In November of 2020, I will be honored to have my first Western novel, The Sons of Philo Gaines, released by Five Star Publishing. It will be available in libraries, book stores, and all major on-line book retailers.
The Sons of Philo Gaines is about three brothers, sons of a legendary figure by the name of Philo Gaines who was a mountain man, Indian fighter, Texas Ranger and army scout. Stories of his exploits were reported in eastern newspapers and retold countless times around campfires from Tennessee to Oregon. Philo was one other thing – a father with three sons; all grown to manhood; all trying to make their own way in life; all trying to leave their own mark on a hard land that required the best out of hard men. The book doesn’t tell much of the story of Philo or the exploits that have made him a legend in his own time. It presupposes his legendary status in order to tell the stories of his three sons.
The book tells three different stories, one for each brother, however, the three stories come together in a climatic ending to the book where the three brothers join forces to confront the main antagonist.
Matthew Gaines is the oldest of the three brothers. In September 1873, he arrives in the (fictitious) west Texas town of Mustang Flats. A quiet, peaceful scholar, Matthew leaves behind the ivy-covered halls of Princeton to become the town’s new school teacher. Socially awkward and bookish, Matthew doesn’t fit the mold of a Gaines. He is not like his brothers or his father. He actually takes after his mother who nurtured him and saw to it that he got a good education. He is more comfortable with a book in his hands than with a Colt revolver.
Matthew left his teaching position at Princeton because of a tragic accident that took the life of his fiancé. As a result of the accident, Matthew is left with a limp and a reoccurring nightmare that follows him to Mustang Flats.
Facing his past is one of the journeys that Matthew has to make in his story. Another journey is one that all three brothers face. With such a well-known and legendary father, the three boys learned early in life that it was better to deny any relationship to Philo. When people learn who their father is, they always have expectations about how Matthew, David, and Luke should behave. Each brother is struggling to find his own identity apart from their father. But as they discover, heritage and bloodline are not that easy to run from, and in the end, it might be what they need to save them.
After arriving in town, Matthew begins to suspect that the leading citizen in Mustang Flats, a rancher by the name of Amos Tolliver, is not who he says that he is. After his friend, Tom McCutchen is falsely accused of murder, Matthew’s investigation leads him to believe that Tolliver is somehow responsible for the crime. Furthermore, he discovers a connection between Tolliver and his own family – a secret since the end of the war that could cost him his life, and one that brings his brothers, David and Luke, heading toward Mustang Flats and a showdown with destiny.
David Gains, the middle son, is a fun-loving, carefree gambler who never thinks beyond the present. Personable and easy-going, he has no trouble making friends. People seem to open up to him. He is approachable and generous. He avoids trouble whenever possible, but he does know how to handle trouble when it comes his way. David is also good – some say very good – with the Colt on his hip.
As a favor to a friend, David agrees to ride shotgun on a stage from Cheyenne to Fort Laramie. On several previous occasions, there have been attempts to rob the stage. Rumors have been circulating about a notorious outlaw who is said to be operating in the area.
When the stage arrives at the overnight stop at the Chugwater station, David finds the station abandoned. The only clue is the cryptic word “CAIN” written in blood on the wall of the barn. What happened to the couple who operate the stage station? Who or what is “CAIN?” Is the hold-up of the stagecoach imminent? Who else besides David and the stage driver knows that the stage’s strongbox is carrying the Fort’s quarterly payroll – close to twenty thousand dollars? There seem to be more questions than answers as David strives to get the stage and its passengers safely to its destination. But first, they have to survive the night at the Chugwater station.
Luke Gaines, the youngest of the brothers, is the most cynical of the three. Too many bad experiences with corrupt lawmen and others with power and wealth have made him suspicious of anyone in authority. Consequently, he moves from town to town, working at the jobs that he likes and turning down the jobs that don’t appeal to him. Even at his young age, Luke has a reputation for being dependable and tough enough to get any job done.
Luke has a strong sense of justice that, at times, puts him on the wrong side of what is popular or even technically legal. Luke never backs down from a fight, even if the fight is someone else’s. Hired to carry a mysterious package from Las Cruces, New Mexico to Mustang Flats, Texas – a trip of over three hundred miles – Luke has to face Indians, hard terrain, bad weather, and a pair of would-be highwaymen. Delivering the package safely and on time is only half of the battle, as Luke discovers when he arrives in Mustang Flats.
The sons of Philo Gains know that to live under the shadow of a legend is not an easy thing. But when all hell breaks loose in Mustang Flats, the only solution is to come out from under that shadow and become legends in their own right.
(Leave a comment below if you wish to be informed when the book becomes available, or follow me on Amazon to be notified of all future releases.)