The Distant Hills
Good doesn’t always triumph over evil…
Fred Keenan is leading the perfect life – he’s part of a successful travelling circus and engaged to the beautiful acrobat Maida Correl.
But one day, Fred’s life is shattered by the arrival of Sandor Descenyi – a suspicious man who claims to be the foreman of Saddleback.
He brings news that Sam, Fred’s brother, has been taken ill and is in desperate need of support. Fred and Maida promptly set off with Descenyi, but Fred smells a rat, especially when the locals at Saddleback give him the cold shoulder.
No sooner than Fred and Maida have arrived in Saddleback to see Sam and speak with his attorney Verle Stukey – having learned that Sam’s contract with railroad construction boss Macgillicuddy needs to be resolved – than they are separated and attacked by Descenyi and Stukey’s men.
Fred soon discovers an array of allies, in the form of old friend Dan Gibbs, Anson Wold, servant girl Thelma and Verle Stukey’s kind-hearted sister Connie, but the rest of the town is against him.
It soon becomes clear Descenyi intends to collect money for the cattle delivered to the railroad and also claim the Circle X ranch for himself, and that he can’t get any money from the bank without one of the Keenan brothers’ signatures.
Just when Fred thought things couldn’t get any worse, he learns that Descenyi is hatching a plan to frame Fred for the murders of Sam, Maida and Doctor Skelly.
Connie Stukey attempts to thwart her brother’s plans by rescuing the captive Fred and sending Maida to hide at Thelma’s ranch.
But things are never simple and Connie soon finds herself falling for Fred and forcing him to question his love for Maida.
Will the Keenans make it out of this nightmare sin one piece?
Can Fred and his friends outwit Descenyi and Stukey, despite the villains’ tight control over Saddleback and Circle X?
And when all is said and done – if Fred, Maida and Connie make it through alive – which path will Fred decide to follow?
Bursting with gunfights and thrilling adventure, The Distant Hills is a classic western novel, perfect for fans of Louis L’Amour and Zane Grey.
Praise for Mason Macrae
‘A classic of the genre.’- Tom Kasey, bestselling author of Trade Off
Pioneering Press is a western imprint of Endeavour Press – the UK’s leading independent digital publisher. We publish new and classic westerns by authors from the US and the UK.
