Rattlesnake Valley: The Loner    by J. A. Johnstone Order:  USA  Can Pinnacle, 2011 (2011) Paperback Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Bob Walch He finds it hard to believe, but when Kid Morgan, the son of legendary gunfighter Frank Morgan, finds a bleached white skull laid out in front of him arranged with two long bones laid across each other beneath it there can be only one conclusion. Pirates! Now if he were standing on a Caribbean beach that wouldn't be too hard to stomach. But here he is hundreds of miles from the sea in the arid country of West Texas. If there's a buried treasure search going on here, someone has really misread his map. As you get further into this entertaining western, you and the protagonist will discover that a former marine captain, Owen Bird, has inherited a local ranch from his brother and decided to retire from the sea. Unfortunately, Bird's transition won't be an easy one since a former pirate named Black Terrance Malone and some of his scurvy knaves have followed Bird to dry land. Launching a campaign of thieving and mayhem, the swashbuckling villain has also set his sights on Bird's comely young niece. As a conflict which began on the high seas and is about to be renewed on the doorstep of the denizens of Rattlesnake Valley looms, the Kid finds himself drawn into a fight that perhaps he should avoid. But always susceptible to the charms of a beautiful young woman, the drifter pulls up a chair to the table and says to deal him in to the high stakes game being played. If you enjoy a good western yarn, this action adventure will certainly satisfy that hankering for a little cowboy gunplay. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Historical books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews