Ruth Hanson

America, 1887. In a country healing from the horrors of the Civil War, the American West has never been more treacherous. Evil men do as they please, and the often faulty and corrupt justice system does little to nothing to help their victims. Enter the Railwalkers. Bandits whose only goal is to punish those whom the law has allowed to walk free. Some think they're an 28 legend, meant to scare would-be criminals into submission. Some see them as no different than the murderers they kill, while to others, they are angels of mercy. To Violet Donovan, they are family. Growing up as the sole heiress to the sizable Donovan estate, Violet's place of privilege allowed her wild spirit to flourish. Despite the pressures of her sex -- find a husband, stay pretty, have children, be subservient, don't speak out of line -- Violet is passionate, loud, stubborn, and untamed. However, at the ripe, marriageable age of twenty, Violet faces the fact that she may have to give in to her mother's wishes and marry mean, ugly Eustace Carpenter, the only other family name in their little town with comparable worth. But Violet's life changes forever when she is saved from an attacker by a strange woman. A woman who, like Violet, doesn't exactly fit the mold. Unfortunately Violet gets mixed up in a murder charge and has to leave everything she knows for a life on the run from the law. Through divine intervention, she and the woman cross paths again, and Violet comes to know her and her comrades. They are Mei Wong, Linus Cooper, Sitting Bear, and Rory McNab. The infamous Railwalker gang.

The Railwalkers

“And then…well…she’ll most likely be strung up for it. Probably right here in town.”


Violet didn’t hear the rest of the conversation. She couldn’t.


What Mary said was true: everyone believed that she had been the one to kill Mr. Munts, and they didn’t even take a day to reach their conclusions. As she climbed off the barrel, she barely had the energy to stand upright, and nearly knocked it over in the process. She tried to focus on her hands, but her vision was blurry. Violet walked as if in a fog. She hadn’t even noticed that it began to rain. Mud splattered her boots and trousers, and her shirt grew thick with water. She barely registered the weight. Her mind was looping Sheriff Anderson’s words endlessly. Convicted. Strung up. Right here in town.The night before, Violet had been terrified of so many things. Now? Violet felt numb, as though the world had simply shut off.


Chapter 14