The Crooked Desert by Denis Hughes

McCade has seen a lot of things but he's never seen a dying man turned away from the door before.  He can't understand why the woman did that but he's not going to let her get by with it...

Pioneering Press sent me a copy of this book to read for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can grab a copy now.

When he goes back to the cabin, the woman is gone but he takes the man in and tries to make him comfortable.  He knows death is creeping up on him but he visits a bit and the man mentions a woman called Star.  He makes McCade promise him he will save Alan Frazer from the gallows.  He has no idea who Frazer is but, if he's innocent, he'll save him.  By the time the woman returns, the man has died.  So has the man that was threatening her.  She shot him!

The woman is Frazer's daughter.  She tells him her father was framed.  The man holding him in custody is not the law but a big rancher.  He has him hidden.  He wants to stash the woman somewhere safe, so she takes him to a friendly ranch.  The man there has a hidey hole for the women (he has a cook) if there is danger.  Danger arrives in the form of the rancher and they are soon at odds.  The rancher burns down all his buildings.  The house is not made of wood so they leave that alone.  When they leave, they get the women out and hide them in a cave.

As all the gunfights and the search for her father go on, there's something that's just not sitting right with McCade.  He knows there's some other factor that isn't identified yet influencing things.  I was surprised by who the actual killer was.  Despite the body count, McCade is still alive at the end and ready for more adventure.

This was a good western with a deeper plot than usual.  I enjoyed it.