Synopses & Reviews
Mason Hawke's fingers are skilled instruments. Trained as a concert pianist, Hawke saw his ambitions of becoming a wealthy soloist die after returning from the war. And while his soul may have been destroyed by the horrors he witnessed and even committed, his fingers remained as nible and agile as everandndash;andndash;by practicing on his Colt sixandndash;shooter. Hawke has found a new home in Nebraska. In a small town, Hawke has escaped from his two reputationsandndash;andndash;that of the musical prodigee and that of the iceandndash;eyed gun fighterandndash;andndash;by anonymously playing piano in a bar. But when a cowboy starts shooting up the place, Hawke has to defend himself, and two bodies litter the floor once the dust settles.
Now, the head of a cattle outfit wants to use the shooting as a way to drive up the price of his beef. If he can instigate a fight between the town and his cowboys, the town will prohibit cattlemen from using their railroad. Since his shipments are almost complete, this ban would only affect his competitors, and drive the price of his beef through the roof. All he has to do is start a war. And the only man who can protect the innocent people of the town is Mason Hawke.
Synopsis
Haunted and changed forever by war, Mason Hawke attempts to build a peaceful new life for himself in Braggadocio, Nebraska, but a deadly encounter with two thugs in the local saloon brings Hawke to the attention of Clint Jessup, an unscrupulous and ruthless cattleman who is planning to destroy the town for his own greedy reasons. Original.
Synopsis
A man haunted and changed by war—whose fingers are equally skilled in the arts of music and death—Mason Hawke has found a new home in Braggadocio, Nebraska. But a dustup in the local saloon has forced his hand, and now two bodies lie lifeless on the dirty floor—a situation an unscrupulous cattleman plans to use to his advantage.
Like Hawke, Clint Jessup is running from his past. But Jessup's sins turned him hard and greedy—and he's willing to drain bone dry a town that's trying to build a future, if it puts an extra dollar in his pocket. The blood of a drifter named Mason Hawke is going to oil his money-making scheme. But it doesn't matter how many killers he sends Hawke's way, because the target plays by his own rules: draw first, shoot fast, and keep watching your back.
About the Author
Robert Vaughan is a retired army officer and full-time novelist. His book Survival (under the pseudonym K.C. McKenna) won the Spur Award for best western novel (1994). He lives with his wife, Ruth, in Gulf Shores, Alabama.