Aces Wild
Part 1 of the Benedict and Brazos series
They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face.Bo Rangle, leader of the guerilla force known as Rangle's Raiders, took advantage of the slaughter to steal what the two opposing forces had been fighting for - two hundred thousand dollars' worth of Confederate gold.Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict never forgot that day, or each other. And when, by chance, their trails crossed again after the War, they decided to team up, find Rangle and reclaim that gold for themselves.And while they were at it, they swore to get revenge for all of their comrades who'd died that day back in 1862 ... They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Benedict and Brazos 02: A Badge for Brazos
Part 2 of the Benedict and Brazos series
Trouble was brewing in the town of Harmony, between the gun-toughs who manned the Two-Bar ranch, the hardcases who hung around the Rawhide Saloon and the beleaguered miners out at Whipple Creek. Into this explosive situation rode Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict. With a thin bankroll, they were looking to earn some fast money to continue their hunt for a Civil War guerilla who'd killed their comrades and stolen a fortune in Confederate gold ... a fortune they themselves planned to get their hands on. So Brazos pinned on the sheriff's badge in return for a hundred dollars a month, and soon found himself taking his responsibilities more seriously than he'd thought possible! Across a poker table, meanwhile, Benedict ran into an old acquaintance named Doc Christian. They were rivals, these two gambler-gunmen. And frankly, Benedict had no idea where Doc fitting into the various warring factions. When the chips were down, however, Benedict and Brazos found themselves in the thick of a fiery showdown, with just about every gun-filled hand turned against them! They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
The Big Rancho
Part 3 of the Benedict and Brazos series
After witnessing the cold-blooded killing of a man named Boyd Larsen, Duke Benedict and Hank Brazos found themselves up to their gunbelts in mystery, murder and mayhem. Someone was rustling cattle from Nate Kendrick's Rancho Antigua, and while that in itself wasn't Benedict and Brazos' business, rumor had it that the man doing all the rustling was Bo Rangle, the cut-throat outlaw they've been tracking ever since he massacred their men in the closing days of the Civil War. Signing on as range detective and wrangler respectively, Benedict and Brazos set out to run the rustlers to ground and exact their revenge on Rangle. But before they can find the man, they need to find the cattle ... and somehow or other, those cattle have vanished right off the face of the earth! They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Stage to Nowhere
Part 4 of the Benedict and Brazos series
The sheriff of Tumbleweed took an instant dislike to Duke Benedict and Hank Brazos. The dude and the giant in the garish purple shirt looked like trouble to him. So he gave them one-way tickets for the next stage out to Flintlock ... and that's when the trouble really began. The minute it left town, the stagecoach became a target. Among the other passengers was a federal marshal delivering his prisoner, notorious outlaw Jack Savage, to Flintlock for trial. But Savage's gang had other ideas. They planned to stop the stage and rescue him, even if they had to kill everyone else on board. They reckoned without Benedict and Brazos, and when the stranded passengers took refuge in a deserted town called Buckaroo, they found themselves up against hot lead, and stone-cold ghosts from the past! They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Adios, Bandido!
Part 5 of the Benedict and Brazos series
It had been months since Brazos and Benedict had started their search for Bo Rangle, the outlaw who'd killed most of their comrades in the War and stolen a fortune in gold while they were at it. But the west was a big place and Rangle could have gone anywhere. Then they chanced upon the best lead they'd had in months ... the only trouble was that Race Sackett, the man who could take them right to Rangle, was behind bars, awaiting a noose. There was only one thing to do ... bust the outlaw out and force him to take them to Rangle's lair. But that was going to be easier said than done ... They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Cry Riot!
Part 6 of the Benedict and Brazos series
Spargo was a mining town … but there hadn't been any mining there for a while. The mines were in a dangerous condition, and their owner, Foley Kingston, refused to make improvements. So the miners-those who'd survived the numerous cave-ins and accidents-went on strike, and Kingston called on his old friend, Duke Benedict, to help him break it. Benedict's partner, big Hank Brazos, immediately sided with the miners. And even though Benedict knew Kingston was at fault, he had to stand by him. Back in the War, Kingston had saved his life, so he owed the man. But there were darker forces at work in Spargo-from Kingston's cheating wife Rhea to saloon owner Ace Beauford, who wanted to run the entire outfit all by himself. And then there was a man-mountain named Paddy Clancy, who figured to double-cross all of them! They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Fool's Frontier
Part 7 of the Benedict and Brazos series
Crossing the Red Man River when it was in full flood wasn't the wisest thing gambler Duke Benedict and his cowboy sidekick Hank Brazos had ever done. And when the ferry they riding tore free of its ropes, they found themselves driven downstream until their wild ride ended on the banks of Peaceful Valley. Here, a religious order had built itself a town … but the Devil had settled in those parts, too, for one of the townsfolk had just been murdered, and the two newcomers quickly found themselves accused of the killing!As if that wasn't bad enough, Peaceful Valley was about to get a visit from bad man Chad Irons and his gang of cutthroats. Before he'd been sent to prison, the valley had been Irons' hideaway. Now he intended to take it back – and kill everyone who stood in his way!One way or another, it was time for Benedict and Brazos to start fighting back … They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
A Six-Gun Says Goodbye
Part 8 of the Benedict and Brazos series
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 already spent months searching for. Rangle's guerilla outfit had massacred their men in a savage ambush in the closing days of the war, and not only did he want revenge, he also wanted a share of the $200,000 Rangle had gotten away with.So Brazos and Benedict went their own separate ways … and quickly discovered that one of them was no damn' good without the other. They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
The Living Legend
Part 9 of the Benedict and Brazos series
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 Holliday had once been friends. And it was the Living Legend who'd taught him everything he knew about guns, and how to use them. They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Diablo Valley
Part 10 of the Benedict and Brazos series
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! They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Never Ride West
Part 11 of the Benedict and Brazos series
As a favor to his father, Duke Benedict took on the job of bodyguard to Governor Sherwood Garfield. The territory was still raw, and the cattlemen who had claimed most of the surrounding land were determined to fight Garfield's Settler's Act, which would effectively open it up to homesteaders looking to start a new life.Benedict's partner, big Hank Brazos, was kept busy as well, organizing the territorial militia … a thankless task that carried risks all of its own.But that was as nothing to the dangers that faced them when a hulking gunfighter named Honder was given a thousand dollars to kill Benedict … and a further five thousand to assassinate the man Benedict had been charged to protect! They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Shoot and Be Damned
Part 12 of the Benedict and Brazos series
Duke Benedict shook his head. "He's bluffing. He won't shoot."Slattery's thumb curled back the hammer of the .38. The girl's body went limp in Slattery's grip, her eyes huge pools of terror. The sound of Roley Dukes' nervous cough came loud as a gunshot in the sucked-in silence. Then Slattery started working the girl towards the batwings, and Benedict took two swift steps to cut him off.The color drained from Slattery's ugly face. "Goddamn you, I'll shoot!" he almost shrieked."Shoot and be damned," said Benedict. They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Wardlock's Legion
Part 13 of the Benedict and Brazos series
After all the trails they'd followed, and all the times they'd stood shoulder-to-shoulder against one bad man or another, the time had finally come for Duke Benedict and Hank Brazos to ride their separate ways. And though they had never really gotten along too well, each man felt a sense of loss at the prospect.But Benedict had met and fallen in love with the beautiful Charity Flint. The couple were about to go back East and get married.Then Colonel Oliver Traven, an old friend of Benedict's, asked for his help. Traven's son Mark had gone missing three years earlier in the parched lands of the Llano Estacado – the Staked Plains. Traven wanted to make one last search for his son – or his son's body – before he gave up hope completely of ever seeing him again.Benedict couldn't refuse the man … and before long he and Brazos were up to their shell belts in trouble. But the outcome of their search was to hold a terrible sting in the tail … for all of them. They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Kid Chaney's Express
Part 14 of the Benedict and Brazos series
Mack Halligan and Kid Chaney were rivals in more ways than one. They both loved the same woman, and she loved them, too … though she could never decide which one to marry.But the two men also ran rival outlaw gangs. The difference was that Halligan's was hopeless, the men in it harmless and amateur, while Kid Chaney's was slick, efficient and always successful.When Chaney stole Duke Benedict's new horse, the gambling man made it his mission to track Chaney down and take the animal back. His big partner, Hank Brazos, agreed to side him on his quest. But Brazos had an ulterior motive.If they could put Kid Chaney behind bars, it would leave the way open for Mack Halligan to marry the girl of his dreams and return to the straight and narrow.But that was a big if. The Tiger twins, both notorious assassins, were after them on a separate matter… and a lot of men would die before they all reached trail's end! They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Madigan's Last Stand
Part 15 of the Benedict and Brazos series
The note just about 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."Although the note was unsigned, it had come from a psychopathic bandit-turned-revolutionary named Paulo Parada. And from everything Hank Brazos learned about him, Parada's word was worthless. He killed men just for the pleasure of seeing them fall … which meant that his partner, Duke Benedict, would end up as just another notch on Parada's gun whether the ransom was paid or not … They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Bury the Losers
Part 16 of the Benedict and Brazos series
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 … They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
The Buzzard Breed
Part 17 of the Benedict and Brazos series
It was a case of mistaken identity when 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 to help him clear everything up. But the law had other ideas. No ifs, no buts … Hank Brazos was going to stay behind bars until the circuit judge could find him guilty and sentence him to hang!Benedict could always help the big Texan escape … but if things went wrong, it might come to gunplay and innocent parties could die. So he decided to take a different route – to ride solo and find and arrest the real culprits himself.Trouble was, to stand any chance of success, he had to swap one partner for another … in this case, Brazos' irascible hound, Bullpup! They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Bo Rangle's Boothill
Part 18 of the Benedict and Brazos series
Duke Benedict and Hank Brazos were finally closing in on the man they'd sworn to kill; the same man whose gang of cutthroats had massacred innocent men by the hundreds throughout the late Civil War. And Bo Rangle knew it. So he figured to dig up the fortune in Confederate gold he'd stolen at the Battle of Pea Ridge and then high-tail it to Mexico. If anyone got in his way … well, that was going to be their hard fortune.But still Benedict and Brazos kept coming. They survived ambushes, shootouts, a terrifying white-water ride through the Lizard River and still kept after their quarry.And yet there was something in them that almost hoped they wouldn't catch up to him.Because when they did, when Rangle lay stone-cold dead at their feet, there was another battle each man would have to face.They were going to have to gunfight each other! They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Echoes of Shiloh
Part 19 of the Benedict and Brazos series
During the War Between the States, landowner Stanton Claiborne had served the Confederacy with distinction. And though the South had lost that conflict, Claiborne moved his family smack into the heart of Union country at war's end. The Northerners there – supposedly the victors – were living a hand-to-mouth existence. They didn't take kindly to a rich Southerner coming into their domain and lording it over them.So the stage was set for war … a war that Duke Benedict and Hank Brazos unwittingly rode straight into.But the trouble wasn't all Claiborne's doing. There were unseen forces at work in the town of Resurrection who were determined to make the Southerner and his family suffer for their own gain. And before peace was declared again, men would die … and one in particular would die a death that was both shocking and tragic. They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Born to Hang
Part 20 of the Benedict and Brazos series
If ever a man was born to hang, it was Dusty Lane. But Lane never figured he would hang for a crime he didn't commit … in this case, a cold-blooded double murder.Luckily for Dusty, his old friend Hank Brazos got to hear about his plight and decided to do something about it-with the reluctant help of his gun-swift partner Duke Benedict.They rode for the town of Spearhead with no set plan in mind, but quickly started to put all the pieces together … a witness who wasn't as reliable as he seemed … a sheriff who would sooner look the other way … an undertaker with big ambitions … and a whisper-voiced killer named Raven, who was happy to kill anyone who got in his way-and even those who didn't.Someone was out to break the Arkansas Cattlemen's Association by any means … and by hang rope or bullet, it didn't matter to them who had to die in the process. They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Fool With a Fast Gun
Part 21 of the Benedict and Brazos series
Brazos and Benedict had fallen out … again. But this time it looked as if their long partnership really had been damaged for good.Now Benedict was the marshal of a town called Archangel, where tensions were running high following a series of audacious cattle-thefts. And Brazos … well, he'd been hired by the ranchers to find out just who the thieves were-and dispense some good, old-fashioned Colt .45 justice when he found them.Which put the two former friends on opposite sides of the fence.To make matters worse, Benedict had woman trouble, as well as a challenge from a gunfighter called Shane. As for Brazos, well, the rustling seemed to be coming from a spread run by a dangerous former Civil War general whose sanity was slowly but surely fading by the day.It was a power keg of a situation, and if they were to survive it, Benedict and Brazos would have to work together, one more time.That's if they didn't end up killing each other first! They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Two Guns to Glory
Part 22 of the Benedict and Brazos series
Old Justin Wardlaw was dying, but before he cashed in he wanted to see his four sons together again one last time. Cleve and David had never strayed far. Cleve ran a saloon in town, David ran his father's mining operation. But what of Race and Corey? Following an argument, Race had left home and eventually become a gun-for-hire. Corey, the dreamer, had taken off to read poetry and see the country first-hand.If and when the missing sons showed up, they would automatically be taken back into Justin's will. And if that happened, Cleve and David-who between then expected to inherit Justin's entire fortune-would lose out big-time.Which meant that Race and Corey had to die …Somehow Benedict and Brazos got caught up in the vicious plot to kill off the competition. Along the way Benedict sold Brazos' beloved dog Bullpup, fell victim to a blackmailer and then found himself fighting right alongside a man he thought he hated! They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Gunhawks on the Loose
Part 23 of the Benedict and Brazos series
A war was raging between the Anvil Ranch and its bitter rival, the Fifty-four. Men were being cut down from ambush, cattle rustled, and each side constantly blamed the other. And when Joe Tucker, boss of the Fifty-four, hired Flint and Ram Brand, two of the toughest gunfighters money could buy, Burk Kincaid decided to do likewise for the Anvil.The two men he got were Benedict and Brazos.But the urbane gambler and his tough-as-nails partner weren't interested in fighting a war-they wanted only to keep the peace.That, however, was easier said than done. The ranchers shared a dark secret that was at the heart of their feud. And even when a climactic gunfight on Sheridan's Main Street seemed to settle matters, there was still one more gunman who wanted to buy into the fracas … a sinister, one-eyed shootist known as Kid Silk! They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
The Glory Hunters
Part 24 of the Benedict and Brazos series
Back East, Duke Benedict's wealthy family believed he was a prominent lawyer who moved among the wild west's rich and the famous. So when his father proposed to pay him a visit in the rough-and-ready town of Rawhide, Duke had to think fast. It would kill his old man to discover that Duke was in reality a footloose gambler, womanizer and slick-as-lightning gunfighter.And so the pretence began.Duke Benedict took over the practice of his lawyer friend Otto Lanning, and his partner, Hank Brazos, took Lanning up into the hills to enjoy a little hunting.Too bad all hell chose exactly that moment to break loose.A mysterious preacher came to town with a whispering albino gunman in tow, their plan to set the good folks of Rawhide against each other until the town tore itself apart. Only then would the preacher have his revenge for something that had happened in the recent past.With Duke's hands tied as he pretended to be little more than an attorney, and Brazos off in the high country playing nursemaid to his friend, it looked as if Rawhide was wide open … for destruction! They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
obody Kills Like Ketchell
Part 25 of the Benedict and Brazos series
Accused of stagecoach robbery, Duke Benedict and Hank Brazos had no choice but to run for their lives. It was just plain bad fortune that in so doing they ran smack into a wagon train heading across the desert for a mining town called Tarbuck.The wagon train was no ordinary outfit. It was made up of forty women, all bound for Tarbuck to meet the men they'd agreed by mail to marry.Big Rosie Moriarty immediately took a shine to Brazos … but Benedict's attention was taken by the beautiful Libby Blue.There was just one problem.A kill-crazy outlaw called Kain Ketchell had broken out of prison with one goal in mind – to kill Libby, the woman he blamed for his arrest and incarceration. And nobody killed like Ketchell! They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Wear Black for Billy Quinn
Part 26 of the Benedict and Brazos series
To fill their empty pockets, Benedict and Brazos turned bounty hunter, their mission to bring in a kill-crazy maniac called Billy Quinn, dead or alive. All the signs suggested that Quinn had taken up residence in a dead-end town called Babylon.But there was more to Babylon than met the eye. The law was administered by Bourne Murdock and his three brothers, and some said they enforced it a mite too heavily.There was also a rumor that Bourne had framed a man named Tom Sudden five years earlier, and had him packed off to the State Penitentiary … leaving Bourne himself free to romance Sudden's girl and eventually marry her.Few people knew the real truth. All the townsfolk knew right now was that Sudden's sentence had run its course, he was free again, and heading back to Babylon for a final showdown … and he was bringing four of the toughest gunmen right along with him … If Benedict and Brazos got in his way well, they'll just have to die! They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Caleb Flint, Killer
Part 27 of the Benedict and Brazos series
Tom Fallon of the Southwest Militia needed a man he could trust to get into an outlaw stronghold called Drum and rescue the beautiful wife of the state governor, so he called for an old friend, Duke Benedict. But Benedict showed up with a friend of his own, big Hank Brazos … so Fallon found himself with two good men.That alone wasn't enough to guarantee success, though. First they had to get into Drum, and for this they needed the help of a sinister gunman called Holly, who wore a silver mask to hide the ruin of a face that had been chewed-up by a bullet many years before … and they weren't at all sure they could trust Holly.Then there was the matter of a wild gun known as Caleb Flint, Killer.With the life of the woman at stake, they had no choice but to go ahead and see what they could do. So they loaded up their guns and set out in full expectation of the war to come.And war was exactly what they got. They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Wanted – Dead or Alive
Part 28 of the Benedict and Brazos series
The two strangers rode into town on the trail of a gun-fast killer named Stark. When they left, however, they'd stolen $15,000 in gold dust from the Ophir Mine.The local marshal had one other piece of information to help him track them down. They'd given their names as Duke Benedict and Hank Brazos.And that's how Benedict and Brazos came to be wanted-dead or alive.Determined to prove their innocence and bring the real outlaws to book, they rode into a town that had more than its fair share of intrigue. Nothing in Larrabee was as it seemed. And before the mystery was finally cracked, there would be heartbreak for some, and cold lead for others … They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Desperadoes on the Loose
Part 29 of the Benedict and Brazos series
There was trouble in Fortitude Valley. Someone had set up a lumber camp smack in the middle of cattle country. And to make matters worse, the lumbermen drafted in to work the axes and saws, and float the timber down to the sawmill, were paroled convicts! If they made a go of the chance they'd been given, they could win their freedom. But the Fortitude Valley Cattlemen's Association had other ideas about that.Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict were hired to keep the peace between the two opposing factions, but that was easier said than done. Unwittingly, they landed themselves right in the middle of an all-out war in which neither side intended to go down without a fight … and their weapons ranged from red-hot lead to sweaty, unstable dynamite! They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
A Day for Fools to Die
Part 30 of the Benedict and Brazos series
It looked like the end of the trail for Benedict and Brazos, when Brazos got mighty mysterious all of a sudden and just took off on his own. Benedict, the urbane gambler, reckoned he should be glad to be free of the lumbering Texas cowboy at last. Instead he missed having him around.So he followed him, to find out just what his little secret was.That was when the whole affair grew even more mysterious. Why did Brazos go all the back home to Wildhorse County, start throwing his weight around and bad-mouthing damn' Yankees at every opportunity?It was all part of an elaborate cross and double-cross that would eventually see both men fighting for their lives against a bunch of fanatics who called themselves the Second Army of the Confederate States! They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
When Five Bells Toll
Part 31 of the Benedict and Brazos series
Benedict and Brazos had seen it all before-a supposedly genuine treasure map pointing to a priceless, solid gold statuette down in Old Mexico. According to legend, the Golden Virgin of Santo Sabinas had been hidden away in a spooky, disused monastery deep in the Sierra Espantosa, a vast range of almost impenetrable mountains that were said to be … haunted!It was all hogwash, of course. But there was something about the map that looked genuine. And for a half-share in whatever treasure they managed to find, Benedict and Brazos decided to team up with two hard-luck brothers and a small boy who quickly began to idolize gun-swift Benedict.There was just one problem.Other greedier, crueler men also had their eyes on the Golden Virgin, as did a merciless colonel of Federales. And one way or another, he was going to have it … even if it meant torturing Brazos half to death … and then threatening to execute the child! They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
The Killing Ground
Part 33 of the Benedict and Brazos series
He was a dead man walking.He staggered into the hotel lobby with a knife sticking out of one ear, and when he hit the floor the blade finally penetrated his brain and finished him off once and for all.Unfortunately, there was no shortage of suspects. A lot of men had reason to hate Harvey Yardigan. But then a witness came forward to say that the murder had been committed by none other than Duke Benedict.Benedict and his partner, Hank Brazos, were in the town of Mirage on secret business. Midwest Territory was a hotbed of crime, murder and rustling. Things were so bad that folks had started calling it "The Killing Ground" instead. The fancy gambler and his big cowboy friend were sent in to clean the territory up … but it seemed that someone else was already onto them – and would stop at nothing to make sure they failed in their mission! They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Dreadful Sorry, Clementine
Part 34 of the Benedict and Brazos series
Duke Benedict had killed Jory Archer in a gunfight six months earlier. Now Jory's brother, Teal, was itching to even the score. But to hedge his bets he took along a bunch of the toughest cutthroats ever to rob a stage or blow a bank safe.So Duke Benedict decided to get them before they could get him.What he didn't bank on was the Outlaw Queen Clementine Jones.Clementine had developed a soft spot for Teal. When he ran out on her, and took some of her best men with him, that affection turned to hate, and a burning desire for revenge.Suddenly the odds against Benedict went sky-high … but luckily he had big Hank Brazos to back him, and together they were a veritable two-man army.War was declared in the desert ghost town called Hardluck. Before it was over, Boot Hill was going to get awful crowded … and Clementine Jones was going to be dreadful sorry they'd ever tangled! They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
The Legend of Scarlett and Jesse
Part 35 of the Benedict and Brazos series
They called her Little Miss Pretty. Her real name was Dixie Talon, and she was the newborn daughter of railroad magnate Conrad Talon. Which meant that the tiny baby was worth big money to the gang that kidnapped and held her to ransom.The gang was led by Scarlett Considine and Jesse Mansfield, the so-called Sweetheart Killers, and they had not a single ounce of compassion for the vulnerable infant in their care. But once Duke Benedict and Hank Brazos took a look into Dixie's little shoe-button eyes, they decided that the Sweetheart Killers and their cut-throat followers were going to pay for their crime. The trouble was, when it came to a showdown, could Benedict or Brazos kill a woman, especially a woman like Scarlett?That was when Fate stepped in and blew the whole deal to shreds. They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Marshal of Abilene
Part 36 of the Benedict and Brazos series
Down on their luck, Duke Benedict and Hank Brazos were forced to take jobs herding cattle up the Chisholm Trail to Abilene. It was no hardship for Brazos-he'd more or less been born in the saddle and was cowboy all the way through. But Benedict … well, Benedict appreciated the finer things in life.So on impulse he quit the drive and headed for Abilene by himself, hoping to find himself a high-stakes poker game and a willing woman or two.What he found instead was a town under siege by the hell-raising Texas cowboys who wanted to let of steam at trail's end and didn't care who got injured along the way.Many men had worn the marshal's star in Abilene … and many had failed to bring law and order to the town.Now it was Duke Benedict's turn.And plenty of blood would be spilled before the wild men of Texas learned that when Benedict wore a star, he meant business. They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.
Dead Man's Gold
Part 37 of the Benedict and Brazos series
A ghost-town at midnight … a hearse driven by a dead man … and a coffin full of gold coins …For Benedict and Brazos, it was the start of another bullet-fast adventure.Benedict felt they were entitled to keep the loot. Brazos wanted to do the decent thing and return it to its rightful owner.But what about Doc Sullivan, the ruthless killer who'd originally stolen and then lost it? He certainly wasn't about to lose out on a quarter-million dollars. Comes to that, neither was U S Marshal Cleve Elliott, who was determined to reclaim it and send it back where it rightly belonged.And then there was Milt Hinkle, and he was the one threat Benedict and Brazos didn't allow for … because Milt Hinkle just happened to be Brazos's wayward cousin! They were an odd pair, the one-time Union captain and the former Confederate sergeant. They'd fought each other during the Battle of Pea Ridge ... and then ended up fighting shoulder to shoulder when a common enemy showed his face. These are the Western adventures of Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict.