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Synopsis
Retired Texas Ranger Captain Hank Tomlinson intends to spend the rest of his days raising cattle on his Broken Arrow Ranch, and nurturing his frontier town of Luck, Texas. But when the brutal murder and scalping of a mysterious drifter leads to a clash between cavalry soldiers and a band of Comanche Indians suspected of the killing, a full-scale Indian uprising seems likely. Worse yet, the murder of the drifter bears a disturbing resemblance to a string of killings Hank remembers from his distant and violent past as a Texas Ranger.
Meanwhile, Hank's twenty-year-old son, Jay Blue, and his adoptive brother, Skeeter, find themselves on the trail of a valuable Kentucky mare who vanished under their watch. The trail leads them into the dangerous haunts of outlaws and vengeful Comanche warriors. Now Hank must attempt to keep his sons safe while trying to catch a murderer who he knows will soon strike again. His ace-in-the-hole is beautiful Flora Barlow, the tavern owner with a knack for detective work.
Though rival lawman, Matt Kenyon, and competing rancher, Jack Brennan, complicate Hank's investigation, he and Flora slowly begin to uncover a crooked web of crime, deception, and murder. Dark secrets emerge, and everyone must choose sides as lawmen, outlaws, soldiers, and Indian warriors converge for a final, bloody confrontation.
Keddy Ann Outlaw - Library Journal
Veteran singer/songwriter Nelson and Spur Award-winning cowriter Blakely have crafted a fine novel set in and around Luck, a Texas hill country town founded by a retired Texas Ranger, Capt. Hank Tomlinson. He makes a living out on the Broken Arrow Ranch, where he's raised a grown son named Jay Blue along with an adopted half-Mexican son nicknamed Skeeter. These two young men get into hot water with the Captain when his thoroughbred horse is stolen on their watch. Jay and Skeeter enlist the help of a music-loving albino mustanger named Jubal Hayes and set out to find the missing horse. The plot thickens when a suspected cattle rustler is murdered, and Comanches go on the warpath. More complications ensue when the Captain is blamed for the murder of the cattle rustler. Add a few saloon girls, Native American lore, and lots of local color into the fast-paced mix, and the result is a lively Western with widespread appeal. A Tale Out of Luck is slated for the big screen, starring Willie himself. Recommended for all libraries. [Nelson wrote this novel as a backstory for the false-front Western town he built outside of Austin.-Ed.]