Books with author John Spiars

Writing in the style of Louis L'Amour, Larry McMurtry and William W. Johnstone, Best-selling western author, John Spiars has created a timeless hero of the old west. The first novel in the Heck Carson Series, Riders of the Lone Star brings the wild and lawless Texas frontier to life.When the Law ain’t enough…He brings Justice.The year is 1852. Settlers on the Texas frontier are at the mercy of hostile Comanche and vicious outlaws, and the only ones holding the line between life and death are a few brave men, known as Texas Rangers. Outnumbered and outgunned, they bring law and order to the untamed land. They face impossible odds with nothing more than grit, determination, and a fast gun. It is this adventure and excitement that lures sixteen-year-old Jesse “Heck” Carson to leave his families ranch to join the fight. Heck quickly learns that this life comes at a price, the cost of which is hardship, danger, and possibly his own life. The bonds of friendship, loyalty, and duty lead him into epic battles that test his courage and resolve, and along the way he learns what it means to wear the star of the Texas Rangers.Excerpts:As fast as he could, he pulled the hammer back and fired, the first Comanche jerked once and hit the ground. The other warrior was no more than two feet away now. Heck wondered if he had another bullet left. Had he fired five or six shots? He couldn’t remember. Saying a silent prayer, Heck pulled the hammer back and looked at his approaching enemy. The point of the warrior’s lance was inches away from his chest when heck pulled the trigger. The barrel of the Walker was almost touching the chest of the charging Indian. Heck heard no sound, but saw the smoke pour out of the barrel and the big warrior dropped to his knees, and fell on top of the young Ranger.Lieutenant Sutter and Corporal Anderson approached the men on horseback, ready to do what had to be done. Looking at the group of riders, however, Sutter immediately recognized he had made a terrible mistake. These men were not military, not even by Southern standards. They were unkempt, filthy, and armed to the teeth. His heart sank as he noticed that most of the detachment were Mexican and their guns were not in their holsters. “What is going on here?” he said, unable to believe what he was seeing.The lead rider smiled and said, “This was even easier than Senor Cortina said it would be. Thank you.” Without saying another word, the man raised his pistol and fired two quick shots, hitting both Lieutenant Sutter and Corporal Anderson between the eyes.The man wheeled around with his rifle as Heck landed on his back, but it was a fruitless gesture. There was a look of pained surprise on the man’s face as Heck covered his mouth and pulled him to the floor. Heck plunged his knife into the man’s chest several times, as he kept his hand over the man’s mouth. After several seconds his muffled cries were silent.John Spiars is the author of the Heck Carson Series. He is a writer and amateur historian with a passion for the history and myths of the "Old West". His hope is to keep alive the western genre for this generation and all of those to come, while both entertaining and educating readers of all ages. He is a native Texan and lives in North Texas with his wife and four children. When not writing western novels, he maintains a blog and Facebook page about Texas history and travel entitled Under the Lone Star.

Writing in the style of Louis L'Amour, Larry McMurtry and William W. Johnstone, Best-selling western author John Spiars, author of Riders of the Lone Star, returns with Hell and Half of Texas, the second novel in the Heck Carson Series.Seeking a greater adventure than bringing law and order to the untamed Texas frontier, Texas Ranger Jesse “Heck” Carson, along with his friend, Tommy Jergsen, enlist in the Confederate Cavalry. They are placed in a special unit tasked with stopping the murderous Jayhawkers who have been carrying on a guerilla war against civilians in Missouri. Heck and his men face the expected horrors of war, but what they didn’t expect was to find themselves in the middle of a private war where they don’t know who to trust and where the lines between friend and enemy mean nothing. In order to do what is right, they must make decisions that will forever change the course of their lives and which thrusts them into a battle far more violent than anything they ever expected.Excerpts:Heck positioned himself just below the ridgeline where the declivity offered protection and a perfect line of fire on the enemy as well. Drawing a bead on one of the warriors, Heck opened fire, dropping one, and then two of the braves. Several were grouped together, and made too tempting a target for Heck to pass up. Firing as fast as he could lever a fresh round, Heck’s bullets found their mark, sending two of the Indians over the edge of the cliff and to their deaths, two hundred feet below.With nowhere else to go, the Jayhawkers began diving over the bank to the creek down below. It was a dangerous height to jump from, but it was better than facing the deadly fire that was claiming so many of their comrades. Heck continued firing at the fleeing men and brought down one more before the sound of a bugle diverted his attention. “It’s the Federals, boys,” Heck heard a voice call out over the gunfire and sounds of the dying. He spun his horse around in the direction of the approaching army, and got off three quick shots. His bullets found their mark, and two men fell from their horses. After hitting the ground, they were instantly trampled under the hooves of their comrades’ horses.As he spurred his horse forward, his head began to spin, and he felt an intense burning in his gut. Looking down, Heck noticed that his shirt was soaked in blood, and the burning sensation became almost more than he could stand. He guessed that kid hadn’t been as bad a shot as he had thought, and suddenly Heck didn’t feel quite so bad about having killed him.While he tried to figure out how the five of them would fight off a whole company of soldiers, the train exploded in a flash of blue and orange flame, that sent pieces of wood and steel flying in the air. The blast killed many soldiers, evidenced by the body parts that littered the terrain for fifty feet in every direction. The dynamite had evened the odds somewhat, but Heck still counted ten men on horseback headed up the slope toward him.Heck dug his spurs deeply into his horse and raced towards his friend. He grabbed his knife from his boot and stood up in the saddle. With knife in hand, Heck waited until the last possible moment and then leapt forward. Grabbing the rope with one hand, he slashed at it with his knife, and both men fell to the ground hard. Standing over them, however, was the remaining soldier. With an evil grin on his face that seemed strangely out of place given the young man’s age, he pointed his pistol at the two men. Calmly pulling the hammer back, the soldier gave a wink and pulled the trigger. John Spiars is the author of the Heck Carson Series. He is a writer and amateur historian with a passion for the history and myths of the "Old West". He is a native Texan, and lives in North Texas with his wife and four children. When not writing western novels he maintains a blog about everything Texas entitled Under the Lone Star.

Writing in the style of Louis L'Amour, Zane Grey, Larry McMurtry and William W. Johnstone, Best-Selling Western Author John Spiars, author of Riders of the Lone Star, Hell and Half of Texas, and Bound for Vengeance, returns with BLOOD TRAIL, the fourth novel in the Heck Carson Series.Texas Ranger, Jesse “Heck” Carson, is living the life he has always dreamed of, chasing down and capturing the outlaws who ply their evil trade along the Mexican border. When orders come from the Federals that the Rangers are to be disbanded, Heck decides that the time has come for him to begin building a life for himself that doesn’t involve getting shot at by killers and horse thieves, but he has one last mission to complete first. The O’Shea gang is a group of former Union soldiers from the famed and infamous Irish Brigade, who have come to Texas to exact their own revenge for the war by butchering as many Southerners as they can. Before Heck can start the next chapter of his life, he must put a stop to this scourge before the gang makes it across the Mexican border to safety.As he chases the gang across the Texas frontier, Heck meets many who are on the same quest, but with motives far different than his own. The brutality of the O’Shea gang is matched only by those who seek to make a name for themselves by putting them in the ground, and Heck Carson finds himself caught in the middle. To accomplish his job and rid the state of this scourge, Heck will have to figure out whom he can trust, and together they will have to make the fight of their lives. “What kind of man are you?” Bard asked.“I’m the man I have to be to get the job done. It’s best ya keep that in mind on our way back.”“I’ve shot many men in my time, and not one of ’em was by accident,”“I’m Ranger Carson,” he said, showing the man his silver star, “and I hope you don’t make me do this the hard way.”“The truth’s a funny thing, sonny. It tends to change depending on how a person’s asked. I’ve tried asking proper, but I reckon I’ll have to find another way. I killed your friend, but spared you, so don’t go making me wish I’d chosen otherwise. I plunged my knife into his belly and took him quick, but believe me, I can do it much slower if I’m of a mind. It’s best you just remember that.”“That was a bloody thrill,” O’Shea said, cleaning the blood from his saber. “Tell me you gentlemen didn’t feel the sensation when those men walked in here. For a moment, I thought it could go either way.”“If a man’s gonna make his life in a hard country, he’s gotta make himself hard. Ya just set your mind to what’s gotta be done, and then ya do it. If a man lets fear get in the way, then he won’t act when he has to.“You seem like a good man, Mister Abbott, but if your men don’t let us pass, you’ll die here, right along with me.”“Names mean nothing to me, mister. I’ve killed many men, and to tell ya the truth, I don’t remember one of their names. It would be best if you just handed me that shotgun. If you do, ya might make it outta this town alive.”John Spiars is the author of the Heck Carson Series. He is a writer and amateur historian with a passion for the history and myths of the "Old West". His hope is to keep alive the western genre for this generation and all of those to come, while both entertaining and educating readers of all ages. He is a native Texan and lives in North Texas with his wife and four children. When not writing western novels, he maintains a blog and Facebook page about Texas history and travel entitled Under the Lone Star.

Best-selling western author, John Spiars weaves a tale of terror from the heart of the old west. Bury Me Along Palmetto Creek will leave chills long after the last page is turned.A Terror as Old as the Land Itself!To the Native American tribes living in Texas, Enchanted Rock has been a location of great spiritual power, and the land between Palmetto Creek and the great rock a place of death, where the forces of light and dark have been battling for millennia. In the early 1830’s Jim Bowie led an expedition to locate a mine purported to contain the largest deposits of silver ever found, but instead, they awaken the force that guards the mine. Narrowly escaping death, Bowie never returned, and left no clue to the mines location. In 1875, when a cavalry detachment disappears while searching for the lost Bowie mine, Rance and Travis are part of a troop of soldiers sent to locate them. What they find is an ancient, once dormant evil that seeks the sacrifice that will set it free upon the Texas frontier. Will Rance and Travis have what it takes to defeat this malevolence?Excerpts:As he laid his head down to sleep that night, his dreams were plagued by the screams of his men. Their retched forms reached out to him from the darkness, trying to pull him into the world beyond the light, where death reined and the tormented screams of the inhabitants were the only sounds to be heard. Captain Cardillo felt sure these were just the momentary pangs of conscience and they would pass in time, but each night the dead reached for him, and their pleading screams began to drown out his thoughts, even while awake.The cavern filled with green mist, and a strange calm suddenly settled over the men, but it was quite literally the calm before the storm. The men froze in place, barely taking a breath, as a sense of doom settled over them along with the mist. They not only sensed death, but they could smell it as well, as the stench attached itself to every inch of the cavern. Although they could see nothing, it was apparent to everyone that they were not alone in the darkness.Bowie ducked the sword and raised his pistol, but in his haste, he pulled the trigger too soon and his shot struck the rock wall. He looked into the face of his attacker and couldn’t believe what he saw, but luckily for him, his instinct for survival took charge of his fear, and he rolled out of the way just in time to avoid having his head severed.Captain Benton listened, straining to hear the most insignificant sounds. He held his breath, so he could hear over the beating of his own heart. Crickets chirped in the distance. A lone coyote called out from somewhere beyond the walls, out where George had always felt vulnerable to the perils of the frontier, but tonight the danger was not kept at bay, and safety was beyond reach.John Spiars is the author of the Heck Carson Series. He is a writer and amateur historian with a passion for the history and myths of the "Old West". His hope is to keep alive the western genre for this generation and all of those to come, while both entertaining and educating readers of all ages. He is a native Texan and lives in North Texas with his wife and four children. When not writing western novels, he maintains a blog and Facebook page about Texas history and travel entitled Under the Lone Star.

Best-selling western author, John Spiars weaves a tale of terror from the heart of the old west. Bury Me Along Palmetto Creek will leave chills long after the last page is turned.A Terror as Old as the Land ItselfTo the Native American tribes living in Texas, Enchanted Rock has been a location of great spiritual power, and the land between Palmetto Creek and the great rock a place of death, where the forces of light and dark have been battling for millennia. In the early 1830’s Jim Bowie led an expedition to locate a mine purported to contain the largest deposits of silver ever found, but instead, they awaken the force that guards the mine. Narrowly escaping death, Bowie never returned, and left no clue to the mines location. In 1875, when a cavalry detachment disappears while searching for the lost Bowie mine, Rance and Travis are part of a troop of soldiers sent to locate them. What they find is an ancient, once dormant evil that seeks the sacrifice that will set it free upon the Texas frontier. Will Rance and Travis have what it takes to defeat this malevolence?

Best-selling western author of Riders of the Lone Star returns with Hell and Half of Texas, the second novel in the Heck Carson Series.Justice is back.Seeking a greater adventure than bringing law and order to the untamed Texas frontier, Texas Ranger Jesse “Heck” Carson, along with his friend, Tommy Jergsen, enlist in the Confederate Cavalry. They are placed in a special unit tasked with stopping the murderous Jayhawkers who have been carrying on a guerilla war against civilians in Missouri. Heck and his men face the expected horrors of war, but what they didn’t expect was to find themselves in the middle of a private war where they don’t know who to trust and where the lines between friend and enemy mean nothing. In order to do what is right, they must make decisions that will forever change the course of their lives and which thrusts them into a battle far more violent than anything they ever expected.

Writing in the style of Louis L'Amour, Zane Grey, Larry McMurtry and William W. Johnstone, Best-Selling Western Author John Spiars, author of Riders of the Lone Star, Hell and Half of Texas, and Bound for Vengeance, returns with BLOOD TRAIL, the fourth novel in the Heck Carson Series.Texas Ranger, Jesse “Heck” Carson, is living the life he has always dreamed of, chasing down and capturing the outlaws who ply their evil trade along the Mexican border. When orders come from the Federals that the Rangers are to be disbanded, Heck decides that the time has come for him to begin building a life for himself that doesn’t involve getting shot at by killers and horse thieves, but he has one last mission to complete first. The O’Shea gang is a group of former Union soldiers from the famed and infamous Irish Brigade, who have come to Texas to exact their own revenge for the war by butchering as many Southerners as they can. Before Heck can start the next chapter of his life, he must put a stop to this scourge before the gang makes it across the Mexican border to safety.As he chases the gang across the Texas frontier, Heck meets many who are on the same quest, but with motives far different than his own. The brutality of the O’Shea gang is matched only by those who seek to make a name for themselves by putting them in the ground, and Heck Carson finds himself caught in the middle. To accomplish his job and rid the state of this scourge, Heck will have to figure out whom he can trust, and together they will have to make the fight of their lives. “What kind of man are you?” Bard asked.“I’m the man I have to be to get the job done. It’s best ya keep that in mind on our way back.”“I’ve shot many men in my time, and not one of ’em was by accident,”“I’m Ranger Carson,” he said, showing the man his silver star, “and I hope you don’t make me do this the hard way.”“The truth’s a funny thing, sonny. It tends to change depending on how a person’s asked. I’ve tried asking proper, but I reckon I’ll have to find another way. I killed your friend, but spared you, so don’t go making me wish I’d chosen otherwise. I plunged my knife into his belly and took him quick, but believe me, I can do it much slower if I’m of a mind. It’s best you just remember that.”“That was a bloody thrill,” O’Shea said, cleaning the blood from his saber. “Tell me you gentlemen didn’t feel the sensation when those men walked in here. For a moment, I thought it could go either way.”“If a man’s gonna make his life in a hard country, he’s gotta make himself hard. Ya just set your mind to what’s gotta be done, and then ya do it. If a man lets fear get in the way, then he won’t act when he has to.“You seem like a good man, Mister Abbott, but if your men don’t let us pass, you’ll die here, right along with me.”“Names mean nothing to me, mister. I’ve killed many men, and to tell ya the truth, I don’t remember one of their names. It would be best if you just handed me that shotgun. If you do, ya might make it outta this town alive.”John Spiars is the author of The Heck Carson Western Series. He is a writer and amateur historian with a passion for the history and myths of the "Old West". He is a native Texan and lives in North Texas with his wife and four children. When not writing western novels, he maintains a blog about Texas history and travel entitled Under the Lone Star.

Best-selling western author, John Spiars has created a timeless hero of the old west. The first novel in the Heck Carson Series, Riders of the Lone Star brings the wild and lawless Texas frontier to life.When the Law ain’t enough…He brings Justice.The year is 1852. Settlers on the Texas frontier are at the mercy of hostile Comanche and vicious outlaws, and the only ones holding the line between life and death are a few brave men, known as Texas Rangers. Outnumbered and outgunned, they bring law and order to the untamed land. They face impossible odds with nothing more than grit, determination, and a fast gun. It is this adventure and excitement that lures sixteen-year-old Jesse “Heck” Carson to leave his families ranch to join the fight. Heck quickly learns that this life comes at a price, the cost of which is hardship, danger, and possibly his own life. The bonds of friendship, loyalty, and duty lead him into epic battles that test his courage and resolve, and along the way he learns what it means to wear the star of the Texas Rangers.