Vigilante Moon, a story of love and courage and sacrifice set in early Montana, has won a place on my bookshelf among my favorite novels. Stan Lynde is not only a great storyteller but a master of the historical west. He brings to this work a lifetime of research, a love of the high and wild world untouched by civilization, an artist's vision, and a poet's gift of words. The novel, set in Virginia City in its heyday, is authentic. The historical characters, from sinister road agents to vigilantes, have been woven seamlessly into the story, and come vividly to life on these pages. One can read this novel not only for its gripping story, but for the images of a bygone world evoked by the author. There is something beautiful about the settling of the West, something that lives even now in the breath and spirit of the American people. Stan Lynde has caught the essence, that soul of the people, in this splendid novel. This is the work of a man who loves the West, who has devoted himself to its history and legend all his life, and whose talents all come together here in a novel that will long be loved and remembered. --Richard S. Wheeler Winner of the 2001 Owen Wister Award