About the Book In the ninth and final novel in the Texas Ranger series, Ranger Andy Pickard and his partner, Logan Daggett, are sent to central Texas to investigate a series of killings and cattle thefts. Book Synopsis In Elmer Keltons Texas Standoff , Ranger Andy Pickard and his partner, Logan Daggett, are sent to central Texas to investigate a series of killings and cattle thefts. The two biggest cattlemen in the area blame each other for the violence, but it seems to Andy that neither man may be guilty. The case is complicated by the rise of a gang of regulators-masked vigilantes-and the arrival of a notorious hired gunman whose employer is unknown. The murder of a captured regulator and a standoff in the county jail wind up bringing to justice the men responsible for the killings and thievery. Among the culprits is a man whose guilt no one would have guessed, and among the ironies of the case is a telegram to the Rangers from the State of Texas notifying them that their services are no long required. Review Quotes Elmer Kelton is truly a Texas legend. --Rick Perry, Governor of Texas Kelton does once again what he does better than anyone: tell a turbulent story calmly....[his] reputation continues to expand. He has earned his prestige word by honest word. --Stephen Harrigan, author of The Gates of the Alamo Elmer Kelton is a genuine, unaffected, kind, and gentle man, the sort who, in person, makes you want to hunker down and listen to his stories, his voice, and his wisdom. --Judy Alter, author of Elmer Kelton and West Texas: A Literary Relationship If youre looking for a trail guide through old Texas, Elmers your man. So, pack your possibles, tighten your cinch, and get ready for a helluva ride. --Lucia St. Clair Robson, author of Shadow Patriots Elmer Kelton does not write Westerns. He writes fine novels set in the West. Here a reader meets flesh-and-blood people of an earlier time, in a story that will grab you and hold you from the first to the last page. --Dee Brown, author of the New York Times bestseller Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee You can never go wrong if you want to read a good story with realistic characters and you pick up a title by Elmer Kelton. . . . Keltons characters jump off the page, they are so real. -- American Cowboy About the Author Elmer Kelton (1926-2009) was the award-winning author of more than forty novels, including The Time It Never Rained , Other Mens Horses , and Hard Trail to Follow . He grew up on a ranch near Crane, Texas, and earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas. His first novel, Hot Iron , was published in 1956. Among his awards have been seven Spurs from Western Writers of America and four Western Heritage awards from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. His novel The Good Old Boys was made into a television film starring Tommy Lee Jones. In addition to his novels, Kelton worked as an agricultural journalist for 42 years, and served in the infantry in World War II. He died in 2009.