Heartbreak Trail to Pueblo — Jim Kennison

Finding his parents and young sister murdered and their house pilfered and burned, Broken Rock schoolteacher Matt Addison vows to avenge the carnage by tracking down the killers and meting out his own form of justice. Addison hopes to find help in this daunting effort, but only one man steps forward an illiterate, banjo-playing minstrel who offers to be Addison's guide. Leaving Addison's fiancee behind in southeastern Colorado, the two inexperienced but determined hunters discover clues that convince them they are closing the gap. In towns along the way they are confronted by evidence of more murder and robbery that can only be attributed to the evil handiwork of the gang they're stalking. With each new discovery, their flagging search takes on new energy.

The trail ends in Pueblo, where a private detective devises the ultimate strategy to flush the quarry into the open - but not before Addison is struck with one final heartbreaking trauma.