Cold Iron
(2026)(The second book in the John Hayes: Texas Ranger Western series)
A novel by Fred Staff and Paul L Thompson
The law can chain a man’s hands. It cannot always chain what’s coming for him.
When Texas Ranger John Hayes arrives at the burned remains of Miller’s Creek Station, he finds two dead deputies, a notorious prisoner named Roscoe Schrier, and a transfer warrant somebody was willing to kill for. The station was not robbed. It was erased. And before the smoke has even settled, armed riders are already moving across the hard country to reclaim the man Hayes now carries in irons.
With a wounded horse, a prisoner offering fortunes in exchange for freedom, and killers closing from every direction, Hayes begins a brutal ride north through river crossings, limestone breaks, cedar country, and towns where the wrong men hold too much influence. Every mile brings new questions. Why was the warrant routed through Bexar County? Why are men dying to stop the transfer from reaching Waco? And who stands behind the outfit hunting them across Texas?
But John Hayes did not earn his Ranger badge by turning loose dangerous men when the trail got hard.
Outnumbered, exhausted, and riding deeper into hostile territory, Hayes finds himself locked in a deadly contest of endurance against men who know the country, control the crossings, and are willing to burn entire settlements to keep certain secrets buried.
COLD IRON is a gritty, hard-driving Classic Western filled with relentless pursuit, deadly river crossings, frontier violence, and a Texas Ranger determined to finish the job no matter how many armed men stand in the way.
Genre: Western
When Texas Ranger John Hayes arrives at the burned remains of Miller’s Creek Station, he finds two dead deputies, a notorious prisoner named Roscoe Schrier, and a transfer warrant somebody was willing to kill for. The station was not robbed. It was erased. And before the smoke has even settled, armed riders are already moving across the hard country to reclaim the man Hayes now carries in irons.
With a wounded horse, a prisoner offering fortunes in exchange for freedom, and killers closing from every direction, Hayes begins a brutal ride north through river crossings, limestone breaks, cedar country, and towns where the wrong men hold too much influence. Every mile brings new questions. Why was the warrant routed through Bexar County? Why are men dying to stop the transfer from reaching Waco? And who stands behind the outfit hunting them across Texas?
But John Hayes did not earn his Ranger badge by turning loose dangerous men when the trail got hard.
Outnumbered, exhausted, and riding deeper into hostile territory, Hayes finds himself locked in a deadly contest of endurance against men who know the country, control the crossings, and are willing to burn entire settlements to keep certain secrets buried.
COLD IRON is a gritty, hard-driving Classic Western filled with relentless pursuit, deadly river crossings, frontier violence, and a Texas Ranger determined to finish the job no matter how many armed men stand in the way.
Genre: Western
Used availability for Paul L Thompson's Cold Iron