The Missouri River Murders — David E. Unruh

Captain Culpepper refurbished his steamboat to withstand the rigors of navigating the Missouri River from St. Louis to Fort Benton, Montana. The vessel would be the largest steamboat to ever make the trip, but it was well equipped, powerful, and had a shallow draft. He hired the most competent pilots and officers available as well as a young Civil War veteran, Danny Barton, to keep the peace on board. The Captain's careful preparations promised an uneventful trip, but that was before he took on passengers. A variety of characters booked passage on the river boat, including three deadly brothers, a Union traitor, a woman fleeing her past, and a girl seeking to avenge her brother's death. Add to this the treacherous, muddy Missouri River with her snags and sandbars, marauding Indians, incompetent wharfmasters and flatboat operators, and it will take all of the Captain's resolve and his crew's skill to avoid disaster.