Blood Lands

By Ralph Cotton

Book Overview

Julie Wilder lost her father-and her soul-in an act of violence that continues to haunt her. But with the help of infamous gunfighter Baines Meredith she will find the courage and strength to stand up to those who wronged her-and have vengeance.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451218760
• ISBN13: 9780451218766
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: Signet Book
• Length: 292 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Heroine to be admired

Ralph Cotton has thrilled me for years with his stories. My favorites have always been the Ranger Sam Burrack stories, but Mr. Cotton has taken his storytelling to a new level in Blood Lands. Near the end of the Civil War in Kansas, rogue militia units are roaming the state. One unit engages in wholesale murder and extortion to achieve their goals. They murder the Shawler family and hunt down the one member who escapes. The Wilder family shelters the survivor. The men are killed and Julie Wilder barely survives the ultimate torture and humiliation. Baines Meredith is a bounty hunter who finds the murdered family. He is surprised Julie survived and takes her to Umberton to an old friend. He stays in town and oversees her recovery and provides protection. The Army decides to investigate and brings the militia to help. Julie believes the militia in the parlor murdered her father and violated her but can't prove it as they wore masks. When the militia frightens her into leaving town, Julie heads to Baines Meredith's home. She does not want him to fight her battles but to teach her the skills to fight them. In a riveting ending Julie faces her demons and conqueors them. Mr. Cotton has created a heroine that is strong and resourceful. Baines is a hero who complements her and shows her the key to survival. The writing is crisp, fast-paced and accurate. The story is well researched and comes alive as Julie learns to live again. Well done, Mr. Cotton, well done.

BLOOD LANDS IS AN EXCITING PAGE TURNER-A MUST READ!!

The year is 1865. Around the town of Umberton, the Kansas Border Miliia are part of the reason this palce is called Bloody Kansas. At the farm of Harvey Shawler in Missouri, Captain Ruddell Plantz and his so called militia soldies take what they want from the dirt farmer. In their wake they leave death and destruction. All the family members are killed except young Jed Shawler who witnessed the whole bloody affair. Plantz can not let the boy escape to tell the regular army what took place on the farmstead. In Umberton, Colonel Bertrim, his former sergeant Shepherd Watson and his daughter Julie Wilder bring in a string of horses to sell. The colonel does this in defiance of Plantz and the captain's request of all to pay a tribute. The three riders are spotted by two of Plantz's gunmen stationed in Umberton to keep an eye on the town. The captain sends one of his men to follow Jed's tracks. The boy is found by Wilder and his riders. The colonel refuses to turn the boy over to the militia man and instead, takes him to the Wilder Ranch. Leaving Julie to watch over the boy, the colonel and Shep ride out. Along the trail, Wilder and Watson are surrounded by the captain's men who gun the two down. The hard cases continue on to the Wilder Ranch to search for the missing boy. Julie makes the mistake of going out to meet the militia men. The gunmen, now wearing hoods, beat and rape the colonel's daughter. Warning her to leave the area, she is left lying naked in the dust as they ride off. Bounty hunter Baines Meredith rides up to the ranch and sees Julie on the ground. He takes her in to Umberton to be cared for. Once the gunman's business in town is finished, he rides off. Julie, once recovered from her ordeal, rides out to find Meredith. At the small spread of the bounty hunter, Julie learns from Baines that there are many ways to deal with those who killed her father and violated her. She also finds out a little about herself as well. In BLOOD LAND'S, Ralph Cotton gives us a fresh new approach to the west and the violence that often times prevailed. BLOOD LAND'S will grab you from the beginning and not turn you loose until the climatic ending.