Clint Cooper is finally coming home to Texas after an honorable term in the Confederate Army and a few years of “finding” himself.  A letter from home tells of trouble in the small Texas town of Stockton going by the name of Montgomery Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald has been fencing off public land and Cooper’s father and brother died while defending the homestead at the hands of two of Fitzgerald’s hired guns.  Cooper’s homecoming begins in a less desirable way when he stops a man who is harassing a farmer in town. In the process, he shoots the sheriff and draws the attention of Fitzgerald.  Upon reaching home, Cooper is shocked to learn that local farmers are being forced to sell their land or pay with their lives; appeals for help to the Governor have been brushed aside and Fitzgerald has managed to effectively take over Stockton. Clint knows that there is power in numbers and convinces his father to lobby his neighbors to form a Homeowner’s Association to fight for their livelihood and defend themselves against Fitzgerald. An ambitious plan is set into motion to send a group of men to El Paso to try and get loans to buy seed for planting and feed for their cattle. The one obstacle is that they have to traverse a mountain pass which would be the perfect place for an ambush by Fitzgerald’s men.  Cooper and his fellow citizens must use all their cunning to outwit Fitzgerald and bring freedom back to Stockton.

Prodigal of the Pecos by C.E. Edmonson is a wonderful novel of the Old West. I have always enjoyed Westerns on TV, such as The Lone Ranger, Gunsmoke and Bonanza and this book brings back many great memories.  Although short, Edmonson manages to write a complete story which has all the classic elements of a good Western: a rich bad guy, a corrupt sheriff, a few hired guns, a pretty, young widow and one lone man to stand up for law and order. Edmonson’s characters are richly developed and realistic.  I particularly like the way that the hero prefers diplomacy to gunplay, yet is willing to do whatever it takes to protect his home and family. This book is destined to become a classic, with its hero representing all that was good and noble about the Old West. I heartily give this book two thumbs up and recommend that everyone add it to their reading list.