AustLit

'Benedict and Brazos — They braved a thousand perils in the hunt for gold!

'Hank Brazos had served under Colonel Orson Clairborne during the war. So when their paths crossed again, he was delighted to meet up with his old commanding officer. Their reunion was cut short, however, when the Colonel was kidnapped, and his beautiful daughter, Angela, received a ransom demand for twenty thousand dollars.

'For Brazos, the course was clear. He had to save Clairborne and make sure the kidnappers paid for their crime. But his partner, Duke Benedict, had other ideas. The only thing that mattered to Benedict was finding Bo Rangle, the man they’d been pursuing, and the missing $200,000 Rangle had gotten away with.

'They went their separate ways, and rendezvoused in a gunfire hellstorm when the kidnappers decided to kill them as down-payment for the Colonel’s safety!'

Source: Publisher's blurb (Bold Venture ed.).

'The town of Glory was anything but glorious. It was actually a town filled with fear—fear of the wild Yellow House River bunch, and an outlaw gang led by Ben Hollister, a bad man they called the Living Legend for his gun-speed.

'Duke Benedict and Hank Brazos had no intention of buying into Glory’s troubles. All they wanted was a lead on Bo Rangle, the man they were hunting. But then a good man was shot dead by the Yellow House boys. That’s when Benedict pinned on the town marshal’s badge and together he and Brazos set about restoring law and order.

'With the Yellow House gang dealt with, there was still the matter of Ben Hollister, and a schemer in the shadows saw to it that he and Benedict would eventually clash.

'It was a showdown Benedict would have done anything to avoid. Because he and Hollister had once been friends. And it was the Living Legend who’d taught him everything he knew about guns, and how to use them.'

Source: Publisher's blurb (Bold Venture ed.).

'As usual, Duke Benedict and Hank Brazos were low on funds … until they ran into a drunken miner by the name of Arnie Woodcock. Arnie bore such an uncanny resemblance to a wanted outlaw called Turk Jory that it gave Benedict an idea. Suppose they were to turn Arnie in and claim the reward on Jory’s head? They could then bust Arnie out of jail, quit the territory and split the money three ways.

'What could possibly go wrong? In short — everything.

'Nobody figured on the real Turk Jory showing up to take a look at the man who was to hang in his place. Nobody figured that he would use the hanging as a diversion while he hit the local bank. And nobody figured that Benedict and Brazos could still come out of the whole sorry mess as heroes!'

Source: Publisher's blurb (Bold Venture ed.).

'Almost one year after they met, on that fateful day at the Battle of Pea Ridge, Benedict and Brazos are gifted with valuable information. But the information comes with a deadline! Outlaw Bo Rangle has begun moving his stolen Confederate gold from one hidden location to another.

'The clock is ticking on their best lead, but can they trust their informant? Other parties are galloping toward the riches — the local marshal with a weather-beaten posse, and Rangle’s hired muscle with their shifting loyalties. By the time Benedict and Brazos confront their enemy, they’ll be surrounded by a hellfire storm of sizzling lead.'

Source: Publisher's blurb (Bold Venture ed.).

'It looked as though Duke Benedict and Hank Brazos would finally ride their separate ways. Benedict was preparing to marry the beautiful Charity Flint, and return east. First, their old friend Colonel Oliver Traven was desperate to make one last search for his son, who went missing in Llano Estacado — the Staked Plains —  three years earlier. Benedict and Brazos wanted to help the Colonel, but suspected tragedy lay ahead for everyone — including Benedict’s bride, who seemed eager to make a public hero of her fiancée.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The note, found in a remote spot, summed it up:

'“Señor Benedict is now my prisoner and will be held for ransom. You will ride to Panhandle, New Mexico, and wire the Americano’s rich father in Boston. He is to wire back the sum of fifty thousand dollars care of Señor Montoya. If you fail to do this or if the rich man does not pay, Benedict will be shot. If you do as I say he will be freed unharmed.”

'Paulo Parada, a psychopathic bandit-turned-revolutionary, sent the note. From everything Hank Brazos learned, Parada was a sadist who killed men for pleasure … so Brazos had to act fast to prevent Duke Benedict, his partner, from ending up another notch on the outlaw's gun.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Mack Halligan and Kid Chaney were bitter rivals. They ran rival outlaw gangs — Halligan’s was hopeless, while Kid Chaney’s was successful — and they loved the same woman. When Duke Benedict’s new horse was stolen, the gambling man made it his mission to track down Chaney and take the animal back. His big partner, Hank Brazos, figured to put Kid Chaney behind bars, so Mack Halligan could marry the girl of his dreams and return to the straight and narrow. That was a big ‘if’  since the woman loved both outlaws!'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Trouble was brewing between the Shotgun Ranch and its rivals, the Golden Hoof — and though they wanted no part of a range war, Benedict and Brazos eventually had to choose sides.

'There was just one problem.

'As the bodies piled up, and the gunsmoke grew ever thicker, Benedict started to wonder if they’d thrown in with the right side. Brazos had no such doubts … but by then, he’d fallen head-over-heels for the Golden Hoof owner’s beautiful daughter Tracy. And Tracy could do no wrong in his eyes …

'It was then that the unthinkable happened, and Benedict and Brazos found themselves on opposing sides. In the final showdown, they’d have to go against each other, toe to toe, gun to gun …'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Galloway’s two lawmen arrested Hank Brazos on a charge of rustling. Brazos went quietly, sure that his saddle pard, Duke Benedict, would soon arrive and clear everything up. But the law had other ideas. No ifs, no buts … Brazos would remain behind bars until the circuit judge found him guilty — and sentenced him to hang! Benedict decided to ride solo and arrest the real culprits himself — but to succeed he had to rely on Brazos’ irascible hound, Bullpup!'

Source: Publisher's blurb (Bold Venture ed.).

'Duke Benedict and Hank Brazos were closing in on Bo Rangle, the man they’d sworn to kill; the same man whose gang of cutthroats had massacred hundreds throughout the late Civil War. And Bo Rangle knew it. He planned to dig up the Confederate gold he’d stolen at the Battle of Pea Ridge and high-tail it to Mexico. If anyone got in his way … But still Benedict and Brazos kept after their quarry. They survived ambushes, shootouts, and the Lizard River. Once they dealt with Rangle, though, they’d have to settle with each other!'

Source: Publisher's blurb (Bold Venture ed.).

'The south lost the War Between the States, but landowner Stanton Claiborne emerged a financial winner. He moved his family into the heart of Union country at war’s end. The resident Northerners were living a hand-to-mouth existence, and didn’t take appreciate a rich Southerner lording it over them. The stage was set for a war, and Duke Benedict and Hank Brazos rode straight into it. Unseen forces were determined to make Clairborne’s family suffer for their own gain. Before peace was declared again, men would die …'

Source: Publisher's blurb (Bold Venture ed.).