Book details
Mavericks
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Stored record
Metadata
- Gutenberg ID
- 79362
- Title
- Mavericks
- Language
- en
- Book source
- Project Gutenberg
- Description max 80 words
-
Set in the rugged Southwest, W.C. Tuttle's 'Mavericks' weaves a tale of stagecoach robberies, cattle rustling, and deadly misunderstandings among cowboys and outlaws. Following two men who steal gold to care for an abandoned baby, the narrative explores themes of loyalty, redemption, and the harsh realities of frontier justice as secrets unravel and lives hang in the balance.
- Summary up to 500 words
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In W. C. Tuttle's *Mavericks*, the narrative begins in the dusty Southwest near the Painted Desert, where three stage robbers—Steve Pelliser, Ed Hart, and the wounded Spike—flee a pursuing posse after stealing gold. Upon reaching Spike's shack, they discover he has two infants to care for. Despite the danger, the men decide to abandon their fortune to save the children, escaping into a canyon with the babies in tow. Years later, the story shifts to Willow Wells and the Diamond R ranch. Here, Hashknife Hartley investigates a series of crimes involving bank robberies, cattle theft, and murders. Tensions escalate as rustlers attack the ranch, leaving evidence of stolen cattle marked with vented brands. Hashknife pieces together a complex web of deception through careful deduction. He discovers that Spike did not die but was imprisoned for twenty years by his own accomplices, who kept the gold and the children. The real killer, Caliente Smith (Scarface Smith), is revealed to be mentally unstable due to past injuries; he murders Ed Hart in a fit of rage over a horse kick and later kills Scotty McGowan when the latter reaches for a gun. Hashknife clears Bill McGill of all charges, revealing he was merely a victim of circumstance. The truth about Mary Pelliser's parentage is also uncovered: she is not Steve's daughter but the child of Spike and his wife. With the villains exposed and the innocent vindicated, peace returns to the valley. Steve buys out the bank's mortgage on the Diamond R, allowing him to marry Mary. Hashknife and Sleepy depart, leaving the ranch to its new owners as they head westward. The novel explores themes of redemption, the burden of guilt, and the resilience of the human spirit in a harsh frontier setting.
- LLM editorial rating
- 4.2/5
- Download URL
- https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/79362.epub.noimages
- Local file path
-
data/epubs/pg79362.epub - Downloaded at
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People
Authors
- W. C. Tuttle
Classification
Categories
- Western Fiction
- Mystery Fiction