Rawlins, No Longer Young - Paperback

by Rick Destefanis (Author)

War made him a man. The frontier will decide what kind.

When Virgil Rawlins finds his best friend hanging from a sycamore tree, the young Tennessean is thrust into the brutal reality of the American Civil War-a world where mercy is scarce and survival demands tough choices. Hardened by violence and driven by revenge, Rawlins becomes a soldier shaped by hatred... until one moment at the Battle of Brice's Crossroads forces him to choose a different path. Before the war is even over, Rawlins turns west.

On the road to Independence, Missouri, he meets Sarah McCaskey-a woman who challenges everything he thought he understood about right and wrong. With her, Rawlins begins to imagine a life built not on vengeance, but on something far more dangerous: hope.

Joining a wagon train as a scout, Rawlins pushes into the untamed frontier, where law is fragile and danger is constant. As conflict spreads across the plains in the violent struggles of 1865, he earns a reputation as a fighter. But reputation alone won't define his future. In the boundless American West, a man must decide for himself. Will Rawlins become an outlaw... a lawman... or something in between?

Rawlins, No Longer Young is the powerful first book in a sweeping frontier saga-perfect for readers who love the grit and danger of a traditional Western anchored with character-focused storytelling. A story of survival, redemption, and building a life in a changing world, this is where one man's journey-and a generation-spanning legacy-begins.