
The Western Trail
The Trail Drive, Book 2
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Narrated by:
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Scott Sowers
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By:
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Ralph Compton
About this listen
In the aftermath of the Civil War, cash-starved Texans turned to the only resource they possessed in abundance: longhorn cows. Despite the hazards of trailing longhorns across some three hundred miles of Indian Territory, this was the only way to access the railroad…
THE WESTERN TRAIL
Benton McCaleb and his band of bold-spirited cowboys traveled long and hard to drive thousands of ornery cattle into Wyoming's Sweetwater Valley. They're in the midst of setting up a ranch just north of Cheyenne when a ruthless railroad baron and his hired killers try to force them off the land. Now, with the help of the Shoshoni Indian tribe and a man named Buffalo Bill Cody, McCaleb and his men must vow to stand and fight. Outgunned and outmanned, they will wage the most ferocious battle of their lives—to win the right to call the land their own.
Round 'em up: listen to more in the Trail Drive series.©1992 Ralph Compton (P)2011 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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lose of key parts of the story
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good plot, characters
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The life of a cowboy suits Thalis Christie just fine. A puncher for the Crescent H in Texas, he loves what he does and is damn good at it too. He doesn't even mind being away from his family - he's got good friends to keep him from getting too homesick. That is, until his folks write, imploring him to hunt down his brother, Myles, who's been shot while prospecting in the Black Hills. Thalis sets out to do his family duty and find his little brother - still alive, he hopes.
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The Goodnight Trail
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Former Texas Rangers Benton McCaleb, Will Elliot, and Brazos Gifford ride with Charles Goodnight as he rounds up thousands of ornery, unbranded cattle for the long drive to Colorado. From the Trinity River brakes to Denver, they’ll battle endless miles of flooded rivers, parched desert, and whiskey-crazed Comanches. And come face-to-face with Judge Roy Bean and legendary gunslingers like Clay Allison. For McCaleb and his hard-riding crew, the drive is a fierce struggle against the perils of an untamed land. A fight to the finish where the brave reach glory - or die hard.
-
-
lose of key parts of the story
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Shooting Iron
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One of the deadliest, crime-infested towns in Colorado Territory, Devil's Gulch needed more than a sheriff. They needed a gunslinger. So they pinned a badge on hardcase lawman John Holt. And the rest is history. As the town's new sheriff, John Holt achieved the impossible: He drove the devil out of Devil's Gulch. Corrupt, cutthroat rancher Joe Mullen—who ruled the land with an iron fist—is finally behind bars, thanks to Sheriff Holt. But the tables are turned when Mullen manages to overturn his prison wagon and make his escape—with an army of prisoners, outlaws, and lowlifes to do his bidding.
-
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good plot, characters
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Overall
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Performance
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Jasper Duncan’s stagecoach is the fastest one in California; at least that’s what he tells folks looking for a ride between the Stanislaus mines and Sonora. But he needs a windfall of cash to stay in business, and he needs to stay in business to continue his hunt for the outlaw Alec Casey, who murdered Jasper’s father. He’s learned Casey has a base of operations in the Stanislaus woods and he’s determined to find it. An unexpected solution presents itself: a lucrative job transporting three passengers and “dangerous cargo.”
By: D. B. Pulliam, and others
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Shotgun Johnny
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- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
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Overall
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Johnny Greenway was once a family man. A well-respected marshal who always played fair. Then his wife and son were killed by cutthroats. Johnny killed the killers. Then he hung up his badge and picked up a bottle. Now a shadow of his former self, he has nothing much to live for. But when he singlehandedly stops a bank robbery, he catches the eye of the banker’s daughter. She’s impressed by Johnny’s gun skills, and offers him a job riding shotgun. First he’ll have to stop drinking and clean up his act. But that’s not all that needs cleaning.
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By: J.A. Johnstone, and others
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Ralph Compton Broken Rider
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Overall
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By: Ralph Compton, and others
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Waylaid by a pack of murdering outlaws, Daniel Strange's lifeless body is left dangling at the end of a rope. Now, a mysterious gunslinger is on the vengeance trail, packing Strange's trademark twin Colts, and answering to the same name. With fiery green eyes and a temper to match, he won't stop until every last man who killed Strange shares the same fate. And as each bullet finds its mark, his victims will die never knowing the truth: that Daniel Strange may be dead and buried, but his daughter is alive - and killing....
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He's the son of a cattle rancher. A restless young dreamer who, under normal circumstances, would follow in his father's footsteps. Normal, however, is not his style. Like his famous grandfather and namesake Perley Gates - a hell-raising mountain man with a heavenly name - young Perley wants adventure, excitement, and freedom. And like his grandfather before him, he will find his dream - in the untamed wilds of a lawless frontier. That dream though might just become a nightmare....
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Excellent as always
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The last days of the Civil War. With Richmond under siege, Confederate soldier Luke Jensen is assigned the task of smuggling gold out of the city before the Yankees get their hands on it — when he is ambushed and robbed by four deserters, shot in the back, and left for dead. Taken in by a Georgia farmer and his beautiful daughter, Luke is nursed back to health. Though crippled, he hopes to reunite with his long-lost brother Smoke, but a growing romance keeps him on the farm.
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Luke Jensen Box Set
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Overall
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Performance
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An adventure with values
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Performance
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Story
Luke Scott just needed to track down some rustlers.The biggest question he had as he rode form his ranch was what kind of idiot rustles cattle in Colorado in December? Three hours later, as he tried to find his way to safety in a howling blizzard, just staying alive was much more important. It was what he found when seeking emergency shelter that would alter his life forever.
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Excellent
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
After discovering six gold Roman coins buried in the mud of the Devil's Dyke, Barnabas Sackett enthusiastically invests in goods that he will offer for trade in America. But Sackett has a powerful enemy: Rupert Genester, nephew of an earl, wants him dead. A battlefield promise made to Sackett’s father threatens Genester’s inheritance. So on the eve of his departure for America, Sackett is attacked and thrown into the hold of a pirate ship.
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Great Start
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Virgil's Herd
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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Loved it!
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The Last Gunfighter 1-3 Bundle (Dramatized Adaptation)
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- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Once, Frank Morgan had a wife and a future on the land - until a rich man with a grudge drove him out of Colorado. Since then, Morgan's taken up the one skill that always came easy - gunfighting - and drifted to a mining town in the New Mexico Territory. But there's nothing easy about two vicious gangs descending on the town and threatening to wreak havoc. With his reputation preceding him, Morgan is elected to stand in the outlaws' way. And with nothing left to lose, he's the last man who will ever back down....
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Chapter 3 does a whole chapter a 2
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Frontier America
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
As the father of a young Crow tribesman, Preacher would like nothing more than to see the long-time natives and newly arrived settlers live together in peace. Then, the killing starts.... As a family man and frontiersman, Jamie Ian MacCallister is more than happy to help the officers at Fort Kearny negotiate a peace treaty with the Crow nation. Until it all goes to hell.... This is not the American dream they were looking for. This is a nightmare. A brutal, blood-drenched frontier war that two heroic men must fight and win - or one struggling nation will never come together.
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Narrator
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Critic reviews
“Compton may very well turn out to be the greatest Western writer of them all...Very seldom in literature have the legends of the Old West been so vividly painted.” —The Tombstone Epitath
“Compton offers readers a chance to hit the trail and not end up saddle sore.” —Publishers Weekly
“Compton has hit the bull's eye.” —The Birmingham News
What listeners say about The Western Trail
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Bewildered.
- 07-27-15
A little over the top at times.
The narrator was ok at time he could get annoying the over all story was ok. I hated how the story would would progress and at times wouldn't fill in the blanks so you had to use your imagination which defeats the purpose of listening to book I want to be entertained I don't want to figure out what the author is up to. Plain and simple he doesn't compare to Louis L'Amour
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- Anonymous User
- 06-15-19
I thought it was a very good book but I thought I’ve seen it before but I really enjoyed it anyway
One of the best western books I’ve read in a long time but I swear I seen it in iMovie just can’t remember the name of it if anybody can help me please tell me the name of the movieVery very good book I loved it
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- Thomas E. Last
- 07-14-21
Another Happy Ending
I'm glad that the author is staying with same characters from the Goodnight Trail it gives the book a familiar feel. I like these people
Good moral backstories
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- W. Clements
- 06-01-19
Printed Book is Better
I have read this book many times and thought I would try the audio version since I’m just learning to enjoy audio books. This reading does not do justice to the author’s hard work. This version is abridged and done very poorly. As a True Blue Texas Woman, I found the narrators accent to be outlandish and overly exaggerated. He did do good with getting the emotions across. I love this story and would rate the unabridged version a full 5. As it is, with so many holes left for the listener, I became very annoyed and upset. By the print version and read it yourself. It’s waaaaaaaay better!
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- Joe Swann
- 06-16-14
Bad job of abridging
Any additional comments?
Bought the combined 3 books Goodnight-Western and Chisolm Trails below average westerns that are chopped up to shorten in ways that leave you asking what just happened? Reader that may be good at some books but not westerns. Not a good purchase.
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