THE BAR 10 SERIES
by Boyd Cassidy

As always, tough Bar 10 rancher Gene Adams responded to an urgent plea for help. With no thought to their own safety, Adams, Johnny Puma and Tomahawk headed into Mexico to help their old friend Don Miguel Garcia. But all was not as it appeared. Unknown to Adams and his pals, they were walking into a carefully planned trap laid by the infamous outlaw known only as Lucifer. No sooner had the three Bar 10 riders arrived at Garcia's ranch, than Johnny was cut down in a hail of bullets. Vowing vengeance, Adams and Tomahawk thunder straight into action to take on Lucifer and his gang. But will they survive the outlaws' hot lead?
(Originally published under the title BAR 10 GUNSMOKE)

Nix was a gunrunner and a killer. He turned Frank Angel's sidekick loose – naked and unharmed – into the Valley of Death. Nix promised to come after him some time. Angel's mission was to find his friend's killer—but history repeated itself, and it was Angel who was alone in the desert. The hunter became the hunted.

Gene Adams sends some of his Bar 10 cowboys to assist the law in protection of his rancher neighbors for outlaws have been using the infamous Badlands to rustle vast numbers of cattle. But the rustlers are far more deadly than Adams had suspected and, during the pursuit, they kill more than half of his men and the posse, including the sheriff. Unwilling to risk the lives of any more of his cowboys, Gene Adams secretly forces the town to make him the new sheriff. And so it is that he heads north and crosses the Red River into the Badlands. Adams has vowed to bring the killers back to face justice or die in the attempt. But for the first time in his long life, he is alone. Does he have the remotest chance of outwitting and defeating his foe?

Madison Barton was the owner of the Diamond Garter Gaming House in the prosperous cattle town of McCoy, but all was not as it seemed, for Barton's real wealth came from cattle rustling. When he learned that Gene Adams had sent five hundred head of his prime Bar 10 longhorn steers to the auction pens at McCoy, it was a temptation the rustler could not resist. Trail boss Johnny Puma had to bring the herd through the narrow canyons of Deadman's Fork—an ideal place for an ambush. He didn’t stand a chance in hell of surviving … or did he?

For ten months it had not rained over the famed Bar 10 cattle ranch. With everything tinder dry, a fire was inevitable. Soon the entire eastern side of the huge ranch was engulfed in flames forcing Gene Adams and his trusty riders, Tomahawk and Johnny Puma, to seek help in the notorious Red River valley. But unknown to the riders of the Bar 10, an evil force had been hired by the enemies of Adams to take over the vast ranch. The dozen ruthless horsemen knew that the raging fire, which was keeping Gene Adams and his men occupied, was the perfect time for them to strike. The Bar 10 was the prize and the invading riders were the Red River Raiders. In this gripping tale it is always in doubt whether, after all the fire and blood, justice can prevail.
(Originally published under the title RED RIVER RAIDERS)

Tomahawk and Johnny Puma return to the Bar 10 ranch to find their boss, Gene Adams, brooding over a sinister letter that has just arrived. Not only is the tall rancher concerned by the threats contained in the letter, but also by the fact that it claims to be from one of his mortal enemies, the Rattler. As far as Adams and the rest of his loyal wranglers know, the ruthless Rattler had been hanged in El Paso three years ago. Few things worried the famed Gene Adams, but to get messages from a dead man was different. But before he has time to act, Bar 10 is suddenly attacked and all the signs are that somehow the Rattler survived the hangman's rope and is now responsible for the massacre of Adams' loyal hands. Gene, though, is not easily intimidated and he vows that, come hell or high water, he will solve the mystery and bring the murderers to justice—whoever they may be.

After receiving a curious message from his old friend Major Frank Bellamy, rancher Gene Adams takes three young wranglers with him to deliver forty head of prime longhorn steers to distant Fort Boone. Johnny Puma and Tomahawk – Gene’s most trusted confederates – are left in charge to take care of the vast Bar 10 ranch. But unknown to Gene, a bandit known as the Wolf – who also happens to be Gene’s sworn enemy – has been busted out of prison by his bloodthirsty gang. The crazed outlaw is bent on vengeance and lies in wait, keen to torture Gene and his inexperienced cowboys as slowly and painfully as he can. There seems to be no escape for the helpless rancher unless, by some miracle, Johnny Puma and Tomahawk can save the day. It’ll be a close-run thing ... but who will live ... and who will die?

When a letter from an old friend in serious trouble and begging for help arrives at the Bar 10 Ranch, Gene Adams and his two companions, Johnny Puma and Tomahawk, saddle up and ride. But what at first seemed a straightforward case of a ruthless rancher using his wealth and power to destroy an entire community soon became a situation far more dangerous than they could have imagined. Attacked by Indians and hopelessly trapped within a ranch house as fire rained down upon them, all seemed lost for the Bar 10 men … until, that is, until a mysterious hooded horseman came to their rescue. A man they called the Red Roan Rider.

Gene Adams and his crew delivered a herd of prime longhorn cattle to the railhead town of McCoy, received payment in gold for the merchandise and then headed back to Texas, figuring it was a job well done. But before they could reach their destination they were ambushed and lucky to escape with their lives. Still, the damage had been done. Somewhere along the way their gold had been stolen. Which meant that Gene and his men had only one option left open to them. They set out on a dangerous trail which would lead them to a deadly showdown – and the odds were stacked against them every step of the way.