Bøker av Riano D McFarland

When a United States marshal retires their badge and hangs up their gun, more often than not, their only remaining desire is to ride off into a distant horizon and live out the remainder of their lives in peace and solitude. When Oliver Blackstone sailed from Galveston, Texas, to Boston, Massachusetts, it was also his deepest wish. After bringing an untold number of the Western Frontier's most dangerous criminals to justice and sending more than 100 of them to face judgment in the hereafter, he'd been dubbed "The Deadliest Man Alive" by renowned frontier journalist J.C. Cavanaugh, and reigned supreme at the top of "The List" for more than a decade.While his intention was to fade into the setting sun and begin anew, far from the territory where his legend had been born, everything changed the moment he met Sarah Hutchins on the steps of the bank, mere hours after arriving in Boston. Faced with such an overwhelming and mutual attraction, Oliver was prepared to amend his carefully laid plans to make room for this unexpected thief of his heart. Unfortunately, her father, Leonard Hutchins, wasn't nearly as enamored with the idea as Oliver and his daughter were, and in his attempt to keep them apart, he would dredge up the demons that Marshal Oliver Blackstone thought he'd permanently laid to rest along with his legendary Colt Walker 1847.The thing is, some spirits are restless, and no matter how deep you bury them, they will eventually claw their way back to the surface to remind you of who you were, who you are, and who you will always be. With an indomitable spirit like that of Marshal Oliver James Blackstone, only a fool would believe it could remain buried for long.

At the age of eighteen, Oliver James Blackstone was the youngest deputy marshal in the state of Texas, and as the handpicked recruit of Marshal Andrew Lofton, there was no time to ease him into the position. Fortunately, after years spent working in his uncle Jedediah's gun smith shop, there was hardly a firearm forged by human hands that Oliver couldn't expertly wield.As Marshal Lofton would soon discover, not only was his new deputy deadly accurate, but he was also unbelievably fast, and with the ruthless Scorpion Hill Gang operating in Marshal Lofton's district, Olivers skills would be tested time and again.Although the citizens of Texas revered him as a guardian angel, the members of the outlaw gang would come to fear him as the Grim Reaper. But, unlike most gunslingers, Oliver's reputation spread slowly, because by the time an outlaw learned his name, they were already dead.

Most of the successful private prospectors who'd struck it rich during the California and Nevada gold rushes during the mid- to late-1800s, had journeyed westward with a specific plan from which they never deviated. Upon achieving their pre-defined goals, they packed up and returned to their original homes in distant regions of the United States. There were also plenty of others, who'd been unable to pull the plug after striking it rich, believing their lucky streak to be a never-ending one. Time and again, history had repeated itself by sending individual fortunes spiraling into the clouds before lady luck abandoned them and reality brought them crashing back to earth, broken beyond repair. Many such prospectors departed the region with their tails tucked between their legs, wishing they'd left while their bank accounts were still filled to overflowing. Others remained and turned to more dubious means of acquiring riches, namely, stealing it from those who'd earned it by the sweat of their brows. For the cost of a single 45-caliber bullet, fortunes could be gained and lost in the blink of an eye, and from the moment a prospector discovered that first enticing nugget, the clock began to tick. Oliver had both a plan, and a compelling reason to stick to it, and after five years and an accumulated five-hundred-thousand dollars' worth of silver and gold in his treasure chest, the time had come for him to cash out and return to Boston. However, fate had other plans for him. When faced with the choice of leaving Virginia City, Nevada on his own terms, or answering the plea of a recently orphaned child, Oliver's plans are set aside, and for a young girl in desperate need of a guardian angel, Oliver would become one.

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO BANDIT is the overlapping sequel to the novel I FIX BROKEN THINGS by Riano McFarland. While the stories overlap, the perspective from this four-legged storyteller's point of view offers a unique twist on the adventures of the Abernathy "pack" in the quaint little town of Mountain Home, Idaho. Bandit's simplistic take on things is clearly defined by one cardinal rule: Protect the pack against anyone and everything posing a threat to them. Whether they are nature's indigenous predators or intruders of the two-legged variety, facing off against Bandit is a terrifying prospect in which only one can emerge victorious.Bandit's love for everyone close to him is matched only by his unquestioning respect for Malcolm-the alpha of the Abernathy Pack. Your acceptance into the pack hinges solely on the alpha's approval or disapproval, and the last place you want to find yourself is at odds with the pack's fearless gatekeeper. Bandit's autobi-dography is an endearing tale of love, dedication, and unwavering loyalty by man's best friend, and an enemy's worst nightmare!

After two years serving as a US marshal, policing the country's newest and largest district, Oliver Blackstone's reputation as a lawman was stellar, and those who'd originally doubted his ability to get the job done, were now squarely in his corner.However, with the rapid increase in population, settlers are spreading into areas that have been abandoned for centuries, along with the secrets that they hold. Now, one of those secrets has awakened, leaving a series of brutal murders in its wake.After receiving a tip from a Navajo scout, Marshal Blackstone departs on a journey that will challenge his determination, endurance, and his very core beliefs in pursuit of an outlaw who himself, may be an unwilling pawn in a deadly game of hide and seek.Nevertheless, the marshal has an unblemished record of always getting his man, and is determined to catch the killer and bring him to justice. It's a tall order to fill, especially when the hunted is also a hunter with its sights set on Oliver Blackstone.

For more than 10,000 years, bison roamed the North American continent, numbering in the tens of millions. Their population was so dense that it could take up to three days for a herd to traverse a region as they rumbled through, trampling everything in their path like an unyielding juggernaut. While for many pioneers, the bison were a nuisance, hindering their ability to transplant cattle into regions where the buffalo roamed, for the Dutton Gang, the bison were far from annoying. In fact, they were an essential part of the gang's modus operandi. When a district marshal is trampled while in pursuit of the band of cunning outlaws, a new lawman is called in to shut the gang down. His name was Oliver Blackstone, and unlike the faint-hearted posses that preceded him, Marshal Blackstone... never gives up.

The Jake's Dragon saga continues.With the ascension of T'Aer Bolun Dakkar, a new king now rules the northwestern dragon kingdom. In the unseen world of dragons, even kings must prove themselves worthy, and the appearance of challengers is inevitable. As Jake and T'Aer Bolun Dakkar work tirelessly to address problems plaguing both dragon and human civilizations, dragoneers and eco-terrorists seek to derail their efforts at every turn.Their search for lasting and peaceful solutions to an impending global disaster are further complicated by a billion-dollar bounty placed on their heads. Nevertheless, they are determined to achieve a balanced ecosystem which supports both dragons and humans, even if -at times-it puts them at odds with both species. Though the obstacles are many, the bond between Jake and T'Aer Bolun Dakkar is a powerful one that will be tested to its very limit, all while attempting to keep the veil separating humans and dragons firmly in place.

Since the dawn of mankind, there have been extraterrestrial entities observing our development as a civilization from afar. They have watched as our knowledge and our numbers have grown, while still feeling the need to shield themselves, as our intolerance for those who are unlike us has kept us from evolving to a higher level of enlightenment. While entities of pure energy may possess the knowledge of the ages, having traveled the tides of time and space for millennia, even they are easily enthralled by the uniquely human temptation of touch. Throughout the universe, the occurrence of entities who crave pleasure for pleasure's sake is extremely rare, and the desire to be immersed in that realm of hedonistic addiction has even led to the downfall of many who were once viewed as gods. While there are those who have no interest in humanity beyond the intoxicating sensation of touch, there are Others who have discovered an even greater temptation... Power.As we live our daily lives, unaware of this sub-culture of entities who view the human experience as a recreational activity, we are often sucked into their inescapable vortex as they attempt to still their insatiable cravings, while living as Others among us.

In the history of Dragon Kingdoms, there has never before been a period in time during which all four regions were represented by bonded riders. As the reign of the Northeastern Dragon Kingdom approaches its end, one successor will be chosen among many as the dragon king ascendant. Due to the unique circumstances surrounding the previous dragon king's lineage, he has chosen to convene a Conference of Kings to determine which dragon champion will ascend to his throne. The conference will weed out the weakest, and challenge even the strongest, and the last dragon standing will have unquestionably earned the respect of all who participate.The contenders will be many, but the individual challenges they must complete will demand exceptional battle skills, deep wisdom, tactical diplomacy, and perseverance above and beyond anything they have ever faced before. In the end, there can only be one dragon king ascendant, and it will be King T'Aer Bolun Dakkar, holding the keys to the Northeastern Dragon Kingdom. Following the selection of the dragon king ascendant, the region would also need a bonded rider who can match the passion, character, and intelligence demanded of a dragon king. As the most powerful dragon of all time, the Northwestern Dragon King is certain to set a bar unattainable by most, for he is not only the king of all dragon kings. He is also... Jake's Dragon.

Over seventy percent of Earth is covered in water, yet over eighty percent of that water remains unexplored. There are currently over ten billion people on Earth, but terrestrial humans are only aware of those who live on land. The other three billion humans took a decidedly different evolutionary path, adapting to live in the largest combined area on the planet... The water. These two highly-intelligent civilizations, while indistinguishable in their DNA, have adapted to the territories in which they live, and although they share a single planet, their worlds could not be more divergent. Kept apart by an oceanic demarcation line known as the Devine Gap; the oceanic difference in the depth to which a terrestrial human can dive, and that to which an aquatic human can ascend, the two civilizations have remained separated since their evolutionary births. Following a chance encounter between Jacqueline, a terrestrial human and experienced dive master, and Argo, an aquatic human and scientific researcher, their desire to bridge the Devine Gap becomes an obsession for both of them... An obsession with potentially deadly consequences. It has been said that the human spirit can overcome any obstacle, but can it overcome... the water?

For millennia, dragons and humans have shared the Earth. For most of that time, it has been a peaceful coexistence, primarily because contemporary human civilizations considered dragons to be nothing more than fairytales created from the fanciful imaginings of cave-dwelling hunter-gatherers. In truth, they have always been an integral part of a healthy planetary biosphere, and without them, Earth's environmental balance would have collapsed long ago.Since the age of eleven, Jacob Payne has been leading the charge in integrating the knowledge of ancient dragons into the innovative technologies that play a key role in the survival and proliferation of the human race. Although their contributions to sustained ecological balance can be found around the globe, the presence of dragons themselves, had been intentionally concealed behind a voluntary veil of separation that effectively prevented the co-mingling of Earth's two dominant species.When that veil was removed by the President of the United States, following the heroic actions of dragons in repelling an extraterrestrial invasion by the Drokarians, and preventing the planetary takeover by an ancient Deep-Earth species known as borlamites, many people embraced their new-found neighbors. Others did not.In the wake of a tragedy involving a Royal Norwegian Navy frigate, in which nearly one hundred seamen lost their lives, the blame was laid at the feet of a dragon, and suddenly unwarranted fear crept into the psyches of many who had previously embraced and revered them. Despite the tireless advocacy of Jacob and Danielle Payne, the entirety of the dragon species faces a crucible in which the very civilization they have rescued from the brink of extinction, now seems to be turning against them.