Burle releases ‘Frontier Justice’
Dan Burle has completed his sixth book and fourth historical fiction/Western novel. His latest book is called “Frontier Justice.”
The story takes place in Kansas along the Smoky Hill River from 1880 to 1881.
Jerod Brinkman was a successful and respective businessman in Abilene, Kansas in 1880. But he had a dark secret, and evil had no limits in this man’s soul.
The description reads, “Mental scars from the Civil War twisted his mind with a sickness that was only curable with power and wealth and nothing or nobody would stand in his way of achieving his goals. A criminal organization made up of unscrupulous saddle bums, and vigilante justice were his malicious enablers to attain his ambitious aspirations. The question was, ‘Could anyone bring this man to justice?'”
“I bring in the famous cow towns of Abilene, Ellsworth, and Hays City,” Burle said. “However, this story is not about cattle or cattle drives. It’s about ruthless outlaw gangs who created havoc in the towns along the Smokey Hill River that runs 500 miles through the state of Kansas and into Colorado.
“This book is full of Wild West action from the start to the finish and surprise and twists that will keep the reader guessing what’s going to happen next. As with all of my Westerns, there is a shocker in the end.”
He said he is proud to say that there is a great message in this book which will manifest itself in various chapters.
“I even bring in the famous Old West detective agency known as the Pinkerton Detective Agency who was made a farce of by the famous James-Younger Gang,” he said. “This book has taken me a good six months to write. As with all of my historical fictions, I have done hours and hours of research before beginning the story.
“I found actual newspaper articles from that time period to add authenticity. I bring in actual articles from the 1870s and the 1880s describing ‘Boot Hill’ and events along the Smoky Hill River.”
He did research on the pistols and rifles that he designated in the story so that the reader could be assured that the facts he described about the firearms are true.
“When writing my historical fictions, I take pride in the fact that the words I used were all used during that time period,” Burle said. “This is a major part of the editing process. A few examples of this are ‘ammo’ was not used until 1911, therefore ‘ammunition’ must be used; ‘family room’ was not used until 1945 therefore ‘parlor’ must be used; and ‘city slickers’ wasn’t used until 1924 therefore ‘city fellas’ must be used.”
As in his last Western, “Three for Hire: Revenge of the Mescalero Apache,” he included a “Bonus Section” at the end of the story.
“It is an article that appeared in a newspaper on April 6, 1882 and it describes the events of the assassination of Jesse James with details that most people have probably never heard about before,” he said. “It is quite an article. It even describes what Jesse’s wife was going through as the events unfolded on that fateful day on April 3, 1882, in St. Joseph, Missouri.”
This book is dedicated to his three granddaughters and all future grandchildren.
Burle is an author, rancher, horseman, retired cattleman, musician, and cowboy humorist. He and his wife, Bernice, own Cedar Spring Ranch Horse and Cattle Co. in Bonne Terre. Other books by Dan Burle include “L.O.L. Ranch Stories Part 1: Goofs on Hoofs,” “L.O.L. Ranch Stories Part II: Spoofs and Goofs on Hoofs,” “Three for Hire: Gunslingers on the Santa Fe,” and “Three for Hire: The Shadow Assassins.”
“The Revenge of the Mescalero Apache” was going to be his last episode in the book series but he’s had people ask him to write another Three for Hire book because they loved the stories and the characters.
“With that in mind, I have decided to write a series of the books entitled, ‘The Chronicles of the Three for Hire,'” Burle said. “The one I have just begun work on will be entitled, ‘The Chronicles of the Three for Hire, 1882-1883, The Lethal Connection.’ The story will be narrated by Josh O’ Brien, the son of one of the Three for Hire. It will be the year of 1895 when he will be telling the story of the Three for Hire’s adventures in the Southwest during the years described in the title. His information comes from a journal kept by his father, Thomas O’Brien.”
Burle is also working on an audio book for Frontier Justice. He was surprised at how many people requested it at Silver Dollar City last year.
He’s been invited to attend the National Harvest and Cowboy Festival at Silver Dollar City for the fourth year in a row. The event is in September and October.
He will also attend Sedalia’s Trail’s End Event April 24-26. He will speak on how to write a Western novel.
He will attend the Franklin Rodeo in Franklin, Tennessee, on May 13-16. He will also attend the National Reining Horse Derby in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, June 20-27 as a vendor in the trade show. His son, Dan, will be in the competition with his quarter horse.
A book signing is scheduled at Jefferson County Public Library in Arnold from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 28.
Books can be ordered from his website at www.cedarspringranch-h-c-co.com or through Amazon, Barnes & Noble or by messaging him on his Facebook page. Books are available on Kindle.
Local author Dan Burle holds up his sixth book. He is already working on another Western.
