A Need for Violence

The epic journey west takes a deadly turn when the Harrigans get caught in a war between two rival tribes—in this sprawling frontier saga. . .

Spring, 1850. After a brutally long winter in the Rockies, Mack Harrigan and his growing family have learned to manage the harsh realities of frontier life. Their new friends, the Shoshone, have taught them the skills they need to survive in this rugged land, from tracking and hunting to fishing and foraging. But the skills they need most are those of the Shoshone warrior—when their camp is attacked by an enemy tribe. . . .

Sometimes there is a need for violence. This is one of those times.

The attackers are merciless. They crush the skulls of their victims. Slice off their scalps. And kidnap children as prisoners of war. The Harrigans are horrified by the bloodshed and brutality of the attack—and are determined to fight back alongside the Shoshone. But their mission to save the children will ultimately send the battling Harrigans even deeper into the wild frontier. Farther west than most dare to travel. And closer to finding the American dream—if they survive. . . .

Western Heritage Award and three-time Spur Award-winning author Dusty Richards was the author of over 100 acclaimed westerns. He spent his youth in Arizona and worked as a rancher, auctioneer, rodeo announcer, and TV anchor before he moved to writing full time, going on to become the only author ever to win two Spur Awards from Western Writers of America in one year (2007). He received his third Spur Award for The Mustanger and the Lady, which was adapted into the film “Painted Woman.” An inductee of the Arkansas Writers Hall of Fame, Dusty was also the recipient of the Will Rogers Medallion Award for Western Fiction and was honored by the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2009. He was a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the International Professional Rodeo Association, and served on the local PRCA rodeo board.