Wild Rose of Ruby Canyon

When Henry Sommers declines to take part in a neighbor's swindle of branding and selling unbranded calves as their own, trouble stalks him. Henry only wants to be left to work his homestead claim and do his job on the ranch. But there seem to be no hard feelings when Van O'Leary, the neighbor, asks him to look after his place while he's gone on a business trip. Henry feels he must oblige-O'Leary's wife, Dora, will be left alone and vulnerable. While O'Leary is away, Henry learns from Dora that her husband has a checkered past. When O'Leary comes back, he makes insinuations about Henry's relationship with Dora, even going further in trying to make a pass at Molly Chardon, a girl Henry has an interest in. When O'Leary turns up dead, the question is...who killed him? "A nicely done traditional western with a hint of mystery and plenty of suspense." -Roundup Magazine "Plain English narrative and dialogue in accord with the historical period in which the story takes place; . . . hero and heroine with consciousness and conscience; . . . a place that makes the reader walk where the characters have walked and recognize the land as being 'right.'" -Wyoming Magazine
About the Author: John D. Nesbitt lives in the plains country of Wyoming, where he teaches English and Spanish at Eastern Wyoming College. His articles, reviews, fiction, and poetry have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. He has had more than thirty books published, including short story collections, contemporary novels, and traditional westerns, as well as textbooks for his courses. John has won many awards for his work, including two awards from the Wyoming State Historical Society (for fiction), two awards from Wyoming Writers for encouragement of other writers and service to the organization, two Wyoming Arts Council literary fellowships (one for fiction, one for non-fiction), a Western Writers of America Spur Finalist Award for mass-market paperback original novel for Raven Springs, and the Spur Award itself for his short story "At the End of the Orchard" and for his novels Trouble at the Redstone and Stranger in Thunder Basin. His most recent works consist of: Trouble in the Labor Camp, a novella; Poacher's Moon, a contemporary novel; Gather my Horses, a traditional western; and Dark Prairie, a frontier mystery. To learn more about John and his work visit his website at: www.johndnesbitt.com