Deputy U.S. Marshal Jeremiah Halstead is escorting notorious outlaw John Hudson across the territory for trial pursued by a pack of Hudson’s men, anxious to rescue their partner from custody. Halstead puts the blast on them, but outnumbered and outgunned, he has little choice but to hole up in an old mining town known as Silver Cloud, Montana. It’s a place where he can keep a lock on his prisoner while figuring out how to get past Hudson’s gang alive.
But the folks in Silver Cloud are none to happy playing host to the lawman or his kill-crazy prisoner. Unable to trust the sheriff to back his play, Halstead finds himself standing alone against Hudson’s gang as they slip into town, recruiting gunmen to help free their leader.
Except for Ed Zimmerman. He’s spent his whole criminal life in John Hudson’s shadow. He wants Hudson dead and buried so he can become the leader of the gang. And if he has to, he’ll put everyone in Silver Cloud six feet under – including Deputy U.S. Marshal Halstead . . .
This book is a terrific start to Terrence McCauley’s new western series. The plot moves forwards at a tremendous pace and is full of twists and turns as different characters are introduced and make their own impact on the situation in Silver Cloud. There is plenty of gunplay and tension mounts as the author builds towards the final deadly shoot-out that sees the death toll rise considerably.
If you’ve read Terrence McCauley’s Sheriff Aaron Mackey series, particularly the last two books, you’ll have met Jeremiah Halstead before and Blood on the Trail does reference events in those books. In fact, some of the characters from the Mackey series, including the sheriff, have small parts to play in this story too. There is also a link to the first Mackey book in that Zimmerman rode with the outlaws Mackey had to deal with in that tale. Having said all that, you do not need to read the Mackey books before reading this spin-off series, as McCauley includes enough information for readers to understand what has gone before and the relationships the various characters have with each other.
Terrence McCauley includes lots of gripping story elements that demand you keep reading. There’s Halstead’s face-off with Silver Cloud’s sheriff Boddington and his two deputies that results in simmering hatred from Silver Cloud’s lawman towards Halstead. Can the U.S. Marshal count on them in his time of need? Then there’s the murder of a whore – who killed her and why? And why does she have books about manipulating others and gaining political power under her bed? Then there’s the question of why Mackey orders Halstead to stay in Silver Cloud? All this and more further complicate things for Halstead as he desperately tries to hang onto his prisoner.
Blood on the Trail proved to be an excellent start to a new series from Terrence McCauley and if it isn’t already on your want-to-read list then it should be. Mr. McCauley is definitely a rising star in western fiction.
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