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Bruce McCandless III
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In the Land of Dead Horses Kindle Edition

by Bruce McCandless III (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 57 ratings
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Kirkus Best Indie Thrillers and Mysteries of 2021

The Dead Have No Love for the Living

In the Land of Dead Horses tells the story of Texas Ranger Jewel T. Lightfoot’s pursuit of and confrontation with a resurrected horror from another age—a manifestation of the Mayan god of darkness, unearthed from its subterranean crypt in the wastelands of the Chihuahuan Desert and set loose on an unsuspecting world.

Lightfoot, a hard-drinking Texas Ranger, is aided by an aging silver miner named Ernesto Zavala and his grandson Antonio, a rangy firebrand who longs to free his people from the rule of Porfirio Diaz’s corrupt Mexican government. Together, these unlikely heroes face off against a sinister German academic, a trio of religious fanatics who wants to restore the glory of the Mayan empire, and a horror from the depths of history that grows stronger with each setting sun.

Join Jewel Lightfoot in what Kirkus Reviews calls "a paranormal whodunit that offers a gripping battle between good and evil." But be careful: Not everyone who rides out of Austin in the fall of 1908 is going to make it back alive.

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  1. Print length
    271 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    September 10, 2021
  5. File size
    5344 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"In the Land of Dead Horses is a thrilling and nightmare-inducing tale that held me breathless from the first page to the last."
--- Readers' Favorite, 5 star review

"A unique and riveting read from cover to cover."
--- Midwest Book Review



"A paranormal whodunit that offers a gripping battle between good and evil."
--- Kirkus starred review

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09FZTYNBW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Greenleaf Book Group Press (September 10, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 10, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5344 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 271 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 57 ratings

About the author

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Bruce McCandless III

Bruce McCandless III

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Bruce McCandless III is the author of the biography Wonders All Around: The Incredible True Story of Astronaut Bruce McCandless II and the First Untethered Flight in Space, an Amazon bestseller that was named a Best Book of 2021 by Men's Journal. No science required! Wonders All Around is first and foremost a relationship story about a family caught up in a father's ambitions, disappointments, and struggle for professional redemption, all as played out against the real-life drama of America's manned space program.

A lifelong Texan, Bruce is also the author of the novels In the Land of Dead Horses, Sour Lake and The Black Book of Cyrenaica, as well as a modern fairy tale for pre-teens called Beatrice and the Basilisk. Named Austin's Poet Laureate by the Austin American-Statesman in 2000, he has published poems, stories, and essays in The Seattle Review, The Asian Wall Street Journal, Pleiades, Bayou, and other journals.

With his daughter Carson, Bruce wrote Carson Clare's Trail Guide to Avoiding Death (And Other Unpleasant Consequences), a book of poems for middle-schoolers that Indie Reader gave a perfect 5.0 score and that Kirkus Reviews calls an "amusing and friendly handbook" with "delightful verse and surprisingly useful tips." Bruce and Carson also teamed up to write Beatrice at Bay (2020), a Beatrice sequel that Kirkus touts as "an often thrilling and nuanced fantasy novella."

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
57 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Don F. Erwin
5.0 out of 5 stars Page turner!
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2024
Verified Purchase
Wow, this was so much fun to read. Each chapter kept me wanting more. Historical, mythical, and geographic details are woven together to create a fascinating story. Just read it! You won't be disappointed.
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Joe
4.0 out of 5 stars Not enough horror westerns out there
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2023
Verified Purchase
The horror does take a bit of a back seat to the main character and his trek across the landscape of Texas and Mexico to find these killers. But that’s in no way a bad thing. I loved the dry sarcastic attitude of our main character. Reminded me of Harrison ford or David Harbour. I felt like some of the main fights happened a bit too quickly. But that didn’t take away from the fact I enjoyed this a whole lot. I’d love to read more like it.
2 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A western of the changing West
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2022
Verified Purchase
I was unsure if I would like this type of Western novel, but it blew me over with the winds of excitement. The character of Jewel Lightfoot is a Sam Elliot or Harrison Ford persona if casting a movie were possible. Jewel is caught in the changing role of Texas Rangers, emerging municipal police structure, and his own plans of possible retirement. Mysterious murders with a Mesoamerican slant call for Jewel to place his dreams realistically in the present. Should he retire and settle down with the lady of his life, continue away from permanent homesteading, or move further away and delay any major changes. Quick paced action, physically painful experience in hunting down the target of evil made me flinch with sympathy of endurance. Great character development, communication among characters engage the reader to continue to the very end. I hope to see Jewel in another book soon! This was a free book to read and review. I recommend it to anyone in favor of good authors.
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Not the twists I expected
Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2022
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This book wasn't for me. I just couldn't get invested in the characters, and it went from somewhat interesting to just creepy, supernatural and lost my attention.
One person found this helpful
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langleyd
4.0 out of 5 stars this book is definitely a different kind of western
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2024
An excellent mix of genre that worked well. I have loved westerns for most of my life but some of them can be just a little boring. Mix in mystery and paranormal and there is no way it could get boring. In the early 1900s, the technology available for the battle was pretty basic but you could trust a Texas Ranger to take the fight to the bad guys. The mixture of backgrounds and characters kept the story racing to a great conclusion. McCandless has earned a spot on my "watch for big things to come" list!!!!
2 people found this helpful
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Painless Wolf
5.0 out of 5 stars None Better!
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2022
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I read a lot of fiction and since I'm choosy, it's mostly all good. Sometimes tho' stuff stands out, like this novel. A masterwork. Enjoy it today.
2 people found this helpful
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David M
5.0 out of 5 stars I decide if I want to keep reading a book by the first few paragraphs. I kept reading!
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is a great book by a great writer.
2 people found this helpful
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Dave
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2022
Interesting historical fiction in the western vein with a little paranormal twist to it. Good pace, kept interest, would read more about Ranger Lightfoot. I won this in a Goodreads giveaway and this is an honest review after my reading.
One person found this helpful
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