Books by Linell Jeppsen

REVENGE AND RETRIBUTIONTortured Trail is the second novel in the straight shooting, fast moving, action-adventure Jack Ballard series. In book one - No Man's Land - Ballard helped save a widow and her daughter from a hostile land grab in West Texas. Now, needing some cash, Jack has joined a cattle drive in Bandera, Texas and will serve as security and "Nighthawker" on the Western Trail heading toward Dodge City, Kansas. The trail, however, is beset with trouble. Storms, cattle thieves, and Indian attacks follow Jack and the Triple T cattle drive, and the further north they go the worse it gets…The Tortured Trail is the brain-child of the great screenwriter Jeb Rosebrook, and is an edge-of-your-seat thriller!

The Wilcox and Son Detective Agency is working on its second case file, but Matthew and his son Chance are beginning to think they might have bit off more than they can chew. Their investigation into a series of claim-jumps near the booming mining community of Wallace, Idaho, suddenly turns deadly as one witness after another turns up dead. It turns out that the theft of land and mineral rights is only the beginning of a much deeper conspiracy…Matthew and Chance follow the leads as best they can, knowing full well that their investigation has turned into a game of cat and mouse … but who is the cat in this deadly contest?Starting in the deep woods of North Idaho and culminating in the finest, most exclusive ballrooms of high society in Seattle, Washington, follow Matthew and Chance Wilcox as they match wits against one of the worst criminals they have ever faced!

In this third book in the Dead Man series, Marshal Matthew Wilcox heads out alone to find and capture one of the worst villains he will ever face.Heartsick, he traces a convoluted trail of murder, mayhem and deceit… from the high gates of the Walla Walla State penitentiary, to Seattle and on into Billings, Montana.Although Matthew feels that he must bear the burden of a "deadman's revenge" by himself, he will find help and succor in his travels from his friends, Sheriff Roy Smithers, Deputy Dicky McNulty, Calamity Jane, Liver Eating Johnson… and his son Chance.Deadman's Revenge- Book three of the best-selling, award-winning series of novels, Deadman's Fury and Deadman's Lament

The year is 1872. Twelve-year-old Matthew Wilcox leads a charmed life on his family's sprawling ranch in Washington Territory until a series of tragic events leave him orphaned and in the clutches of a vicious band of outlaws. Threatened by the gang leader's perverted cousin, Top Hat, Matthew also faces Indian attacks, dangerous wildlife, and a deadly snowstorm. He survives but burns with an overwhelming hunger for revenge.Thirteen years later, Matthew - now a Spokane County sheriff - realizes that Top Hat is riding again with a new gang called the Mad Hatters. It means risking his friends, his family and the love of a good woman, but Matthew must find the man who destroyed what he once loved most in the world. To that end, he and his posse venture into Idaho gold country to capture the Mad Hatters.Top Hat, however, has a different idea. He turns the tables, heading to the sheriff's hometown of Granville and going after everyone Matthew holds dear.What follows will haunt Sheriff Wilcox for the rest of his life as he confronts the hatred, vengeance and retribution buried deep in his own soul. Matthew will do anything, though, to put an end to A DEADMAN'S LAMENT.

Nel Higgins is the sixteen-year-old daughter of Frank Higgins, a deranged Lutheran pastor. After Nel's mother passes away, she finds herself and her sister, Annie, at the mercy of her father in Yankton, Dakota Territory, 1876.Bereft and frightened, Nel knows, deep in her heart, that neither she nor Annie will survive unless they can escape his evil clutches. Then, when unforeseen circumstances lead to Frank's sudden death, the two girls soon board the famous riverboat, the Far West. Once on board, Nel finds herself following the path of American destiny toward Fort Abraham Lincoln, Custer's Last Stand and the Battle of the Little Bighorn!Readers and early reviewers are comparing this Historical Romance novel to FOREVER AMBER and THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN. It is filled with action, adventure, sorrow and joy and showcases the strength, fortitude and danger of the American frontier.

In 1892, Sheriff Matthew Wilcox learns that his wife's niece, Amelia Winters, has been abducted. Once more, he gathers his posse and hits the trail hunting outlaws. What he discovers shocks, dismays, and angers him: Amelia is only one of hundreds of women kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery.An exotic auction is about to take place and time is of the essence. The sheriff and his posse are making things difficult for the criminals and a pile of money is at stake. The bandits realize, the sooner they can get rid of Sherriff Wilcox, the better.But Matthew and his men won't go down easy.In this much-awaited sequel to DEADMAN'S LAMENT, readers are in for another thrilling Western ride as these dedicated lawmen put their lives at risk seeking justice.

Nine-year-old Daniel Monroe's life is shattered when a wagon train heading west to Oregon from Kentucky is attacked by outlaws and his family is slaughtered. Only luck and reluctant help from a cold and sullen man named Jacob Conrad enables him to survive.Dan follows Jake Conrad into an uncertain future and although his adopted father remains aloof and forever troubled, Dan learns to love the man who is as wild as the land around them, as uncompromising as the weather and, underneath his gruff exterior, as tender as a mountain sunrise.Dan grows strong and tall under Jake's tutelage and over time he learns to hunt and to trap, to build and to farm. He learns to read and write as well but most of all he learns how to shoot because no one knows better than Jake that life is cheap on the American frontier, and if a man wants to keep breathing, he needs to defend and protect what's his.It's a good thing too, because Jake has a powerful and implacable enemy who will leave no stone unturned to hunt Jake and anyone he loves down like a dog. But he has yet to meet The Pistol Man's Apprentice.