The Lone Star Ranger

Buck Duane kills a man who drew on him first, and Texas law makes no allowance for that. Driven into the outlaw country along the Rio Grande, he learns how the border really works: rustler camps, bought sheriffs, women held against their will, and gunmen who are never more than one quarrel from the next grave. Duane counts every man he shoots and hates the tally. When the Rangers offer a governor’s pardon in exchange for riding against the gangs, redemption arrives with a badge attached. Grey published it in 1915, and its mix of guilt, gun work, and hard open country set the shape of the Western for decades after. Free PDF and EPUB edition available here.