Reavis Z. Wortham

A Texas Ranger faces off with terrorists while trapped inside a small-town courthouse during a blizzard—from the author of the Red River mysteries. It’s a stunning attack, lightning quick and chilling in its execution. A merciless gang of terrorists seizes the Presidio County Courthouse in the midst of the worst blizzard West Texas has seen in a century. Loaded down with enough fire power to outfit an army, the attackers slaughter dozens, take all survivors hostage, and assume complete control. The nation—and the U.S. government—are at their mercy. Or so they think. They don’t know that a seasoned Texas Ranger is also inside the courthouse. Sonny Hawke has hauled in some of America’s Most Wanted. Now he’s up against his most dangerous adversary yet. Sonny likes his chances. The enemy is his to take down—one by one. Until he’s face-to-face with the ruthless mastermind gunning for our very freedom . . . First in the series and perfect for fans of Die Hard! Praise for the Spur Award–winning Reavis Z. Wortham and His Novels “Think: Elmore Leonard meets James Lee Burke.” —Jeffery Deaver “Wortham is the real thing.”—C.J. Box “The most riveting thriller all year!” —John Gilstrap “Entertaining and emotionally engaging.” —T. Jefferson Parker “A masterful and entertaining storyteller.” —Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine

Hawke's Prey

A Texas Ranger pursues a deadly drug cartel through the badlands of Big Bend in this Western thriller by the Spur Award–winning author of Hawke’s Target. The serene beauty of West Texas’s Big Bend National Park is shattered when four hikers are brutally ambushed by a sniper. Only one survives to report the murders. When investigators come up with nothing, they’re left wondering if this is an isolated incident—or the beginning of a rampage. One week later, Texas Ranger Sonny Hawke heads into the park, determined to unearth the truth. Before he knows it, he’s in the same sniper’s crosshairs. The drug and human smuggling cartel Coyotes Rabiosos—Rabid Coyotes—have lured him to remote backcountry, looking for payback for an old grudge. Wounded and stranded in the harsh desert terrain, Sonny is hunted, outnumbered, and about to become the target of an even more dangerous enemy—one whose thirst for revenge could incite an international conflict far beyond the U.S.-Mexican border.

Hawke's War

First in a new historical series from the highly acclaimed, award-winning author praised as "the genuine article" (Craig Johnson) and known for his "literary voice delivered with a warm and knowing Texas twang" (CJ Box). In a land with no law, there's only two things a man can count on--a deadly sense of justice and an even deadlier ability to outdraw the most dangerous lead-spitting gunslingers. Texas cowboy Cap Whitlatch has never shied away from hard work. Whether driving cattle or busting broncos, he gets the job done right. When he hires on with a ranch, he earns his pay with blood and sweat, keeping him honest. And when a friend is in dire need, Cap will move the tallest mountains to defend and protect them from harm. Gil Vanderburg has known Cap since they were children. Now, he's in jail for murder in a small Oklahoma town. To see justice served right, Cap volunteers to escort his friend to South Texas where he will stand trial for robbery. But they're not quite traveling alone along the unhealthy trail in Indian territory. Three bloodthirsty Cherokee brothers want revenge on Gill for killing their sibling. A pair of vicious outlaws are after the gold in Cap's saddlebags. And the marshal pursuing them all is determined to bring every lawbreaker in--dead or alive. Cap is not about to let any man--no matter which side of the law he falls on--deter him from fulfilling his righteous mission. And he will show no mercy to anyone who tries . . .

The Journey South

“Reavis Z. Wortham is the real thing: a literary voice that’s delivered with a warm and knowing Texas twang.”—C.J. Box Border patrol agents are being ambushed along the Big Bend region of West Texas, a notorious drug corridor running east and west across the Lone Star State. They’re not the only targets. A film production depicting human trafficking in the area has been attacked by a brutal drug cartel. Into this lawless frontier steps Texas Ranger Sonny Hawke, ready and willing to dispense his own brand of justice. It’s an all-out war with the thinnest line separating the good from the bad. Sonny knows the only way out is to aim straight and stand your ground . . . “There’s a term we use in the west, the genuine article, and those words fit Reavis Z. Wortham to a Texas T.”—Craig Johnson “A masterful and entertaining storyteller.” —Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine Visit us at www.kensingtonbooks.com

Hawke's Fury

“Think: Elmore Leonard meets James Lee Burke.” —Jeffery Deaver It’s a stunning attack, lightning quick and chilling in its execution. A merciless gang of terrorists seizes the Presidio County Courthouse in the midst of the worst blizzard West Texas has seen in a century. Loaded down with enough fire power to outfit an army, the attackers slaughter dozens, take all survivors hostage, and assume complete control. The nation—and the U.S. government—are at their mercy. Or so they think. They don’t know that a seasoned Texas Ranger is also inside the courthouse. Sonny Hawke has hauled in some of America’s Most Wanted. Now he’s up against his most dangerous adversary yet. Sonny likes his chances. The enemy is his to take down—one by one. Until he’s face-to-face with the ruthless mastermind gunning for our very freedom . . . Praise for Reavis Z. Wortham and His Novels “The most riveting thriller all year!” —John Gilstrap “A masterful and entertaining storyteller.” —Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine “Entertaining and emotionally engaging.” —T. Jefferson Parker

“There’s a term we use in the west, the genuine article, and those words fit Reavis Wortham to a Texas T.” —Craig Johnson “If you look for authenticity in your books, you’ll swoon over Reavis Wortham. He’s Texas true.” —C. J. Box “Think: Elmore Leonard meets James Lee Burke.” —Jeffery Deaver Judge. Jury. Executioner. One man is taking the law into his own hands. His targets are criminals who slipped through the justice system. From California to Texas, this relentless avenger hunts down the unpunished and sentences them to death. But now he’s on Sonny Hawke’s turf. A Texas Ranger committed to his job, Hawke will not abide vigilante justice—especially when innocents are also in the line of fire. The trail of bodies stretches across the Lone Star State to the most savage clan East Texas has ever seen. And Hawke is the only one who can stop them . . . “Wortham knows how to ratchet tension with pitch-perfect West-Texas flavor.” —Lone Star Literary Life

Hawke's Target

Some men are destined for danger Texas Ranger Tom Bell is simply tracking a fugitive killer in 1931 when he rides into Kilgore, a hastily erected shanty town crawling with rough and desperate men—oil drillers who've come by the thousands in search of work. The sheriff of the boomtown is overwhelmed and offers no help, nor are any of the roughnecks inclined to assist the young Ranger in his search for the wanted man. In fact, it soon becomes apparent that the lawman's presence has irritated the wrong people, and when two failed attempts are made on his life, Bell knows he's getting closer to finding out who is responsible for cheating and murdering local landowners to access the rich oil fields flowing beneath their farms. When they ambush him for a third time, they make the fatal mistake of killing someone close to him and leaving the Ranger alive. Armed with his trademark 1911 Colt .45 and the Browning automatic he liberated from a gangster's corpse, Tom Bell cuts a swath of devastation through the heart of East Texas in search of the consortium behind the lethal land-grab scheme.

The Texas Job

The stakes don't get much higher than murder... It's January 1969 in the small rural community of Center Springs, Texas. Constable Ned Parker is looking into the seemingly accidental death of his nephew R .B., who was found in his overturned pickup near Sanders Creek bridge. At first it appears that R. B. drowned in the shallow water, but something doesn't add up for Ned, who begins turning over stones in search of what really happened the night R. B. died. Eventually, the investigation leads Ned back to the Starlite Club, a dangerous honky-tonk recently constructed in a no-man's land on the Lone Star side of the Red River. Although his investigation uncovers suspicious characters, drugs, and gambling, it's the series of murders that eliminated any potential witnesses to what happened to R. B. on that cold January night, that's the most troubling. As he works his way through the cover-up, which leads all the way to the coroner's office, Ned finds himself involved in a high-stakes game of consequences with no good end in sight. Are the good citizens of Center Springs conspiring against Constable Parker in his search for the truth?

Laying Bones

Burrows ended as 1965 drew to a close with Constable Cody Parker's frightening precognition of gathering storm clouds for the tight-knit Parker family from Center Springs, Texas. The dreams proved accurate. Cody is ambushed and nearly killed on a lonely country road during an unusually heavy snowfall. With that attack, the locals begin to worry that The Skinner, from The Rock Hole, has returned. Constable Ned Parker struggles to connect a seemingly unrelated series of murders as his nephew recovers. As the summer of 1966 approaches, rock and roll evolves to reflect the increasing unrest in this country and the people of northeast Texas wonder why their once peaceful community has suddenly become a dangerous place to live. Ned's pre-teen grandchildren, Top and Pepper, are underfoot at every turn. The two lawmen, along with the deputy John Washington, cross paths with many colorful characters originally introduced in Wortham's acclaimed Red River series: cranky old Judge O.C. Rains, the jittery little farmer Isaac Reader, and the Wilson boys Ty Cobb and Jimmy Foxx. And then there's the arrival of the mysterious old man named Tom Bell. When Cody follows his main suspect across the Rio Grande and into Mexico, Ned understands that to save his nephew, he will have to cross more than a river, he will have to cross over to the Right Side of Wrong. Humor, suspense, horror, precognition, and Life in the tumultuous 60s are examined with an unflinching eye by the author of the Red River series. b. A short description of the book, not to exceed 50 words, typically distilled from the longer description. This information might be used in catalogues or promotional material. Please be sure not to disclose too much. In the spring of 1966, Constable Ned Parker tries to connect a string of seemingly unrelated murders in the small community of Center Springs, Texas. When Cody Parker tracks their main suspect into Mexico, Ned realizes he'll have to cross over to the Right Side of Wrong to save him.

The Right Side of Wrong

Top 10 Modern Westerns for 2016 by True West Magazine Top Books for 2015 by Strand Magazine "Reavis Z. Wortham is the real thing: a literary voice that's gut-bucket Americana delivered with a warm and knowing Texas twang." —CJ Box, #1 New York Times bestselling author At the tail end of 1967, the Parker family once again finds it impossible to hide from a world spinning out of control. Fourteen-year-old Top still can't fit in with their Center Springs, Texas, community or forget recent, vicious crimes. His near-twin cousin Pepper, desperate to escape her own demons, joins the Flower Children flocking to California—just as two businessmen are kidnapped and murdered in the Red River bottoms on the same night a deadly hit and run kills a farmer. Constable Ned Parker wonders if these crimes are connected, but he goes after Pepper, leaving the investigation with Sheriff Cody Parker. Parker hires Deputy Anna Sloan, an investigator with an eye toward detail as everyone is eyeing her. Yet it is instinct that propels her after killers through a world nearly forgotten, the hunt's backdrop one of continuous rain, gloomy skies, and floods. When she's ambushed, the investigation accelerates into gunfire, chases, and hair-raising suspense. What of Pepper? Out on Route 66, the Mother Road to California, a man named Crow isn't what he seems. Lies, deceptions, and a band of outlaw motorcyclists proves to the Parkers that no matter where you turn, no matter what you do, the world is full of such darkness that even grandmothers are capable of unspeakable deeds. Best Small Fictions of 2015 by The Dallas Morning News Will Rogers Medallion Award 2016 Honorable Mention, Western Fiction

Reavis Z. Wortham

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