Black Range Revenge

Melody Groves

A Colton Brothers Saga Book 5 · Speaking Volumes

About this ebook

Gold fever hits Andrew Jackson Colton. Hard. At eighteen, the opportunity to acquire wealth calls to him. In August 1863, Andy rides into Birchville, the southwestern New Mexico Black Range town, headquarters for anything gold.

Andy claims a spot along the stream and pans for gold. Unsuccessful, by first snowfall he’s ready to go home, try again when it’s warmer. However, friend Thomas O’Malley convinces Andy to join him—head farther into the Range to the mining berg of Mogollon.

Andy encounters Apaches and is wounded, O’Malley killed. Andy stumbles into Mogollon, which has already been raided. He locates the single cabin occupied by a runaway slave, Dawson, who saves his life.

Dawson forces Andy to work, and then hides him when Andy’s older brothers come looking. Dawson convinces the Apache to buy Andy, but the Apache keep Dawson and Andy as slaves. The Apache leader uses Andy as a lure for Andy’s brothers. The leader’s only objective: revenge for his brother’s death at the hands of James Colton.

Still looking for Andy, the Colton brothers ride into Birchville, raided by the Apache. Andy and Dawson are used as bait and the Coltons take it. Everyone fights for their lives.

About the author

New Mexico native Melody Groves lives the life of a full-time freelance writer. She travels the world, meets amazing people, and writes about it all. Born and raised in Las Cruces, southern New Mexico, she spent a few years “growing up” on Guam and in the Philippines.

Winner of numerous writing awards, she is author of the award-winning Colton Brothers Saga series set in 1860s southern New Mexico/Arizona: Border Ambush, Sonoran Rage, Arizona War, Kansas Bleeds and Black Range Revenge with Trail to Tin Town in the pipeline.In addition to that series, she penned She Was Sheriff, set in 1872 northern California, sequel to Lady of the Law also in the pipeline.

Non-fiction books include: the 2011 New Mexico Book Award winner, Hoist a Cold One! Historic Bars of the Southwest. Fascinated by rodeo, she wrote Ropes, Reins, and Rawhide: All About Rodeo. Her book Butterfield’s Byways: The First StagecoachLine and Overland Mail Route Across America was a finalist in the 2015 Zia Award and NM/AZ Book Awards.

Melody writes for True West, Enchantment Magazine, New Mexico Magazine, Wild West among others. In 2018, she won the prestigious National Press Women’s Award for her article in True West Magazine.

When not writing, she plays rhythm guitar with the Jammy Time Band.