Perilous Frontier: A Quartet of Crime in the Old West

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In "Double Deceit," a man named Dunbar arrives in Temple Basin to assist an old rancher with a broken leg. The rancher's granddaughter narrates the unfolding events, which take a dark turn when a man is found dead and another goes missing. It soon becomes clear that Dunbar is on a quest to identify a killer and deliver justice. In "Scarecrows," Tommy Stallings learns that his aunt and uncle in Texas are in danger. Along with his cousin Rusty, he travels from the New Mexico Territory to the Texas Panhandle, where cattle rustlers are wreaking havoc. His Aunt Martha describes the rustlers as "scarecrows," wearing canvas bags to conceal their identities. Tommy and Rusty team up with Bill Slaughter, an agent for the Stock-Raisers' Association, to confront the crime wave. "Cold the Bitter Heart" explores the connection between a child's personality and that of a parent. Jake Summers investigates the enigmatic Catherine Baxter, who may be hiding behind a façade of innocence. As he follows a trail of suspects, he questions whether he truly knows the truth. In "Wind in His Face," Scrap Elliot, a veteran Texas Ranger, is on a critical courier mission when he unexpectedly encounters an old flame in Waco. After her husband dies suddenly, she vanishes, prompting Scrap to embark on a mission to find her and clear his name with the local sheriff, insisting he is merely an innocent bystander.