Ralph Compton Popular Books

Ralph Compton Biography & Facts

Ralph Compton (April 11, 1934 – September 16, 1998) was an American writer of western fiction. A native of St. Clair County, Alabama, Compton stood six-foot-eight without his boots. He worked as a musician, a radio announcer, a songwriter, and a newspaper columnist. Mr. Compton began his writing career with a notable work, The Goodnight Trail, which was chosen as a finalist for the Western Writers of America "Medicine Pipe Bearer Award" bestowed upon the "Best Debut Novel". He was also the author of the Sundown Rider series and the Border Empire series. In the last decade of his life, he authored more than two dozen novels, some of which made it onto the USA Today bestseller list for fiction. Ralph Compton died in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 64. Since his death, Signet Books has continued the author's legacy, releasing new novels, written by authors such as Joseph A. West and David L. Robbins, under Compton's byline. Novels Autumn of the Gun Festival Of Spies Clarion's Call Devil's Canyon Navarro Bullet Creek Guns Of The Canyonlands By The Horns Rio Largo Deadwood Gulch The Killing Season Texas Empire The Bloody Trail Blood Duel Shadow Of The Gun Ride The Hard Trail Bullet For A Bad Man Outlaw's Reckoning Stryker's Revenge The Burning Range The Stranger From Abilene The Ghost Of Apache Creek Down On The Gila River Hard Ride To Wichita The Hunted Double-Cross Ranch The Trail Drive Series The Goodnight Trail The Western Trail The Chisholm Trail The California Trail The Shawnee Trail The Virginia City Trail The Dodge City Trail The Oregon Trail The Santa Fe Trail The Old Spanish Trail The Green River Trail The Deadwood Trail The Bandera Trail Trail Drive books written by other authors under Compton's byline: The Dakota Trail by Robert Vaughan (ISBN 0-451-20417-4) Bozeman Trail by Robert Vaughan (ISBN 0-451-20690-8) The Alamosa Trail by Robert Vaughan (ISBN 0-451-20582-0) The Abilene Trail by Dusty Richards (ISBN 978-0-451-21043-2) Trail to Fort Smith by Dusty Richards (ISBN 0-451-21123-5) The Palo Duro Trail by Jory Sherman (ISBN 0-451-21369-6) The Ogallala Trail by Dusty Richards The Ellsworth Trail by Jory Sherman The Tenderfoot Trail by Joseph A West Trail To Cottonwood Falls by Dusty Richards The Amarillo Trail by Jory Sherman The Badlands Trail by Lyle Brandt The Saltwater Trail by Jackson Lowry Trail of the Gunfighter The Dawn of Fury (ISBN 0-451-18631-1) The Killing Season (ISBN 0-451-18787-3) Autumn of the Gun (ISBN 0-451-19045-9) Border Empire The Border Empire (ISBN 0-451-19209-5) Sixguns and Double Eagles (ISBN 0-451-19331-8) Train To Durango (ISBN 0-451-19237-0) Sundown Riders North to the Bitterroot Across the Rio Colorado The Winchester Run Devil's Canyon (ISBN 0-451-19519-1) Whiskey River (ISBN 0-451-19332-6) The Skeleton Lode (ISBN 0-451-19762-3) Runaway Stage Do Or Die Bucked Out In Dodge West of Pecos Sundown Riders books written by other authors under Compton's byline: Demon's Pass by Robert Vaughan (ISBN 0-451-19763-1) The Trail's End by E.L. Ripley The Wolves of Seven Pines by E.L. Ripley Flames of Silver by Jackson Lowry Prairie Fire, Kansas by John Shirley Tin Star by Jackson Lowry Never Bet Against the Bullet by Jackson Lowry Calvert's Last Bluff by E.L. Ripley Seven Roads to vengeance by Carlton Stowers The Outlaw Hunters by D.B. Pulliam Danny Duggin Series Death Rides A Chestnut Mare (ISBN 0-451-19761-5) The Shadow of a Noose Death Along the Cimarron by Ralph Cotton (ISBN 0-451-20769-6) Riders of Judgment by Ralph Cotton (ISBN 0-451-20214-7) Books written by other authors under Compton's byline The following novels were written by a variety of authors under Compton's byline and published by the Ralph Compton Estate (not including the Trail Drive Series or Sundown Riders Series, which are already listed above). In every one of these books, the first chapter is preceded by Compton's five-paragraph eulogy to "The Immortal Cowboy" which begins with: "This is respectfully dedicated to the 'American cowboy.' His was the saga sparked by the turmoil that followed the Civil War, and the passing of more than a century has by no means diminished the flame." John Edward Ames: Deadwood Gulch Ralph Cotton: The Shadow of a Noose Riders of Judgment Death Along The Cimarron Marcus Galloway: One Man's Fire The Bloody Trail Straight Shooter Death of a Bad Man The Dangerous Man Brimstone Trail Rusted Tin Outlaw's Reckoning Straight to the Noose Hard Ride to Wichita Vigilante Dawn Tony Healey: Blood on the Prairie (The Gunfighter Series) Jackson Lowry: Lost Banshee Mine The Big Deal Shot to Hell (The Gunfighter Series) Matthew P. Mayo: Tucker's Reckoning Deadman's Ranch Shotgun Charlie Terrence McCauley: Ride the Hammer Down Robert J. Randisi: The Wrong Side of the Law (The Gunfighter Series) Ride for Justice (The Gunfighter Series) Dusty Richards North to the Salt Fork David L. Robbins: For the Brand A Wolf in the Fold Brother's Keeper Texas Hills Fatal Justice The Law and the Lawless West of Pecos Bluff City Nowhere, TX The Evil Men do Bucked Out in Dodge Jeff Rovin: Death Valley Drifter (The Gunfighter Series) Blood of the Hunters (The Gunfighter Series) John Shirley: Broken Rider (The Gunfighter Series) Carlton Stowers Comanche Trail Phantom Hill Dalton's Justice (The Gunfighter Series) Reunion in Hell (The Gunfighter Series) Return to Gila Bend (The Gunfighter Series) The Breckenridge Boys (The Gunfighter Series) Robert Vaughan: The Dakota Trail Joseph A. West: Bounty Hunter Rawhide Flat Showdown at Two-Bit Creek Doomsday Rider (The Buck Fletcher series) Vengeance Rider (The Buck Fletcher series) Slaughter Canyon Shadow of the Gun The Last Manhhunt The Man From Nowhere Blood on the Gallows The Convict Trail Blood and Gold West of the Law References External links The Tennessee Writers Project Contains mini-biography + bibliography. Discover the Ralph Compton popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Ralph Compton books.

Best Seller Ralph Compton Books of 2024

  • Ralph Compton Down on Gila River synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Down on Gila River

    Joseph A. West & Ralph Compton

    In this pulsepounding Ralph Compton western, a man sets out on the hardest trail of his life.... At fifty, cattle driver Sam Sawyer thinks he can finally dust off and retire, maybe...

  • Ralph Compton Doomsday Rider synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Doomsday Rider

    Joseph A. West & Ralph Compton

    To win his freedom, a man must save a wayward woman in this Ralph Compton western.Buck Fletcher is facing a twentyyear sentence for a murder he didn’t commit. But he just might hav...

  • Ralph Compton Hard Ride to Wichita synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Hard Ride to Wichita

    Marcus Galloway & Ralph Compton

    Two lifelong friends team up for revenge in this gripping Ralph Compton western.Their bond started with a schoolyard tussle. Now the need for vengeance is what binds Luke Croft and...

  • Ralph Compton Shot to Hell synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Shot to Hell

    Jackson Lowry & Ralph Compton

    A deadly marksman is on the hunt to find his missing sister in this exhilarating new Ralph Compton Western. One terrible day, fifteenyearold Leif Gunnarson comes home to find ...

  • Ralph Compton Do or Die synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Do or Die

    David Robbins & Ralph Compton

    Two money hungry bounty hunters bite off more than they can chew in this Ralph Compton western...Charley Pickett was cleaning up the Westworking on a farm shoveling youknowwhat. Th...

  • Ralph Compton Guns of the Greenhorn synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Guns of the Greenhorn

    Matthew P. Mayo & Ralph Compton

    Highly educatedand totally cluelessyoung Fletcher Ralston inherits a brothel and his thieving father's deadly enemy in this suspenseful new novel in Ralph Compton's Gunfighter seri...

  • Ralph Compton West of the Law synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton West of the Law

    Ralph Compton & Joseph A. West

    This western in Ralph Compton's USA Today bestselling series goes from the mean streets of New York City to the lawless frontier...Ordered to head west when a notorious New York C...

  • Ralph Compton Broken Rider synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Broken Rider

    John Shirley & Ralph Compton

    In this exciting new Ralph Compton western, a man without a memory meets an unforgettable ally: the one and only Bat Masterson.Riding into the town of Smoky River on a mangy mule, ...

  • Ralph Compton Bluff City synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Bluff City

    Ralph Compton & David Robbins

    In this Ralph Compton western, a man discovers that Bluff City is the place to find one’s fortuneor one’s grave...Bluff City is a prosperous silvermining townand a place of opportu...

  • Ralph Compton the Palo Duro Trail synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton the Palo Duro Trail

    Ralph Compton & Jory Sherman

    A thousandmile journey begins with a single step in this Ralph Compton western...  Some think he’s crazy. But Felix Dagstaff has signed on to drive 4,000 head of wild longhorn...

  • Ralph Compton Rusted Tin synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Rusted Tin

    Ralph Compton & Marcus Galloway

    In Ralph Compton's USA Today bestselling series, every man has a breaking point...Zeke Wolpert is sheriff of Keith County, Nebraska. He doesn’t keep the peace so much as turn a bli...

  • Ralph Compton the Evil Men Do synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton the Evil Men Do

    David Robbins & Ralph Compton

    A marshal and a teenage bounty hunter team up to dole out justice in this classic tale of the Old West.If things are quiet in the little town of Sweetwater, Marshal Fred Hitch sees...

  • Ralph Compton the Burning Range synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton the Burning Range

    Joseph A. West & Ralph Compton

    A gambler and a detective are caught in a land war, and the stakes are life or death in this actionpackaged Ralph Compton western.The streets of Green Meadow, Oklahoma, are flowing...

  • Ralph Compton the Convict Trail synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton the Convict Trail

    Ralph Compton & Joseph A. West

    Getting there is half the battle in this western in Ralph Compton's USA Today bestselling series.When Deputy Marshal Logan Kane is transporting six coldblooded convicts across hard...

  • Ralph Compton Texas Hills synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Texas Hills

    David Robbins & Ralph Compton

    A family man takes embarks on a dangerous endeavor in this gripping Ralph Compton western.Owen Burnett’s needs are small. All he’s ever wanted is his wife’s affection, his children...

  • Ralph Compton Phantom Hill synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Phantom Hill

    Carlton Stowers & Ralph Compton

    A ruthless rancher crosses the wrong man in this actionpacked Ralph Compton western.Haunted by memories of the Civil War, Coy Jennings just wants to find work as a ranch hand and t...

  • Ralph Compton Return to Gila Bend synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Return to Gila Bend

    Carlton Stowers & Ralph Compton

    In this breathless new installment in bestselling author Ralph Compton's the Gunfighter series, an excon fights to free his hometown from the clutches of a greedy land baron.When t...

  • Ralph Compton Nowhere, TX synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Nowhere, TX

    Ralph Compton & David Robbins

    Welcome to Nowhere in this Ralph Compton western...It’s a small town that sits on the border of Texas and the Oklahoma territory. It’s a haven for cutthroats and thieves on the run...

  • Ralph Compton Straight Shooter synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Straight Shooter

    Marcus Galloway & Ralph Compton

    In this western in Ralph Compton's USA Today bestselling series, a man's shot at the bigtime might be the shot that kills him...   Outlaw Wes Cavanaugh knows that crime doesn’...

  • Ralph Compton Blood and Gold synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Blood and Gold

    Joseph A. West & Ralph Compton

    In this Ralph Compton western, the most wanted man in the West isn’t an outlaw. But he’s still worth $30,000 dead or alive…An inexperienced cowpuncher with a solid work e...

  • Ralph Compton the Last Manhunt synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton the Last Manhunt

    Ralph Compton & Joseph A. West

    There's a thin line between the law and the lawless in this Ralph Compton western...Newspaper reporter Lester T. Booker traveled to Santa Fe to interview legendary gunfighter and d...

  • Ralph Compton Double Cross Ranch synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Double Cross Ranch

    Matthew P. Mayo & Ralph Compton

    A rancher fights to save the woman he loves in this actionpacked Ralph Compton western. Rancher Ty Farraday’s hunt for stray cattle takes a turn for the worse when he discovers a s...

  • Ralph Compton Blood Duel synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Blood Duel

    Ralph Compton & David Robbins

    In this Ralph Compton western, a gunslinger has to fight when his reputation gets spun into legend...Jeeter Frost may look like a mouse, but he’s as murderous as a lion. Now he’s g...

  • Ralph Compton Blood of the Hunters synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Blood of the Hunters

    Jeff Rovin & Ralph Compton

    In this compelling new installment of bestseller Ralph Compton's The Gunfighters series, a man driven by the destruction of his family seeks to protect a woman and her children fro...

  • Ralph Compton the Man From Nowhere synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton the Man From Nowhere

    Ralph Compton & Joseph A. West

    One man proves his worth in this Ralph Compton western... When the Apache surrounded the settlement of Alma, New Mexico, the "respectable" townsfolk began hanging those who weren't...

  • Ralph Compton Reunion in Hell synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Reunion in Hell

    Carlton Stowers & Ralph Compton

    A farmer is pulled into the world of outlaws when his estranged brother turns up dead in this new Ralph Compton Western.Brothers Clay and Cal Breckenridge, sons of a hardscrabble E...

  • Ralph Compton Vigilante Dawn synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Vigilante Dawn

    Marcus Galloway & Ralph Compton

    Two men are on the hunt for justiceno matter what it takesin this gripping Ralph Compton western.Jarrett Pekoe cares about two things: his ranch and his family. So when rustlers ki...

  • Ralph Compton North to the Salt Fork synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton North to the Salt Fork

    Ralph Compton & Dusty Richards

    In this western in Ralph Compton's USA Today bestselling series, a Civil War veteran learns the fight isn't over... Captain Jack Starr served the Confederate cause with honor ...

  • Ralph Compton Ride the Hard Trail synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Ride the Hard Trail

    Ralph Compton & David Robbins

    In this Ralph Compton western, riding the hard trail isn't easy...At the EJ Ranch in Wyoming, Lin Bryce has found good, honest work for himself and his temperamental brother, Chanc...

  • Ralph Compton the Bloody Trail synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton the Bloody Trail

    Ralph Compton & Marcus Galloway

    In this Ralph Compton western, a wagon train goes dangerously off course...Jeremiah Correy is leading his family in a wagon train to Oregon when his plans are waylaid by a group of...

  • Ralph Compton Showdown At Two-Bit Creek synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Showdown At Two-Bit Creek

    Joseph A. West & Ralph Compton

    In this Ralph Compton western, home is a battlefield....Buck Fletcher, infamous shootist, was once a boy raised in a cabin near TwoBit Creek in Montana. Returning home to pay his r...

  • Ralph Compton Riders of Judgment synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Riders of Judgment

    Ralph Cotton & Ralph Compton

    The Strange siblings are on the hunt for justice in this Ralph Compton western.In her guise as “Danny Duggin,” Danielle Strange has spent the past two years hunting down the outla...

  • Ralph Compton Stagecoach to Hell synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Stagecoach to Hell

    Terrence McCauley & Ralph Compton

    An ambush leaves a motley group of stagecoach riders fighting for their lives in this new Ralph Compton Western.A quiet stagecoach run between two Texas towns turns bloody when the...

  • Ralph Compton Death Along the Cimarron synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Death Along the Cimarron

    Ralph Cotton & Ralph Compton

    A gunslinging woman can't escape her past in this Ralph Compton western.Disguised as “Danny Duggin,” Danielle Strange hunted down the merciless cutthroats who murdered her father. ...

  • Ralph Compton Ride the Hammer Down synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Ride the Hammer Down

    Terrence McCauley & Ralph Compton

    In this racing new installment in bestseller Ralph Compton's the Gunfighter series, Marshal John Beck is a man who has spent his career dispensing justice throughout the West, but ...

  • Ralph Compton the Shadow of a Noose synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton the Shadow of a Noose

    Ralph Cotton & Ralph Compton

    In this Ralph Compton western, the Strange twins find themselves in double trouble...Young Jed and Tim Strange lost their father to an outlaw's bullet, and now their mother has suc...

  • Ralph Compton Vengeance Rider synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Vengeance Rider

    Joseph A. West & Ralph Compton

    Saddle up with legendary gunfighter Doc Holliday in this Ralph Compton western.Buck Fletcher plans to race his horse for a $10,000 prizemoney he needs to send his sick daughter to ...

  • Ralph Compton Blood on the Gallows synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Blood on the Gallows

    Joseph A. West & Ralph Compton

    A detective uses his gun to speak for the oppressed in this Ralph Compton western.Former big city detective John McBride is an easygoing manuntil people rub him the wrong way. So h...

  • Ralph Compton By the Horns synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton By the Horns

    Ralph Compton & David Robbins

    A cattle drive turns bloody in this western in the USA Today bestselling Ralph Compton series...Luke Deal and his gang are murderers many times over. And Owen, the foreman of the B...

  • Ralph Compton Navarro synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Navarro

    Ralph Compton & Peter Brandvold

    In the USA Today bestselling Ralph Compton series, love can be the most dangerous frontier...Hardened exgunslinger Taos Tommy Navarro turned away Karla Vannorsdell, a ran...

  • Ralph Compton West of Pecos synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton West of Pecos

    Ralph Compton & David Robbins

    Two men on opposite sides of the Civil War make their new home on an even more dangerous battleground in this Ralph Compton western...After the surrender of the Confederacyand the ...

  • Ralph Compton Death of a Hangman synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Death of a Hangman

    Joseph A. West & Ralph Compton

    A former soldier tries to outrun a gang out for blood in this novel in Ralph Compton's USA Today bestselling series.Years ago, Charlie Pike witnessed the horrors of the War Between...

  • Ralph Compton A Wolf in the Fold synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton A Wolf in the Fold

    David Robbins & Ralph Compton

    In this gritty Ralph Compton western, a coldblooded killer uses his deadly skills for fiery vengeance.When it comes to killing, Lucius Stark is just about the meanest mongrel of a ...

  • Ralph Compton Trail to Cottonwood Falls synopsis, comments

    Ralph Compton Trail to Cottonwood Falls

    Ralph Compton & Dusty Richards

    A man embarks on a hazardous journey for both body and soul in this Ralph Compton western...Ed Wright earned his reputation as a capable and principled man from years of driving ca...