Dead Ground
(2026)(Book 11 in the John Hayes: Texas Ranger Western series)
A novel by Fred Staff and Paul L Thompson
The deadliest enemy isn't always the man you're hunting. Sometimes it's the land itself.
Texas Ranger John Hayes has tracked dangerous men across some of the harshest country in the American frontier, but nothing has prepared him for Lucian Bell. A former military demolition expert turned ruthless fugitive, Bell has vanished into the unforgiving South Texas brasada after slaughtering a federal survey team and destroying every trace of their work. With a brutal drought gripping the region and a massive wildfire consuming the thorn country behind him, Bell has transformed the wilderness itself into a weapon that may prove deadlier than any gun.
Riding alone into a maze of choking brush, hidden water holes, and forgotten senderos, Hayes must rely on discipline, patience, and hard-earned experience to survive a landscape where every decision carries life-or-death consequences. As rival bounty hunters, desperate vaqueros, and deadly strangers are drawn onto Bell's trail, the hunt becomes a race against an enemy who knows every mile of the country and has spent years preparing it for exactly this kind of pursuit.
With the fire closing from behind and every escape route disappearing beneath smoke and flame, Hayes finds himself trapped inside a shrinking battlefield where time is running out. Recovering the evidence Bell failed to destroy is only part of the mission. Bringing the killer to justice will demand that Hayes overcome a man whose greatest strength is forcing others to fight on ground of his own choosing.
Filled with relentless suspense, authentic frontier detail, unforgettable characters, and the methodical realism that has made the John Hayes series a favorite among traditional Western readers, Dead Ground delivers another gripping adventure from beginning to end. If you enjoy hard-riding Texas Rangers, dangerous manhunts, and survival stories where the wilderness is every bit as lethal as the outlaw, this is one Western you won't want to miss.
Genre: Western
Texas Ranger John Hayes has tracked dangerous men across some of the harshest country in the American frontier, but nothing has prepared him for Lucian Bell. A former military demolition expert turned ruthless fugitive, Bell has vanished into the unforgiving South Texas brasada after slaughtering a federal survey team and destroying every trace of their work. With a brutal drought gripping the region and a massive wildfire consuming the thorn country behind him, Bell has transformed the wilderness itself into a weapon that may prove deadlier than any gun.
Riding alone into a maze of choking brush, hidden water holes, and forgotten senderos, Hayes must rely on discipline, patience, and hard-earned experience to survive a landscape where every decision carries life-or-death consequences. As rival bounty hunters, desperate vaqueros, and deadly strangers are drawn onto Bell's trail, the hunt becomes a race against an enemy who knows every mile of the country and has spent years preparing it for exactly this kind of pursuit.
With the fire closing from behind and every escape route disappearing beneath smoke and flame, Hayes finds himself trapped inside a shrinking battlefield where time is running out. Recovering the evidence Bell failed to destroy is only part of the mission. Bringing the killer to justice will demand that Hayes overcome a man whose greatest strength is forcing others to fight on ground of his own choosing.
Filled with relentless suspense, authentic frontier detail, unforgettable characters, and the methodical realism that has made the John Hayes series a favorite among traditional Western readers, Dead Ground delivers another gripping adventure from beginning to end. If you enjoy hard-riding Texas Rangers, dangerous manhunts, and survival stories where the wilderness is every bit as lethal as the outlaw, this is one Western you won't want to miss.
Genre: Western
Used availability for Paul L Thompson's Dead Ground