Double Cross Trail Drive

By Chet Cunningham

Hale, October 2012

The journey begins as an ordinary trail drive from Texas to the railroad in Kansas. But it soon turns strange – and then deadly – as the campfire becomes a shooting target and rustlers try to steal the whole herd of steers.

The crew beats them off and completes the drive, but back at the ranch in Texas the violence continues. The ranch owner seems to have become a sitting target and there are rumblings that the owner’s son and his sister’s husband do not get along.

Whoever is out to ruin the ranch and kill the owner must be discovered, especially as a final deadly cattle stampede threatens to settle the matter once and for all….

Chet Cunningham is a much published author and his experience shines through in this gripping tale to bring an end to the assassination attempts on the ranch owner, Gregory Hardy, and to discover just why he’s become the target for unknown riflemen.

Most of the story is told from the viewpoint of the son, Matt Hardy, as he struggles to make sense of the danger his father faces. During this time Matt manages to get involved with the girl of his dreams but can this affection become anything more as the shootings escalate and keep Matt and Francine apart?

Chet Cunningham writes believable dialogue and his many action scenes are very visual. The story also throws up one or two surprises and the final confrontation, and how Matt deals with the outcome, makes for an excellent ending.

Double Cross Trail Drive is Chet Cunningham’s fourth Black Horse Western and I, for one, hope it isn’t too long before his fifth appears. The book is officially released at the end of the month but is already available from Internet bookstores.