Ghost towns, Dodge City, and cowboy campfire biscuits

Apr 24, 2025 5:01 pm

April '25

Howdy pard,

It sure is good to see you again. I’ve been busy here cookin’ up a feast – sit yourself down and make yourself comfortable.

You sure timed it well – I’ve got a saddlebag full of free books and tall tales to share. I’ll tell you all about the roughest, toughest, meanest gun killer who ever drove a stage – and she was a woman. I’ve got some scuttlebutt about that mean cowboy town Dodge City in Kansas, as well as a spooky documentary about the ghost town of Kirwin in Montana. I’ll also share a recipe for Cathead Biscuits that will have you licking your lips.

You look thirsty – I’m a terrible host. Here, I’ve got a bottle of redeye – here’s to mud in your eye. As my ol’ grandpa used to say, ‘Life is not about how fast you run or how high you climb but how well you bounce’.

Come 'n git 'em

Whether it’s action, adventure, war, sagas or spies… this collection of free novels fits the bill. There’s something here for everyone – and don’t forget, help yourself – they are all free!

Here’s a couple of titles to whet your interest:

The Great Watch, by Rowan MacNeill
Three Moons in Nyr Eikland, by Ethan McGrane
A Fado for the River, by Geoffrey Wells
The Moon Above, by Brett Davis

Click here to get your free books!

https://books.bookfunnel.com/aprilhistoricalfiction/xoq2d5czgh

Charlie Parkhurst

The West was a land of big stories and bigger personalities. However Charley Parkhurst possibly had the biggest story of them all. Charley was a tough tobacco-chewing, whiskey drinking, cursing, gambling, California stage driving gun killer.

Charley lost an eye and wore an eyepatch after being kicked by a horse, became one of the best stagecoach drivers on the West Coast during the Gold Rush, and shot two stagecoach robbers dead. Oh, and did I mention that Charley was actually a woman? Find out more here:

https://nickbrumbywesterns.com/charley-parkhurst/

‘Starts fast and runs hard’

Thank you to everyone who has picked themselves up a copy of Redding’s Fandango – the reviews have been great:

“The story starts fast and runs hard. Six-shooters, Winchesters and Bowie knives are the tools of the trade and they get well used. If Sol didn't have bad luck, he would have no luck at all. This story brings the non-stop cowboy action all the way to the end.”

The book is also now available on major ebook retailers - or check out the extra special edition containing exclusive content and a story epilogue not available from other retailers, delivered by Bookfunnel, and readable on any device.

You can find it here:

https://nickbrumbywesterns.com/reddings-fandango/

https://books2read.com/reddingsfandango

Shadows in Chinatown

I’m proud to recommend some great sci-fi that came across my desk – Shadows in Chinatown, by Jolie Tunnell.

Here’s the story (spoiler-free!):

"Karine Kelly's dream of a fresh start as a mail-order bride in booming 1882 San Francisco becomes a nightmare when her charming Irish husband is murdered on their wedding night. Waking to destitute widowhood and fiercely angry in-laws, she discovers a series of shocking secrets that her husband left behind.

Why did he tell no one about their wedding? Why was a Chinese assailant hunting him and now stalking her? Why do residents in the city shadows seem to know more about her husband than she does? And why does the irritating Detective Max Fisher keep turning up like a bad penny?

Warily working around each other as the killer strikes again, Karine and Detective Fisher uncover a sinister web of corruption, bigotry, and betrayals that circles ever closer to the jade pendant she wears over her heart—all that's left of her husband's pledge—and a ticking bomb that threatens to destroy Chinatown."

Reserve your copy here:

https://jolietunnell.com/shadows-in-chinatown

More great reading

There’s nothing like a great story, and these free quality titles are just waiting for you to start page one! Pick one, pick them all – it’s up to you. But don’t wait – they won’t cost you a cent!

Here’s a couple of titles to whet your interest:

Merlot and Murder, by Sandra Woffington
Shrouded in Mystery, by Willard B Graves
The Notorious Texas Swindler, by Pepper Anne
Seattle Slayer, by Annabelle Fogerty

Click here to get your free books!

https://books.bookfunnel.com/thrillingfreebies-apr/valjks2yh2

Did you know?

Dodge City, in Kansas, is the most notoriously violent town in wild west folklore, and for good reason. Dodge City had an annual recorded murder rate 165 adults killed per 100,000 people. That also means that someone living in Dodge City between 1876 to 1885 had a 1 in 61 chance of being murdered. (By comparison, in 2020, the most violent city in the world, Los Cobos, Mexico, had a murder rate less than half of that.)

Mayhem and motives

Mysteries, thrillers and suspense – do I need to say more? Take your pick from some of the best books currently available, straight from the keyboards of some of the most talented writers in their field.

These books are waiting for you right now. Don’t wait – they are only available for a limited time!

Here’s a couple of titles to whet your interest:

Covenant of the Iron Cross, by Gary McEvoy
Christmas Murders, by SF Baumgartner
Renegade, by Jodie Burnett
Always a Gun, by Terry Persun

Click here to get yours!

https://books.bookfunnel.com/mysthrillsus-april/ksd9yol57v

Documentary: The Ghost Town of Kirwin

This is the story of Kirwin, an abandoned mining camp deep in Wyoming's Absoroka Mountains, and of the risk takers involved in its history. From explorers, outlaws, and hard rock miners to arctic adventurers and Amelia Earhart, this remote location drew a remarkable cast of characters. Today, its natural beauty and rich past continue. Find out more about the ghost town of Kirwin in this great documentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRyjmHe8z-4

Want more grit with that?

We all love a good historical adventure – and here is some fan! Pick one, pick them all – it’s up to you. But don’t wait – they aren't around for long!

Here’s a couple of titles to whet your interest:

Devil of Fury, by JE Vassar
Embrace of the Wild, by Linda Ballou
The Patriots Daughter, by Vanessa Lind
Murder on the San Juan Express, by KC Sivils

Click here to get your books!

https://books.bookfunnel.com/timespenths/7fs4jksulu

Cathead Biscuits

There is nothing as warm and satisfying as biscuits and cowboy coffee on a cold morning. When you’re cooking at camp, you’ve got to find a way to get that Dutch oven warm enough to bake some Cathead biscuits, those giant, fluffy buttermilk drop biscuits that are a staple in Appalachian and Southern cuisine. Cowboy chef Kent Rollins will take you through cooking this simple campfire breakfast. Watch him make it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee_hxh6aF9k

Get to know Sheriff Sol Redding

Grab your copy of my western Redding’s Fandango right here:

https://nickbrumbywesterns.com/reddings-fandango/

From me to you: your free western

Get your free and exclusive copy of my first western Redding’s Maverick here: https://BookHip.com/NGKAHW

Nice to see you again!

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https://www.facebook.com/NickBrumbyWesterns

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https://www.instagram.com/nickbrumbywesterns/