The El Paso Red Flame Gas Station

"The El Paso Red Flame Gas Station is a collection of interconnected short stories about the coming of age of a young boy. Each story is a chapter in the life of its main character, a young boy named Josh, that take place in a small, unnamed Texas town. The author surrounds Josh with colorful and charismatic characters whose own stories come to life in each chapter. In the gothic "La Tormenta" a wife's infidelity sparks macabre bloodshed. In "Old Dan's Lament" the life of a reclusive, bookish ranch hand who was maimed in the Korean War becomes grotesquely immediate. During "Homecoming," the actions of the football game are narrated from the perspective of one who has an in-depth knowledge of the game. Realistic, plain-spoken dialogue drives the characters and action in these stories. Intimate understandings of the settings are evident in the depth of the descriptions and the emotional content of each story. The El Paso Red Flame Gas Station is a lovingly rendered portrait of Texas"--

Short stories about coming of age in rural Texas.

The El Paso Red Flame Gas Station is a collection of interconnected short stories about the coming of age of a young boy. Each story is a chapter in the life of its main character, a young boy named Josh, that take place in a small, unnamed Texas town. The author surrounds Josh with colorful and charismatic characters whose own stories come to life in each chapter. In the gothic “La Tormenta” a wife’s infidelity sparks macabre bloodshed. In “Old Dan’s Lament” the life of a reclusive, bookish ranch hand who was maimed in the Korean War becomes grotesquely immediate. During “Homecoming,” the actions of the football game are narrated from the perspective of one who has an in-depth knowledge of the game. Realistic, plain-spoken dialogue drives the characters and action in these stories. Intimate understandings of the settings are evident in the depth of the descriptions and the emotional content of each story. The El Paso Red Flame Gas Station is a lovingly rendered portrait of Texas.

The Best Good Horse is a collection of stories that celebrate both the rugged individual and the grace that comes when two people join forces. These are characters who are playing the cards that life has dealt them, ordinary people who would not stand out in a crowd; and although they are from different walks of life, they have one thing in common: they all live and die in a work-a-day world. From the dry farm fields of Texas to the damp streets of San Francisco, from the rodeo circuit to Mexico’s Sierra Madre, these characters meet life head on and offer no apologies. Some names and faces are familiar from Archuleta’s other collections, but there is also a host of new characters who are every bit as unyielding, gritty, and engaging. In the title story, an old cowboy befriends the young daughter of a ranch cook and becomes her protector as she grows up. In “A Prayer to St. Michael,” a World War II spy tries to adjust to living with human depravity in a small Texas town. “Imperfections” tells the story of an indigenous prostitute in Mexico who is beaten by her pimp. She summons incredible strength and cunning to come out on top. Every story in this collection stuns and satisfies with its mix of sweet innocence and awful experience. The scope of problems confronted is breathtaking, and the volume is wrought with brilliant talent by Archuleta.

Owen Jones is one of the last Arizona Rangers; a group of lawman trained to hunt down outlaws in the wilds of Arizona Territory in the first part of the 20th century. After learning of the rape and killing of a woman and her young daughter near the border, Owen swears to bring the murderous gang to justice, despite an aging body and legislators who want to abolish the Rangers. Owen and a rookie ranger are sent to work with the rurales in Mexico to track down the gang, who are wanted by the Sonoran government for cattle rustling and robbery. There they learn about harsh Mexican frontier justice and come up against a mastermind who works in the shadows to control cattle rustling and counterfeit money schemes, using the violent outlaws for his own gain. In Mexico, Owen meets and falls in love with a beautiful, strong-willed widow who derails his uncomplicated view of life. He must confront his weaknesses in deciding on his future—one of comfort or a life outside the law.

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Includes index.