William Altimari

Rider in the Rain William Altimari

Since the late 1870s, travelers coming out of Mexico have whispered of Mateo Madero, the captain of a gang of mysterious outlaws - bandits who prey upon bandits, killers whom other killers fear. Statements in old Pinkerton files tell of this shadowy chief, reportedly wounded in body and spirit, who suddenly vanished from the accounts of men. In the Arizona Territory, sixteen-year-old Collie Callaghan is befriended by a scarred stranger who buys her a beautiful horse and touches her heart in ways she cannot comprehend. After he disappears, Collie is swept up into a terrible conflict. A cattle baron is fighting all those around him for land, power, and the future. Range detectives, highwaymen, and murderers are enlisted in the battle as the cattleman strives for dominance over desperate ranchers in a war without a quarter. Rider in the Rain is the searing tale of a young girl's recovery of a lost past and a stricken bandit's final quest for redemption.