New Release - Out of the Darkness by Robert D. McKee

Micah McConners returns to his hometown of Probity, Wyoming, to set up his law practice. He never dreams his best friend, Doctor Chester Hedstrom, will be his first courtroom case—and Micah will be defending him for a crime that could put him in prison for fourteen years!

Doctor Hedstrom, bound by his moral convictions, has admitted to what he did—performed an illegal abortion on a young woman who has been raped. The perpetrator of the rape, Sonny Pratt, is the entitled son of a wealthy rancher—and he’ll go to any lengths to keep his freedom—even commit a murder or two.

Can an inexperienced Micah defend the doctor well enough to exonerate him from the charges he faces and set him free? And can the citizens manage to survive the psychopathic vengeance that Sonny Pratt has begun to wreak on the town of Probity?

As the tension builds to a shattering climax, the two friends must bring Sonny to justice, but at a terrible life-altering cost for both of them. Justice may be served in this frontier town, but can it bring them OUT OF THE DARKNESS…

EXCERPT:

Micah McConners had been back in his hometown of Probity, Wyoming, less than fifteen minutes when the peaceful afternoon was cracked open by a gunshot. He could tell it came from around the corner on Main Street, so Micah, being curious, edged in closer to the buildings and started in that direction. The second shot, though, brought him to a stop. By the sound of it, the gunfire was getting closer, and his natural curiosity began to drain.

It was August 1900, and central Wyoming was mostly civilized. From time to time, a band of young Indians would ride around the countryside raising a little havoc, and trains were robbed often enough to cause the railroad barons back East some sleepless nights, but the land's wildness, for the most part, had been tamed.

Micah's father, John, used to tell stories of the old days when about everyone wore a sidearm. During those unruly times, gunfights in the streets were not uncommon, but now, times were modern, and such things were rare. After all, it was almost the twentieth century. Some wrongly believed the new century had begun on January 1, 1900, but Micah knew it wouldn't really start for another four months.

As Micah reminded himself that times were less wild now than in his father's day, he heard a third shot, and that pretty much took away whatever curiosity he had left. He decided it would be wise to duck between the buildings until he could determine what was going on. As that prudent thought came to mind, a riderless horse raced around the corner at full gallop.