Sundown Riders Books In Order

Publication Order of Sundown Riders Books

The Sundown Riders is a series of Westerns written by Ralph Compton. The books take readers back to the Old West and follow the exploits of the men and women who made difficult journeys into dangerous territories.

+The Story

The Sundown Riders is a collection of loosely connected novels about the Old West. The books take readers to places in the United States that few people at that time had explored and which most people generally avoided because of the many opportunities for death that they presented.

But a select few men would brave the risk, either for gold or for the adventure. Dutch Siringo is one such man. The author introduces him to readers in ‘North to the Bitterroot’, the first novel in the Sundown Riders series.

Dutch Siringo had very humble beginnings. But talent and determination made him an invaluable tool, especially when he put his skill with horses and guns on full display. With a litany of problems in his past, this including a woman who betrayed him and a man that is desperately hunting him, Dutch undertakes the task of leading a group of teamsters on a journey into places that no other shippers will go.

‘North to the Bitterroot’ is a pretty contained story. Kicking the Sundown Riders series off, the book has no connection of significance to its sequel. And you are unlikely to see Dutch Siringo make another appearance in any other books in this series.

For that reason, some people might wonder why the Sundown Riders is categorized as a series, to begin with. Well, while the books are not connected by characters or even plots, they tend to share a theme.

All the stories Ralph Compton tells in this series explore the dangerous journeys that people used to take in the Old West. He attempts to show why the Wild West was called so and how difficult it was to get people and goods from place to place.

Each novel focuses on a different group of characters as they set off from their homes with the intention of reaching some far-flung location. The reasons they are on the move will vary.

In some cases, the characters in question are families and individuals that are looking to settle down in a new town. On a number of occasions, it is goods that are being transported rather than people.

Once in a while, the author will write a story about a select group of daredevils looking to unearth minerals in some unexplored corner. Regardless of the purpose, it doesn’t take the travelers in question long to realize that their trip will be a dangerous one.

They must face off against unpredictable storms and dangerous terrain. And even if they prove strong enough to overcome the assaults of Mother Nature, there’s the human threat to worry about.

More often than not, they will contend with bloodthirsty Indians and greedy outlaws. Every so often, strife will break out from within the traveler trains, creating all manner of chaos in the process.

It is for these very reasons that the hero is hired. Ralph Compton’s protagonists are strong men. They have weathered the storms of life and they have emerged that much bolder.

They are called upon to lead their charges across dangerous terrain either for honor or money or both. They make it their purpose to guide their charges through unknown paths, protect them from internal and external forces and ensure that they arrive safe and sound at their destinations.

This formula will change every once in a while. Ralph Compton might choose to highlight a team of criminals going undercover to stop a smuggling ring or a collection of women struggling to survive by robbing trains of unsuspecting traders in the Wild West.

Either way, things almost always circle back to some sort of dangerous journey being undertaken through dangerous country.

The Sundown Riders series has been praised for the author’s simple, straightforward writing style. Ralph Compton’s sentences have no flare or frills to them. He knows where his strengths lie and it isn’t in the production of flowery paragraphs.

Ralph does shine when it comes to describing the Old West. His descriptions have been complimented for being vivid and detailed and succeeding in transporting readers to his setting of choice.

His characters, on the other hand, have been criticized for lacking nuance. This is especially true for the heroes some of whom are simply too honest and honorable to make for interesting reading.

+The Author

Ralph Compton was an American novelist born in 1934. He died in 1998. Growing up in St. Clair County, Alabama, Ralph loved to write. He picked up the habit fairly early on, eventually taking to writing columns in newspapers, producing lyrics for his music and finally proceeding to craft novels.

+North to the Bitterroot

Dutch Siringo realized fairly early on that he had a knack for horses and guns. And he used that talent to rise from his modest beginnings. Dutch blundered somewhat along the way, making a few enemies, including one man that is hunting desperately for him.

He also met a woman who betrayed him. But he left all that in the past, choosing to focus on his present endeavors. With a group of teamster under him, Dutch has to march into territory to which no other shipper ever goes. He must do so knowing all the dangers that await him, this including rough roads and vicious men.

+Across the Rio Colorado

In a land where death is relatively commonplace and travel is hazardous, Chance McQuade is a veteran Wagon boss with a mission. He has been tasked with taking a hundred families from Missouri to Texas.

McQuade has his pistol and his wits on the ready but he knows that they might not be enough to weather the storm waiting for them on the road. If that wasn’t bad enough, the man who hired McQuade has chosen to come along for the ride, and he seems determined to transform their train into a community of violence.

McQuade has to keep his charges in check even as he prepares for all the storms and killers waiting ahead.