The Deadly River

Lee Raines is a recently orphaned young man, aimlessly drifting west through the Rocky Mountains, when he finds himself fighting for his life against a powerful gang in a strange, violent, war.   A car breakdown leaves Lee  stranded in a small Montana logging town where battle lines are being drawn in a war he only vaguely understands. When the inevitable explosion happens, he finds himself caught in the middle.   His life is changed forever as he's forced to fight for survival in a mountainous world alien to anything he has ever known. Lee makes friends and gradually comes to grips with the loss of his parents as he wanders through the mountains surrounding the little town.  But while in mountains, he innocently witnesses crimes being committed during the confusion surrounding the local conflicts.  Not wanting to be involved, Lee makes plans to leave the area.  However, before he can leave, Lee finds himself in a shooting war, forced to defend himself against a powerful crime boss and his brutal henchmen.  Finally the shooting stops, the sheriff makes arrests, and the known criminals are convicted.  Peace seems to have finally returned to the Montana mountains. Lee settles in and takes a job while he tries to put his life back together.  But the fight isn't over.  It takes a brutal ambush to make Lee and the townspeople realize that the problems were more complex than anyone had realized.  A final gun battle, a battle that results in real Rocky Mountain Justice, ends the war.  It also puts Lee and his friends on a path that they will follow for many years to come.The Deadly River effectively combines a classic adventure story with both heartfelt emotion and a theme that will leave one thinking long after the book is read.  It's a great read that combines the pathos of a young orphan's plight with the exhilaration and adventures that come with gun battles and fist fights deep in the Montana mountains.