West. The result is a gripping  story."--Richard S. Wheeler, author of The Two Medicine   River "Jonah Hook was a man who had lost everything a man could lose--but the iron will to reclaim what had been taken from him. Now he must confront the fiery religious heretic who has enslaved his wife and the fierce Comanche tribe who has raised his long-lost sons. From Fort Laramie, land of Sioux and Cheyenne, to the empire of the Mormons in the shadow of tall mountains, and on to the Texas panhandle, where he will join the ranks of the Texas Rangers, the journey ahead will test Jonah's courage, cunning, and endurance to the limit. On this bloody trail of rescue and revenge, nothing will stop him save success . . . or death. "Terry C. Johnston's powerful narrative hives his characters blood, sinew, and bone. More than that, he gives them soul."--Robert Vaughan, author of The American Chronicles . "In Winter Rain , Terry Johnston combines brutal realism with a romantic perception of the Old West. The result is a gripping story."--Richard S. Wheeler, author of The Two Medicine River as a man who had lost everything a man could lose--but the iron will to reclaim what had been taken from him. Now he must confront the fiery religious heretic who has enslaved his wife and the fierce Comanche tribe who has raised his long-lost sons. From Fort Laramie, land of Sioux and Cheyenne, to the empire of the Mormons in the shadow of tall mountains, and on to the Texas panhandle, where he will join the ranks of the Texas Rangers, the journey ahead will test Jonah's courage, cunning, and endurance to the limit. On this bloody trail of rescue and revenge, nothing will stop him save success . . . or death. Jonah Hook was a man who had lost everything a man could lose--but the iron will to reclaim what had been taken from him. Now he must confront the fiery religious heretic who has enslaved his wife and the fierce Comanche tribe who has raised his long-lost sons. From Fort Laramie, land of Sioux and Cheyenne, to the empire of the Mormons in the shadow of tall mountains, and on to the Texas panhandle, where he will join the ranks of the Texas Rangers, the journey ahead will test Jonah's courage, cunning, and endurance to the limit. On this bloody trail of rescue and revenge, nothing will stop him save success . . . or death. Terry C. Johnston is recognized as a master of the American historical novel. His grand adventures of the American West combine the grace and beauty of a natural storyteller with complete dedication to historical accuracy and authenticity. Johnston was born on the first day of 1947 on the plains of Kansas, and lived all his life in the American West. His first novel, Carry the Wind, won the Medicine Pipe Bearer Award from the Western Writers of America, and his subsequent books have appeared on bestseller lists throughout the country. After writing more than thirty novels, he died in March 2001 in Millings, Montana. 1   Moon of Drying Leaves 1868   HE ROLLED AWAY from his attackers and vaulted onto his feet, crouching warily as he brushed the talclike powdery dirt from his eyes and mouth. He did not like the taste of it. But even more, he hated the taste of his own blood.   “Your lip, it is bleeding,” sneered one of the older boys.   Another one of his attackers nodded as the group inched toward him, saying, “Would you like to give up now and see to the cut for yourself?”   With a shake of his head, the youngster prepared for these older boys to lunge for him again.   Long ago Jeremiah Hook had learned not to take any of what the other boys dished out. They took pleasure in tormenting him because he was white. Both Jeremiah and his younger brother Zeke.   As the biggest brown-skinned youth suddenly rushed him, lowering his head like a bull on the charge, Jeremiah slid aside, whirling to snag the boy’s head under an arm. As much as the older youth tried to free himself, Jeremiah had that big boy secured in a headlock and began pummeling the sweaty, screwged face with blows from his small