The Lawbringers — Brian Garfield

This powerful historical novel tells the story of Burt Mossman and the near-legendary force he commanded -- the ruthlessly effective Arizona Rangers. Under Captain Mossman, these men performed the herculean task of taming the Arizona Territory in preparation for its statehood in 1912.
Mossman was a rugged individualist -- a powerful, just, and severely self-disciplined man. Here, in all its exciting detail, is the story of his single-minded battle for law and order: his struggle with the Territorial Legislature and with public opinion, his fights with hundreds of vicious outlaws who used Arizona as hideout and headquarters, and, in particular, his dramatic contest with Augustin Chacon, the Indian bandit who was the scourge of the Southwest and Mossman's personal demon.
Idle men and women in Mossman's life surround him throughout the book: the beautiful local card dealer who falls in love with him; Santee Smith, ex-rustler turned loyal Ranger; a pen-wielding newspaper publisher; the Territorial governor who lends a hand in the cleanup; and a variety of frequently not so sympathetic legislative leaders.
 
The author of more than seventy books, Brian Garfield is one of USA's most prolific writes of thrillers, westerns and other genre fiction. Raised in Arizona, Garfield found success at an early age, publishing his first novel when he was only eighteen â€" which, at the time, made him one of the youngest writers of Western novels in print.
A former ranch-hand, he is a student of Western and Southwestern history, an expert on guns, and a sports car enthusiast. After time in the Army, a few years touring with a jazz band, and a Master's Degree from the University of Arizona, he settled into writing full time.
Garfield is a past president of the Mystery Writers of America and the Western Writers of America, and the only author to have held both offices. Nineteen of his novels have been made into films, including Death Wish (1972), The Last Hard Men (1976) and Hopscotch (1975), for which he wrote the screenplay.
To date, his novels have sold over twenty million copies worldwide. Brian Garfield died on December 29 2018. He and his wife lived in California.