Brannocks

Immediately after the Civil War, the three Brannock brothers separately wend their ways to Denver, a bustling mining center. Earl is a professional gambler whose winnings allow him to open Denver's first honest gambling house. Virgil is a businessman who founds a wildly successful liquor wholesaling company and becomes a friend of the powers of Denver. Clint, who spent much of the war in a Northern prison camp, wants to avenge the murder of his parents at the hands of Union irregulars, and in the meantime becomes Denver's sheriff. Each brother faces tests of will and honesty with aplomb and courage, and each takes up with spicy, good-hearted women. The book leads to a bloody, blazing showdown, involving corrupt Denver politicos, the man responsible for the murder of the Brannocks' parents and stagecoach robbers. Afterwards, the Brannocks must leave Denver, but their honor and Denver's future are assured. Well plotted, this is an entertaining Western. (May)