THE OUTFIT: TO HELL AND BACK
Rafe Barr, master tracker, spy, and war hero, is locked away in Yuma Territorial Prison for life, wrongly convicted of the murder of his wife and son. Five years into his sentence, Warden Talbot Timmons offers him a full pardon if he rescues the daughter of California Governor Pendleton from Deadwood’s top bad man, Al Swearengen. Barr smells a rat, but agrees. On the trail, Rafe saves his old pard, explosives expert Cookie McGee, from a dicey situation before finding the girl, the law, and a whole lot of trouble in Deadwood.
They ride hard for Rafe’s old Colorado ranch, their back trail fogged by vicious thugs-for-hire, El Jefe and his Hell Hounds. Along the way Rafe and Cookie save a crew of colorful characters whose peculiar talents come in handy as the Hell Hounds swarm the ranch. The fuse is lit as Rafe, Cookie, and the rest of the gang find themselves in an explosive battle for their lives. And that’s only the beginning for … THE OUTFIT!
Five Star Publishing: 313 pages, October 2016
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REVIEWS
“This tantalizing novel is the first in a whole new series for Matthew Mayo. The hero in this entertaining yarn is Rafe Barr, freed by a corrupt warden from a cell in Yuma prison where he was unjustly imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. The warden offers a full pardon if Barr can find where the daughter of the governor has been held after being kidnapped. This one will keep you awake at night until you’ve finished. Let’s hope we won’t have to wait too long for the next one.”
“Spur-Award winning author Matthew P. Mayo delivers another rollicking, old-fashioned Western with The Outfit: To Hell and Back (Five Star, $25.95). When wrongly convicted murderer Rafe Barr is given the chance of a full pardon in exchange for rescuing the daughter of the governor of California, he leaves the Yuma Territorial Prison and his life sentence behind. He joins up with an old partner and rescues the girl, only then to wind up in a lot more trouble on the road from Deadwood, South Dakota, to Colorado, with a band of unlikely allies in town and a gang of cutthroats and desperadoes on their tail. Mayo always spins a good yarn, and this entertaining novel of the Old West is no exception.”
“Mayo writes a darn good yarn you won’t want to put down.”