Books by Susan K. Marlow

Statement of responsibility taken from title page verso.

Statement of responsibility taken from title page verso.

Andrea Carter is finally pulling her own weight on the Circle C Ranch she loves. The only thing she loves more than helping to run the ranch is spending time racing and stunt-riding on her horse Shasta, with the help of wrangler Riley Prescott. Little does she know that when she and Riley stumble onto a mysterious cut in the fence around her brother's prize calves, life is about to get far more exciting--and dangerous.A cryptic warning tied around a brick crashes through the window at a family party. Then cattle begin to die. When the horse barn catches fire, Andi knows this is more than just coincidence. But who is trying to hurt her family--and why? Evidence begins to point to criminals from her brother Justin's past who want revenge. But that discovery may be too late to keep Andi and her brother's family out of danger.Now Riley is her only hope of rescue. Can he find her before she disappears from the Circle C forever? Can she keep everyone else safe until then?The fourth volume in the Circle C Milestones quartet, Courageous Love is high on action, danger, and drama, and full of appealing characters readers love. Andi's final adventure, sparked with a little romance, is sure to please Marlow's legions of loyal readers who want a happy ending for this frontier heroine.

Andi's newest adventure may be more than she can handle--even with her family's help Andrea Carter is turning sweet 16 and life could not be better. She's about to finish school, her sister Melinda is getting married, and her older brother Justin has a new baby to spoil. There will be plenty of time to work with the colt of her treasured palomino horse, Taffy, and best of all, Andi will finally get to work full-time for the ranch she loves. There's just one problem: a city-slicker cousin named Daniel. Left there by his father, with a cryptic warning that New York City life has done damage to the young man's character, Daniel wants nothing to do with the ranch. He ignores Andi's lessons, walks away from responsibility, wrecks valuable equipment, and even runs away to San Francisco. The Carter family is in a frenzy trying to keep Daniel under control. When Andi discovers a horrifying secret about him, he forces her to stay silent. But all that changes when Daniel's actions put lives in danger. Andi's anger over her loss threatens to destroy not only Andi but her entire Circle C world. Can anyone break through the wall around Andi's bitter heart and help her find healing? Loyal long-time readers of Susan Marlow's historical fiction will line up for an older Andi's newest adventure, and her discovery of how powerful love can be.

The second in the Circle C Milestones series Andrea Carter can ride, rope, and cut out cattle with the best of her brothers' ranch hands. Yet, her mother has always held the family's youngest daughter back from fully participating in ranch activities. With the approach of her fifteenth birthday, even the ranch boss, big brother Chad, can't deny that his baby sister is better at ranch skills than some of his cowhands. When Andi announces that her quinceañera birthday wish is to join the upcoming cattle drive, her family is stunned. But after further discussion and multiple newspaper clippings about spirited women who balked at society's expectations, even Mother agrees that the only way to get this cattle-drive notion out of Andi's head is by letting her and her cousin Levi go along as Cook's helpers. Andi is elated. What can go wrong on a two-week drive to Los Angeles? Andi quickly discovers that a cattle drive is a dirty, dangerous business with little sleep and the same food day after day. Between late nights, dust, mosquitos, and an abrasive cowhand trying to win Andi's attention, it is definitely not a holiday. Andi grimly determines she will stick it out. When a river crossing goes wrong and Chad is shot in a gunfight with suspicious men who have been shadowing the herd, Mitch the trail boss finds himself dangerously shorthanded. Andi and Levi can no longer just give Cook a hand. It's time to pitch in and help Mitch get their cattle to market--any way they can.

Twelve-year-old Jeremiah "Jem" Coulter knows that Goldtown, California, has seen the last of the gold rush. But the flecks of gold he and an old prospector, "Strike," find in their played-out claim on Cripple Creek spur Jem's hope of striking it rich. In the meantime, he and his sister, Ellie, sell frog legs and firewood to bring in extra cash. When Jem's father accepts a job as sheriff of lawless Goldtown, Jem is suddenly saddled with an additional responsibility--to run their broken-down ranch. He faces a hard path as he tries to be a man and make his father proud, but then Cripple Creek mysteriously dries up and Strike suddenly disappears. Jem is determined to find out why. Can anything be worse than being a sheriff's kid? Will outlaws use his father's badge for target practice? Is that silver star just a target . . . or truly a badge of honor? Readers ages 8 to 14 fell in love with Susan Marlow's Circle C Adventures. Now the same adventurous spirit and historical lure are back in a brand new series featuring a new cast of characters and exciting escapades. As educational as it is entertaining, the Goldtown Adventures series is one the whole family will enjoy.

Exciting adventures for early readers!Written for reading levels 2.0-2.8, the Circle C Beginnings series combines fun illustrations and six-year-old Andi's signature curiosity.In book three, if Andi can't take her new foal, Taffy, to the 1874 California State Fair, she doesn't want to go. But once she's there, there are so many exciting things to see that she's glad she came . . . until her big brother tells her she can't keep the prize she won fair and square!

Written for reading level 2.0-2.8, the Circle C Beginnings series combines fun illustrations and six-year-old Andi's signature curiosity.In "Andi's Lonely Little Pony," Taffy is growing up too quickly. Soon Taffy will have to leave her mama and stay by herself at night. When a mean boy tells Andi about the scary things that happen when a foal is separated from its mother, Andi wonders if she can keep her little horse safe!

In 1874 California, six-year-old tomboy Andi is not used to feeling afraid, but when it is time for her to start school she needs God's help to get over her fear of so many new things all at once. Includes brief historical notes.

In 1874, Andi, the youngest of five children growing up on a California ranch, wants a horse of her own for her sixth birthday but her family believes her pony, Coco, is just right until Andi is older. Includes historical notes.

Jem Coulter thinks his family is just on a sightseeing trip to the big city of Sacramento. Then armed bandits hold up the stagecoach for the secret stash they're carrying: gold for the Union Army fighting the distant Civil War! Suddenly war isn't so far away; it's right there on the road to Sacramento, with Jem's father, the sheriff of Goldtown, fighting against the rebel army's Knights of the Golden Circle.When the family finally reaches the city, they think they're safe at last. Setting out to see the sights, Jem, his sister Ellie, and their cousin Nathan make a new friend. But is Henry the pal they think he is? With a father who is a die-hard Confederate, could Henry be in cahoots with the thieves?River of Peril gives readers ages 8 to 12 the fast-moving, exciting adventure they've come to expect in this series, as well as a glimpse into the history of post-Gold Rush and Civil War life in 1860s California, with stagecoaches, steamboats, stowaways--and lots of gold!

Jem Coulter's pa, the sheriff of Goldtown, is away on a trip to deliver a prisoner to Sacramento, and he has left Jem in charge of the ranch--along with Aunt Rose, that is.No sooner is the sheriff gone then trouble starts--a dead calf, a mysterious stranger, and then Pa's horse, Copper, and his prize rifle are stolen. And Pa's deputies seem unconcerned.Jem and his cousin Nathan find Copper's tracks end at a dark canyon up in the hills. Jem remembers an old Indian legend Strike-it-rich Sam is fond of retelling about people disappearing and no one ever seeing them again. What is the real story of the canyon of danger? Have thieves found the perfect hideout?Readers ages 8 to 12 will be entertained by the adventurous spirit and historical lure in this fast-moving series that teaches about life in the post-Gold Rush days of 1860s California. Quick-paced plots and unforgettable characters make these books fun for the whole family.

When Jem Coulter is caught in a miners' riot, he learns the worst: the Midas mine is no longer producing the gold the town relies on to stay alive. Will, the son of the mine's owner, tells Jem the only way to get the Midas working again is to blast deep into the ground. This means a nearby abandoned mine must be reclaimed for an air shaft.But Jem discovers that Chinese miners, including his friend Wu Shen, are working those old scavenger diggings. Even the arrival of James Carter, co-owner of the Midas, and the his son Chad can't convince the Chinese to give up their claim.When Jem's father, farmer-turned-sheriff of Goldtown, is ordered to evict the Chinese from their mine or lose his job, Jem is caught in the middle. Then Will comes up with a solution. If Jem goes along with it, Pa can keep his job and the Midas will get its air shaft. What Jem doesn't realize is that Will's risky plan may lead to disaster deep in the heart of the old mine.An exciting follow-up to Badge of Honor (book 1), Tunnel of Gold will entertain readers ages 8 to 14 with its fast-moving plot and colorful characters, and teach them historical details about life in the post-Gold Rush days of 1860s California.

Written for reading level 2.0-2.8, the Circle C Beginnings series combines fun illustrations and six-year-old Andi's signature curiosity.In "Andi's Circle C Christmas," Andi's fun holiday break is spoiled when a grumpy, bossy visitor arrives. No more running. No catching spiders. No wearing overalls. But just when Andi thinks the fun is lost forever, she learns that she can help this unwelcome guest in a way she never imagined.

"Jem needs to buy food for his dog, Gold Nugget. But try as he may, his panning just never leads to gold. When he asks for a job, Mr. Sims, the cafâe owner, sends him out to catch bullfrogs for the menu. Money and frog catching--what a great solution for this active boy! But Nugget and Jem's little sister, Ellie, get in the way and ruin his plans. When he argues with Ellie, she stomps off in a huff, and Jem can get back to work. He heads home with a bucket full of frogs and the knowledge that he'll have plenty of cash for Nugget's food. There's just one big problem--no one knows where Ellie has gone. She's disappeared! Search parties go out, but no matter where they look, there's no sign of her. And Jem knows that it's all his fault for yelling at her. Can he find Ellie before it's too late?"--Amazon.com

Statement of Responsibility taken from title page verso.

Statement of Responsibility taken from title page verso.

When cattle rustlers working in the San Joaquin Valley in the 1880s switch to horses and target the Circle C ranch, fourteen-year-old Andi turns to Macy, a homeless, ill-bred new student whose mistakes have endangered Andi but who may hold the key to saving Taffy's foal.