Author: John L. Bower

1Chip, of the Flying U

By B. M. Bower

Cattleman J.G. Whittemore, owner of the Flying U ranch in Montana, trusts the task of meeting his sister at the train to only one man, Chip. Chip’s not too keen on women. In his experience they come in only a few types: prissy “sweet young thing”, annoying cowgirl, or old maid that wants to drag him to church. He isn’t prepared for Miss Della Whittemore, the “Little Doctor.” She turns the ranch upside down, but can she turn Chip head over heels? (Summary by A. Gramour)

2Lure of the Dim Trails

By B. M. Bower

Phil Thurston was born on the range where the trails are dim and silent under the big sky. It was the place his father loved, the place he had to be. After the death of his father when he was five, his mother brought him back to the city, where he grew up and became a writer. To revive his stale writing, he returns to the West, and may just find what he is really missing. (Summary by A. Gramour)

3Long Shadow

By B. M. Bower

Billy Boyle, tough, honest, plain dealing, is at home on the range. He knows cattle and horses better than most. Alexander P. Dill, the merchant from Michigan, knows little of livestock and needs Billy’s help to make it in the business. Billy is eager to oblige, but can he beat the weather, the barbed wire, and the mysterious maneuvers of old man Brown? And what is the Pilgrim up to? Surely no good when it comes to Flora Bridger, who Billy wants to make his own. - Summary by Tom Penn

4Uphill Climb

By B. M. Bower

Ford Campbell is a hard-working, honest, decent cowboy—when he’s sober. But give him a bottle of whiskey and all bets are off. Usually it just makes him rowdy, but this time…well, this time he thinks there might just have been a wedding. Was he the groom? Who was the bride? And where is she? ( Tom Penn)

5Lonesome Land

By B. M. Bower

Val had come to Montana to marry a cowboy named Manley, envisioning a life of wedded bliss, freedom, and was anticipating happiness in her adopted part of the country. She would soon learn that the winters could be cruel and lonesome for a woman living on a ranch which was situated miles from the nearest neighbor. She would learn that her husband spent most of his time drinking. And she would learn that everybody has their own methods of dealing with the harshness and loneliness of the land she has come to call home. Val is determined to re-invent her notions about men and women, her new duties in life, and life as it existed in the relatively new West. At every turn, her will and her strength are tested. Would she find the strength within herself to overcome the hardships, or would she succumb to the reality of her surroundings? - Summary by Roger Melin

6Rowdy of the Cross L

By B. M. Bower

There's bad blood between Rowland ''Rowdy'' Vaughan and Harry Conroy. Really bad blood. But Rowdy is crazy about Harry's sister, Jessie. Really crazy. And Jessie thinks the world of Harry and doesn't believe he would ever do anything bad, but... - Summary by Tom Penn

7Range Dwellers

By B. M. Bower

Ellis Carleton, son of a rich and indulgent father, has enjoyed a wasteful and irresponsible young adulthood. But on reaching 25 it is time to grow up, so dad sends him off to dad’s ranch in outback Montana with instructions to the foreman to pay Ellis the same as the other hands, but only if he earns it. A disputed roadway, an old feud with a neighboring rancher, a new one with his desirable daughter, all drive Ellis to delightful distraction. (Tom Penn)

8Quirt

By B. M. Bower

Britt Hunter is a small fish in a big pond. His little ranch, the Quirt, has a few hundred head of cattle; the neighboring ranch, the Sawtooth, has tens of thousands. Britt and the other small timers manage to scrape by, but only at the sufferance of the Sawtooth. And the Sawtooth is always interested in expanding. When Britt’s city-bred daughter comes for a visit and witnesses a murder, she inadvertently puts the Quirt and the Sawtooth on a collision course. ( Tom Penn)

9Meadowlark Basin

By B. M. Bower

This is an action-packed tale of the old west with richly drawn characters including the notorious Butch Cassidy, most of them upstanding but some decidedly not. A cashier is murdered during a bank robbery. The loot and the thieves are sought with dark concerns about who may be guilty. Family ties, ranch life, humor, and romance are interwoven throughout. B. M. Bower was one of the first women to write novels and short stories about the American Old West, of which more than 10 were adapted as films. (Summary by Lee Smalley)

10Flying U's Last Stand

By B. M. Bower

Settlers are lured to Montana by a land boom syndicate in a scheme that encroaches on the Flying U Ranch. Members of the Flying U attempt to thwart the land-grab, as its very existence is threatened. So begins a dramatically engrossing novel involving an array of fascinating characters, some innocent, others decidedly not. A spunky child goes missing, a prairie fire is set, and a romance begins. B. M. Bower wrote 57 acclaimed works based on the American Old West, with some of her most popular books centering on the Flying U Ranch. She also scripted several Western movies. (Summary by Lee Smalley)

11Her Prairie Knight

By B. M. Bower

When Miss Beatrice Lansell arrives in Montana from the east for a visit to her brother's ranch, she is swept off her feet by the majestic, rugged beauty of the land, by the simplicity and satisfaction of ranch life, and by a handsome cowboy neighbor, Keith Cameron. But Keith seems to be immune to her charms, and as a woman used to having her own way, Trix is determined to put him in his place. Full of unforgettable characters, scenery, and the humor that made B. M. Bower's western stories so unique. - Summary by LikeManyWaters