Songbird of the West

The truth will always catch up with you....
Skeet Jones is not happy. His friends have just learned that's he's never been with a woman in the biblical sense. Eager to put the situation right, they have taken him to Bob's Place, a saloon that is very popular amongst the local men.
When Skeet arrives, he sees 13-year-old Angela, who has just been purchased by the most powerful man in the town of Calhoun. Skeet is desperate to help her, but when the man refuses to let her go, Skeet shoots him and makes a run for it with Angela in tow.
Seven years go by, and Angela now goes by the name of Carrie Whiting—a famous singer known as the Songbird of the West. Skeet gets her to sing in his saloon in the small town of Dry Creek, and that's when things start to get interesting.
Carrie is kidnapped, which brings her to the attention of Detective Rance Dehner, a man broken by loss.
Once he finds the legendary Songbird of the West, he is determined to keep her safe. But as the body count rises in Dry Creek, Carrie discovers she's not the only one who has changed her name. And sometimes even that's not enough to stay hidden....
Songbird of the West is a fast-paced, action-packed western that is perfect for fans of JT Edson and Larry McMurtry.
James Clay spent his childhood watching Hopalong Cassidy on TV and devouring Fran Striker's Lone Ranger novels. Not surprisingly, he yearned to be a western hero. While toiling as a literary agent by day, James would write westerns by night. This approach allowed him to play cowboy while proving that he didn't always have to live off the work of other people. James is now a full-time western writer. He lives in San Diego with his wife and two cats, all of whom, he notes, are very patient with him.