The Rice Factory — Marty Napierski

A stand alone novel, this historical Western is Napierski's second book in the Moonin Canoe and White Owl series revolving around the road agents of the infamous Railroad Investors Cartel of El Dorado: aka the RICE Factory, and the Lakota brothers, Moonin Canoe and White Owl. Our story is set in Denver City/Cripple Creek in the summer of 1871, where Silas Marless, kingpin of the cartel, is drawn to Denver for the reading of the late Colonel Montgomery's will and to search for the fabled mine of the One Eyed Swede. Unfortunately, Silas isn't the only heir and soon the colonel's niece, the voluptuous Lucy Montgomery, along with her senile ward Teddy Metz, are marked for murder. Recruited by President Grant, Inspector Zon of the Pinkertons and US Marshal Ed Mondey call down Moonin Canoe and White Owl from the Black Hills to back them in their quest to track down the elusive Teddy Metz, protect Miss Lucy, and expose an underworld cartel currently swindling millions from the government. But they're going up against a tough lot; Zeb Dalton, known as the fastest gun in the West, his henchman Black Crow, aka the Arapaho Ghost, and a crew of six killers from California. Charmingly humorous, exuding all the flavor of the Wild West, this action packed mystery is a roller coaster of betrayals and surprises with a host of unforgettable characters, concluding with a delightful twist that leaves one back in time, longing for a sequel, and wondering what really happened in book one; The Great Gold Heist of 1870.