LAST STAND AT BITTER CREEK
On a muggy spring afternoon in the rugged hill country of northeastern Pennsylvania, gunfire explodes from surrounding hillsides. Eight Union Army soldiers—escorting two wagons rigged with false bottoms to conceal a secret cargo—lay dead. The massacre, carried out by a rogue military commander, triggers a series of events that lure Union spy Grant Bonner into one last mission involving a conspiracy of coldblooded killing, a multi-million dollar gold heist, and the brazen theft of a priceless U.S. historical document. When the mission is compromised, Bonner is ambushed, and left for dead—but survives, only to find himself the target of criminal blackmail. One man can clear his name, but when they meet, something goes terribly wrong. Undeterred by relentless odds, and a long journey not of his choosing, Bonner emerges from hiding to pursue a cryptic clue he hopes will lead him to the one person responsible for trying to destroy his life. The hunted and the hunter travel a long, dangerous trail to make their Last Stand At Bitter Creek.“There’s something fascinating about stories like this, where history turns into legend, and even outlaws are seen from a more human perspective.” —SV
TALL TALES FROM THE HIGH PLAINS & BEYOND: BOOK ONE
Available Now In Book One: The Unexplained and Other Stories, you get up-close-and-personal with characters and events involved in the expansion and development of the American frontier. These sixty-nine true stories, presented in brief, snapshot narratives, feature ghosts, unsolved mysteries, lost treasures, flimflam men, cowboys on strike, a phantom train and other sometimes bizarre events.“A great story with great characters is hard to beat.”
Tom Rizzo
“As usual, you add the details that make the story come alive. Thank you!” —DM
TALL TALES FROM THE HIGH PLAINS & BEYOND: BOOK TWO
Available Now Maintaining law and order in the Old West stood as a major challenge to those who chose to wear a badge. The hours were long. The expanse of the areas under a lawman’s jurisdiction was huge. Although the responsibilities fell to the most qualified, no formal guidelines or standards were in place. In Tall Tales from the High Plains & Beyond, Book Two: The Law Keepers, novelist Tom Rizzo introduces you to a courageous, sometimes innovative, and mostly persistent cross section of those who figured out the best way to do the job on their terms.“Another great story of a little-known Western hard man. He certainly fit the saying, ‘Lived by the gun, died by the gun.’” —BM
TALL TALES FROM THE HIGH PLAINS & BEYOND: BOOK THREE
Available Now Most of the people who settled in the West didn’t wake up in the morning and strap on a gun. Nor did they get involved in shootouts. As in any society, the Old West had its share of bad men and women. The rate of homicides on the frontier remains a source of contention. Some historians say most towns averaged about 1.5 murders a year, not all of them shooting. Others however, say the risk of being murdered was high. In Tall Tales from the High Plains & Beyond, Book Three: The LawBreakers, novelist Tom Rizzo takes you behind the scenes to meet some of the gunmen and back shooters who roamed the frontier trying to take what wasn’t theirs.
REFLECTIONS: REALITY CHECKS & TIMELESS TIPS
On my desk is a simple reminder I once wrote about living life to its fullest: Don’t leave anything on the table. Life tends to be more enjoyable when you squeeze everything possible out of it. I jotted down other snapshot observations about living, working, and socializing and concerted them to this book. Reality Checks are designed to kick start your thinking. Timeless Tips, on the other hand, are aimed at promoting action. Reality Checks and Timeless Tips touch on: Communication, Productivity, Leadership, Time Management, Sales and Marketing, Success Listening.These are in no particular order. Random thoughts about random issues, designed to spark an idea or encourage a fresh way of looking at something you already knew.
When the Smoke Clears
Take a closer look at more than two dozen of the most talked about gunfights of the Old West. Tom Rizzo separates legend from history, revealing a frontier where gunfights were far less common than popular culture would have us believe. Along the way, readers meet famous gunslingers as well as lesser known figures whose stories are every bit as compelling.
Copyright © Tom Rizzo. All Rights Reserved.
