Sam Bowie (Todhunter Ballard)

 Thunderhead Range

by

Sam Bowie

(Todhunter Ballard)

Dale Thorne returned home with one purpose: vengeance.

His target was King Parson, an ornery, brutal tyrant of a man—the same man who’d driven Dale off Thunderhead Ranch and driven Dale’s mother into an early grave. Waiting for him, too, were the remnants of a broken family: two half brothers. Les—already dead, killed the night before Dale’s return—and Ford, simmering with resentment toward both his father and his brother.

And then there was Lucy Colton, who despised everything and everyone connected to Thunderhead Ranch.

But Dale hadn’t come back empty‑handed. He carried one crucial piece of knowledge: His father had rewritten his will the night before he died, leaving everything not to Dale’s mother nor King Parson, but to Dale himself. Now Dale was home to uncover that will—and reclaim what should have been his all along.

The story was solid—maybe not great, but certainly engaging—with action that steadily escalated toward a brutal, satisfying finale. The writing held up well, and the plot kept me entertained throughout.

The characters were equally strong, especially Lucy, a fiery, strong‑willed woman who added real spark to the narrative. There was also a welcome thread of mystery as Thorne tried to uncover who murdered his brother.

And for those who enjoy digging into author backgrounds, Sam Bowie is yet another pen name used by the remarkably prolific Willis Todhunter Ballard.

4/5