Ambush at Shadow Valley (Signet Historical Fiction) (Paperback)

by Ralph Cotton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Arizona Ranger Sam Burrack is on the trail of a gang of Yuma jailbreakers led by the blood-thirsty Suela Soto, and he’s leaving a trail of death and destruction. The pursuit will bring Sam up against one of the most infamous criminal gangs ever to pull a heist in the West—the Hole in the Wall Gang…

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Signet (May 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451223799
• ISBN-13: 978-0451223791
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #282,760 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars RANGER BURRACK AND THE WRONG TRAIL, August 15, 2008

By	Kay's Husband (Virginia, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

At last count I found 28 Ralph Cotton westerns on my shelves so you could say I know a bit about his books and that I read most of what he writes. But I am not too crazy about this one, however.

As far as concerned, both Ranger Sam and Ralph have gotten off on the wrong trail. This book is not so much an enjoyable western as it is a stark, noir novel. If you as the reader care for scalping, mutilation, chopping bodies into pieces, nailing padres to a door, eating hearts ripped from dying bodies, shooting dogs, and attesting to being a devil's disciple by both voice and tatoo, then this book may interest you.


Of the first 10 chapters comprising Book 1, this is the regular bill of fare, and, oh yes, the devil's disciple shoots his own partner almost between the eyes when he believes the partner is no longer of any use. Parts 2 and 3 simmer down a bit, but the trademark humor present in so many Ralph Cotton westerns doesn't present itself too often. Worst of all, Ranger Sam Burrack appears not too often either, mostly in Parts 1 and 3, yet sparingly throughout the entire novel.


So, should you enjoy this book, you have yet another to look forward to, as a future book is the closure of this one, entitled SHOWDOWN AT HOLE IN THE WALL due out in March, 2009.

C'mon Ralph, let's get Sam back to more typical westerns, and keep him in the forefront of the story.

Semper Fi.