Lightning of Gold

From legendary Western author Max Brand comes a tale of covert espionage, gold, and a mysterious figure on horseback.In this dramatic and strange story, Lefty Bill Ranger, an Alaskan mail carrier, travels to Circle City through a terrific snowstorm. There he meets Menneval—a man who is widely feared throughout the territory—and is offered a job. He is to go to Tuckerville, California, and from there to the mountain fastness where Peter Crosson and his son, Oliver, live in total isolation. Menneval wants Ranger to watch and report what he sees for a period of six months. The pay for this espionage will be $6,000 in gold. Ranger, attracted by the money, accepts the assignment.In the Sierra Mountains, Ranger sets up his camp and, pretending to be a trapper, keeps the Crosson ranch under surveillance. One day, Ranger is amazed to witness a gigantic mountain lion being pursued by a pack of wolves and followed by a bronzed youth on horseback. The wolf pack seems to be under the guidance of the youth, who carries only a hunting knife. Later, two hardcases fully armed with rifles and revolvers attempt to enter the Crosson range, intent on rustling Crosson cattle. They disappear, and, when Ranger next sees them, the men are afoot, covered with wounds, their clothes in tatters, fleeing in terror for their very lives. It is here that Lefty Bill Ranger will experience, for the first time, what is called the lightning of gold.Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction that takes place in the old West. Westerns—books about outlaws, sheriffs, chiefs and warriors, cowboys and Indians—are a genre in which we publish regularly. Our list includes international bestselling authors like Zane Gray and Louis L’Amour, and many more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

“Brand practices his art to something like perfection.” —The New York Times“Max Brand is the Shakespeare of the Western range.” —Kirkus Reviews“Brand's stories are just as exciting today as they were yesterday.” —Publishers Weekly, “Brand practices his art to something like perfection.” —The New York Times“Max Brand is the Shakespeare of the Western range.” —Kirkus Reviews“Brand's stories are just as exciting today as they were yesterday.” —Publishers Weekly

Max Brand is the best-known pen name of Frederick Faust, creator of such beloved characters as Destry and Dr. Kildare. Eighty motion pictures and many radio and television programs have been based on his work. Faust went to Italy as a war correspondent during World War II after the United States entered the conflict, and was killed during a night attack on a hilltop village held by the German army. His literary output was so prolific during his life that he averaged three new books per year for seventy-five years, including many years after his death.