Sixth generation Texas Ranger James C. Blawcyzk has ruffled the feathers of his superiors at Company F one time too many. He's offered a choice: Either transfer to Company E, and an isolated post in far west Texas, resign, or be terminated. Knowing he'd be a better fit in the wild, wide-open spaces of the Big Bend anyway, Jim accepts the transfer. He and his family prepare to pack up and move west.
"If you miss the Golden Age of Western action books and films, you'll love James J. Griffin's novel, Desperate Ride. This gun-slinging thriller leaps from the page and gallops headlong into a series of adventures for veteran Texas Ranger Will Kirkpatrick, and his young Ranger recruit, Jonas Peterson.
Texas Ranger Lieutenant Luke Caldwell is leading a detachment of Rangers when they are ambushed by an outlaw gang. After a hard-fought battle, the Rangers defeat the gang, but at the price of several dead and wounded. Among the most severely hurt is Luke, who is sent home by the company surgeon to recuperate. Luke is nearly completely recovered when word comes that his sister’s husband, Hank Brundage, the town marshal of Sonora and Luke’s former riding partner in the Rangers, has been murdered. Luke’s sister was beaten, raped, and left for dead by the same men who murdered her husband. Despite still being on medical leave, Luke heads for Sonora, determined to find the men responsible and bring them to justice.
Someone, or something, is killing people in the rural areas of counties north and west of Austin. Brains are being removed, and bodies mutilated. The few witnesses, including a deputy sheriff, who encountered the killers and survived insist they are zombies, the living dead. An ancient curse also claims zombies will return, to take revenge for a long ago massacre.
Jim Blawcyzk is in jail in the town of Quitaque, Texas, accused of murdering a saloon girl. Someone in the town wants Blawcyzk out of the way at all costs. With his trial fast approaching, and everyone in town convinced of his guilt, Jim must somehow find a way from his jail cell to prove his innocence, and fast. With his only ally the town padre, the task appears impossible even for the resourceful Blawcyzk.
Trouble Times Two Texas Ranger Lieutenant Luke Caldwell is at home with his family, having just recovered from near-fatal wounds he received during his last assignment. He expects to be assigned to rejoin his former Ranger company. But Major Frank B. Jones, Commander of the Frontier Battalion, has other plans. He orders Luke to go undercover, one man against the hordes of outlaws plaguing the vast Presidio County. Luke's problems prove to be far more than just the renegades. First, he has to survive the journey just to reach Marfa, the county seat. He's accosted by a family of vicious brutes, bushwhacking horse thieves, and a knife-wielding hide hunter and trapper, who intends to make dog meat out of the pup Luke rescued. Even the Pecos River seems bound and determined to kill the Ranger. Luke realizes the job Major Jones has handed him is too much for just one man, even a veteran Ranger like himself. He recruits a young cowboy, Bobby Howell, into the Rangers. When they finally arrive in Marfa, their troubles multiply. Is the county sheriff truly on the side of the law, or is he hiding a dark secret? The answer will lead Luke and his new young partner into TROUBLE TIMES TWO"
Texas Ranger Jim Blawcyzk is looking forward to an easy Monday, until he gets a call from the Llano County Sheriff. A woman has been murdered, the only clue a dead chicken hanging beside her. Before Jim can complete his investigation, another body &; and another dead chicken &; have been discovered in an abandoned truck.
"Jim Blawcyzk is shot and left for dead by Tom Foley, a fellow Texas Ranger who has just murdered their commanding officer. With Jim lying gravely wounded, it's up to his longtime Ranger partner and friend Smoky McCue, Jim's son Charlie and Charlie's friend Ty Tremblay, both newly appointed Rangers, to track down the Ranger turned killer"--
Texas Ranger Jim Blawcyzk and some fellow Rangers are tasked with protecting a wagon train of former slaves and freemen heading to start a new life in west Texas. Besides the usual dangers of the Texas wilderness, there are those who will stop at nothing to prevent the emigrants from building their new settlement
It takes one tough man to make it as a Texas Ranger, and Jim Blawcyzk certainly qualifies. Surviving this particular month has been full of trials he never expected -- and quitting never entered his mind. After single-handedly arresting a ring of murderous cattle rustlers he caught red-handed, his next case is something that affects him for weeks.