Erwin A. Thompson's Westerns paint a moral universe in which courage,humor, and wit triumph and love unites and conquers all. Cattle Countryand Back Trail-both set in Wagon Wheel County, six years apart-showthe threat of bloody range wars, powered by greed, and probe strength ofindividual integrity, romantic partnership, family, and community.
This is Cattle Country-where you find: The determination to fill ajob that's too big for one man. The courage to defend a friend in a fightthat's not your own. The frustration of Katherine Wade as she stamps herfoot and chides, "Damn Cowards!" The bigness of Ashburn as he raiseshis children, ranches, and fights when he must.
In Back Trail Jeff Hawkins rides up from Texas with a dangerous, darkpast he hopes to out-ride. His mettle is tested as he fights for his newhomeland and finds his match.
"I grew up in times and places much like Erwin Thompson paints inCattle Country and Back Trail. Although those times are gone,Thompson's well-written voice rings true with the memory and flavor ofa world that should not be lost."-Jim Lyle, author of Things Seen in the Dessert
"With crispness and gentle wit, Erwin Thompson's stories take us backto earlier times then give us nurture for the return trip to the present. Akeen observer of people and their ways, his words help us enter andlive those stories with him."-Jane Kirkpatrick, Wrangler Award-winning authorof A Sweetness to the Soul and A Clearing in the Wild.
