Eighteenth in the Tales of the Old Wild West series by prolific western author Doyle Trent. In the tradition of the John Wayne classic western films and legendary television series of Gunsmoke and Bonanza. The Wild West. If the elements, rattlers, coyotes, and Indian's didn't kill you...the person sitting next to you in the saloon just might...just for the hell of it. This series is presented as self-contained standalone story novels that do not have to be read in any particular order. It gives readers an entertaining glimpse into what individuals from all walks of life encountered as they traversed the untamed western landscape seeking fortune, glory, a new start, or keeping one step ahead of the law behind them. TRAIL OF THE GUN FIGHTER By the time he turned twenty-one, Ace Bailey had gunned down thirteen men. Starpackers throughout the territory of New Mexico and half of Texas carried warrants for his arrest. Ace had never cheated nor stole from anyone, but he was as quick-tempered as he was deadly fast with a .38, and any man who threatened Ace was earning himself a spot in the cemetery. The curse of his fame followed Ace like a stray cat, and just when he'd decided he would go the straight and narrow, he heard that a gang of cutthroats had hung his brother Jim from a cottonwood tree. And Ace knew his gunslinger days were not yet done. Brother Jim had been arrested on a trumped-up rustling charge, and the sheriff of Stockwell had looked the other way when the lynching party broke into his jailhouse. Folks knew cattle rustling was going on throughout the territory and some said the sheriff was in on it. But that would take proving, and the chances of a crooked lawman taking the word of an outlaw on the loose were slim. Ace figured it would come down his gun skills having to work again, but hell, he didn't like the number thirteen anyway!