Tuesday 19 January 2021

COVER GALLERY: THE HORSEMEN

THE HORSEMEN
By Gary McCarthy

They were bound not only by blood, but by their love of horses…and together, they rode the West in search of freedom…

This series ran from June 1992 to August 1994 and were published by The Berkley Publishing Group as part of their Diamond line.


The Ballou’s were the finest horsemen in the South, a Tennessee family famous for the training and breeding of glorious thoroughbreds. When the Civil War devasted their home and their lives, they headed West – into the heart of Indian Territory. As horsemen, they triumphed. As a family, they endured. But as pioneers in a new land, they faced unimaginable hardship, danger, and ruthless enemies…


Haunted by the blood and bitterness of the Civil War, Houston Ballou left Tennessee on the proud stallion High Fire, followed by his brother, his sister, and the last four mares from the Ballou farm – one of them heavy with foal. But there were deserters wandering the roads who would kill for valuable horseflesh – and others who would kill a man just for being Southern…


In the wake of tragedy, the surviving members of the Ballou family sought a new beginning on the Texas frontier. There, the Comanches shared their love and respect for horses – training the wild mustangs that ran free across the plains. And there, a tribe of savage hunters called the Kiowa offered a challenge to any people fearless enough – and foolish enough – to cross their path…


Ruff Ballou and his sister Dixie journeyed west with trouble at their heels. But luck is on their side in Rum River, New Mexico, where they race one of their champion thoroughbreds to victory. Now a rich man’s greed pits their good fortune against Ruff’s life – and they must take up a money-making challenge to capture Blue Bullet, the legendary stallion that no man has yet tamed. But their worst enemy is time – as they race to save the lone fury from savage killers who’ll bring in their bounty – dead or alive…


They had been driven from the South, trying to save the horses it had taken their father a lifetime to breed. Now Ruff Ballou and his sister Dixie are on their way to Denver to make a new life…but when they are confronted by a lawman in the town of Rio Paso, the two find themselves embroiled in a search for a murderous outlaw. The Rio Grande Valley may be their home for now…as they struggle to build a new dynasty with their proud thoroughbred – and try desperately to hold on to all they have left…

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