A Marshal Piedmont Kelly Western

Praise for The Death of Desert Belle:

“A traditional western that includes elements of a mystery novel. The Death of Desert Belle explodes right on the page—literally. Dunlap turns in a fine first novel. He appears to be poised to become a new star in the western writing firmament.”

— Roundup Magazine-Western Writers of America

“The bad guys are bad, the good guys are good, and justice triumphs in the end. I expected that, but for a first novel, Dunlap handles a complicated plot like he's been writing for years. I look forward to reading the next Piedmont Kelly book, and think Dunlap is definitely a western writer to watch.”

— Larry Sweazy, SPUR award-winning author

In the dusty Arizona hamlet of Desert Belle, a mysterious explosion levels half of the adobe jail. It appears the notorious Bishop brothers have made good on their threat to escape before they could be brought to trial. At least it had looked that way until two bodies were found crushed beyond recognition beneath the thick slabs of adobe wall. While the sheriff says good riddance, others aren’t so sure the Bishops are really gone for good.

Concerned by the details of the blast and for the safety of the townsfolk if the brothers did get out alive, Marshal Piedmont Kelly—the man who put the Bishops away in the first place—rides for Desert Belle, quickly finding himself the target of those who don’t want the mystery solved.

Meanwhile, not far away, two teenage boys inadvertently come face-to-face with a gunslinger who demands they leave town or get shot. The misadventures of the two boys eventually cause them to cross paths with the marshal. The boys and Kelly will have to trust each other and work together in order to save themselves and the town of Desert Belle.

Phil Dunlap has had a lifelong affair with the history and characters of the old west, and he also can’t pass up a good mystery; thus a novel emerged where the two paths cross. Often drawn to that haunted land where ghosts of gunfighters, scalawags, dandies, dance hall girls, and victims of gold fever still float among the cacti, he is driven to relive that distant era as a novelist, the next best thing to being there.

Phil lives near Indianapolis with his wife, Judy.

The Death of Desert Belleis Phil’s first book for AVALON.

Avalon Westerns by Phil Dunlap
CALL OF THE GUN

The Marshal Piedmont Kelly Western Series
BLOOD ON THE RIMROCK
FATAL REVENGE
THE DEATH OF DESERT BELLE