Rage at the Devil — Dale Graham

When stable hand Ben Cade returns home to visit his father, he is stunned to discover the old farmer has been killed by drinking poisoned whiskey. Suspicion falls on a peddler who has recently passed through the Nebraska town of Gothenburg asking strange questions, allegedly to locate old friends. Ben has vengeance in his heart, but his shooting ability is woefully lacking. A chance meeting with Wild Bill Hickok, his boyhood hero in dime novels, sees the legendary gunfighter teaching him the rudiments of his dubious profession. Ben proves to be an able student. A new confidence finds him setting out on a merciless quest for retribution. But the fortuitous acquisition of a gun-toting reputation brings dangers he could never have imagined. Will Ben have the maturity and wisdom to meet the unforeseen challenges fate throws in his path?