Ransom — Paul Lederer

When a banker's daughter is kidnapped, it takes an evil deed to get her back

Two horsemen appear on the eastern edge of Crater, a dusty Western town as dry and barren as the sinkhole that gave it its name. The riders disappear around the back of the bank, where they find an unlocked door -- and a flour sack stuffed with cash. The ransom was embezzled by the banker himself, who is ready to risk jail, to throw away his reputation, to give his life if it means getting his daughter Anita back alive. But the money won't be enough. These kidnappers are out for blood.

The banker told no one about the kidnapping, but Deputy Marshal Bill Thatcher -- who loves Anita no less than her father does -- quickly notices the girl's disappearance. As the kidnapper's demands increase, Thatcher must prove his love with violence. In a town like Crater, love is no match for a quick-drawn gun.