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  Mobley’s Law

  A Mobley Meadows Novel

  by

  Gerald Lane Summers, J.D.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Mobley’s Law, A Mobley Meadows Novel

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should returned and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

  Copyright © 2010 by Gerald L. Summers and JoAnn C. Summers Family Trust. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical without the express written permission of the author. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  Cover design by Rick Murphy

  [email protected]

  Cover art:

  Copyright © Shutterstock /Gavel/Law Book/#9455077/Rafa Irusta

  Original art by Rick Murphy

  Edited by Lesley Kellas Payne

  ePublished and Distributed by Telemachus Press, LLC

  http://www.telemachuspress.com

  Visit the author at http://www.mobleymeadows.com

  Email the author at [email protected]

  ISBN# 978-1-935670-66-7 (eBook)

  ISBN# 978-1-935670-72-8 (paperback)

  Version 2012.05.31

  Table of Contents

  Mobley’s Law Reviews

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  CHAPTER 32

  CHAPTER 33

  CHAPTER 34

  CHAPTER 35

  CHAPTER 36

  CHAPTER 37

  CHAPTER 38

  CHAPTER 39

  CHAPTER 40

  CHAPTER 41

  CHAPTER 42

  CHAPTER 43

  CHAPTER 44

  CHAPTER 45

  CHAPTER 46

  CHAPTER 47

  CHAPTER 48

  CHAPTER 49

  CHAPTER 50

  CHAPTER 51

  A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Mobley’s Law Reviews

  Mobley’s Law has an average rating of five stars. Here are a few of the readers’ comments. Some editing has been done for the purpose of space management.

  5.0 out of 5 stars - Truly Amazing Book!

  By JR Fitch (Kerrville, Texas) Retired Editor/Publisher: Imperial Valley Press.

  If an accomplished author of 20, 30, or 50 books had written Mobley’s Law, I would have said, “well done!” For Gerald Summers to have written this as his first book is amazing.

  Summers’ publisher compares Mobley’s Law to Lonesome Dove. If they are off, it’s not by much. This is a wonderful story, mostly fictional yet full of historical events, characters and interesting factual descriptions of things as they existed in the story’s time period.

  This is a great read. If you like modern non-traditional westerns, you are in for a treat. If you simply like a good story, I cannot imagine you not liking this one. Lastly, I would be surprised to learn the last names of the heroine and hero were chosen by coincidence and not by the author’s furtive sense of humor. Sweetgrass and Meadows? I am surprised the ending wasn’t that they married, started a horse ranch, named it Sweetgrass Meadows, and lived happily ever after. What a treat this book is! A job well done, Mr. Summers!”

  ***

  5.0 out of 5 stars - A New Lonesome Dove?

  By B. J. Richard (South Dakota)

  A most enjoyable read . . . action, adventure, love, hate, terror, lies & deception sprinkled with a dash of humor. The author’s use of historical events makes everything about this tale of frontier Texas feel true. He has developed an assortment of unforgettable characters the likes of which have not been seen in a western since McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove.

  ***

  5 out of 5 stars - Back to Western Basics.

  By Ken Magrini, Ph.d (Temecula, Ca)

  Mobley’s Law takes you back to the days when it was fun to cheer for the Western Hero. In the story of Mobley, Summers has created a character combination of ‘John Wayne’ in True Grit and Paul Newman in ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’.

  Action starts on the first page and continues throughout the novel. Mobley always manages to get the job done in true western fashion and shows us how to be tough and humorous at the same time.

  I can’t wait until the next Mobley’s Law novel is available.

  ***

  5 out of 5 stars - Not Your Father’s Western!

  By Steven M. Roth (Washington, DC.) Author: Mandarin Yellow

  So you think you don’t like reading westerns. Well, think again. That’s what I thought, too, until I read Mobley’s Law by Gerald Lane Summers, and discovered that this entertaining, intelligent, informative and well-crafted novel is not your father’s western. Instead, Mobley’s Law is a well-written story, about memorable characters, that just happens to be set in Texas in the tumultuous years just after the Civil War. Mobley’s Law, as a “western”, transcends the genre in all important respects. It gives us a fast paced, multi-layered plot, richly textured characters who we can (and do) care about, and an extraordinary sense of place.

  ***

  5.0 out of 5 stars - Move over Louis L’Amour

  By David Bishop, Author (Augusta, Ga) Mystery Writer: The Beholder, and others.

  Saddle up and ride with Judge Mobley Meadows as he dispenses the kind of frontier law we wish we had today: swift, sensible and just. An entertaining read, chock full of the characters you expect in a western, only more alive and likeable. And the women, well, there are no wallflower women in this yarn. They’re just like you like ‘em: smart, spirited and sexy. For you ladies who like westerns, you’ll like the women in this story, so will you menfolk. For everyone who loves westerns, this author, Gerald Summers, is the new leader of the pack. Curl up and be prepared to turn pages. I finis
hed it the first day I got it and I’m eager for a sequel.

  ***

  5.0 out of 5 stars - What a great surprise—History as it should be taught.

  By Larry Williams

  Wow, what a surprise, a novel that captures and holds you all the way to the final page. Then you can’t believe it’s over and want to stand in line to get more. These characters are too real for there not to be a sequel. What a great way to learn a little history and to enjoy a marvelous book. As a student I was not all that interested in history but it wasn’t taught in the style of this author, where you learned but enjoyed it while doing so. Mr. Summers captured the essence of the law that made our country great and wove it into his story in a way that is understandable by both the story members and readers from all stations of life. Bravo!!!!

  ***

  5.0 out of 5 stars - The Return of the Western Novel.

  By T. A. Feuerborn, Ph.D (Santa Monica, Ca.)

  This is a creative return to the roots of the western novel. An entertaining, rambunctious romp through a little-known but amusing corner of Texas history. Mobley Meadows is an unforgettable hero. Let’s hope there will be more opportunities for Mobley to dispense his inimitable brand of frontier justice.

  ***

  5.0 out of 5 stars - A Rompin’ Ride Through 1870s Texas!

  By John Charles Berry, Ph.D - Author: A Night of Horrors.

  This novel is a rompin’, raucous, and sometimes randy ride through the prairies and cities of Texas in the 1870s. Summers recreates, with vivid historical accuracy, the times and places of post-Civil War Texas during the critical transition from Federal occupancy to democratically-elected state government. While the historical setting, rich details of the clothes, carriages, and, yes, the weapons are impressively accurate, they don’t over-take the novel but propel it forward with marvelous touches. Summers has a firm grasp of the history, but a much firmer grasp of the plotting, character development, and narrative voice of this wonderful western novel. While you’ll find echoes of the modern masters of the genre like McMurtry and L’Amour, Summers’ wonderful narrative voice has taken the classic genre to a new and wonderful place. Mobley Meadows, Lydia Sweetgrass, and his marshals are marvelous new characters and you’ll thoroughly enjoy them. But I found the narrator of the novel enthralling, compelling, and just darn funny! Summers’ narrator is so rich and friendly, you imagine you’re sitting around the campfire and see him winking at you as he lets the yarn unfold before you in all its glory, humor, violence, and love. If you want to have some real fun, pick up Mobley’s Law, because the only disappointment you’ll have is when you turn that last page.

  ***

  5.0 out of 5 stars - The Western we have been waiting for!!!

  By Steven H. Jackson (Sarasota, FL) Author: Death of a Cure.

  Gerald Summers, an unquestioned equal to Grey and L’Amour, has written a masterful work based upon actual history surrounding events in Texas shortly after the Civil War. The narrative is delivered with skill and accuracy that draws the reader in and doesn’t let go! Mr. Summers combines action and adventure with a knowledge of what it was really like to bring law and order to a rough and tumble part of America during an exciting time of exploration and expansion.

  The principal character in his book, Judge Mobley Meadows, is a character indeed. Dispatched by Ulysses S. Grant to Texas shortly after the Civil War, this one man has the mission of not only providing law in a lawless and corrupt locale, but also to head off a disaster of tremendous proportion with national consequences. The culmination of the book is Meadow’s participation in events that determine whether or not the United States would be thrown back into the Civil War just ended.

  Based upon a factual series of events, the fictionalized portrayal of an exciting time in our nation’s history is a must read for anyone, western fan or not, looking for a truly great read. Mr. Summers is a great story teller and I eagerly await his next novel.

  ***

  5.0 out of 5 stars - Mobley’s Law is a winner.

  By Dennis Vanoni (Nampa, Idaho)

  Gerald L. Summers creates Mobley Meadows as a judge who needs no courtroom to administer justice. A judge who seeks real justice and is not beyond being a little creative to achieve that goal. Mobley encounters a cast of characters who bring their own stories to the front as the book builds and the story grows. The villains are evil and the maidens are fair, and sometimes promiscuous. Mobley’s Law is a winner and goes right there with Open Range, Broken Trail, and Lonesome Dove.

  ***

  5.0 out of 5 stars - Best Western.

  By Doug Hocking - (Western Writer)

  This is the best western novel I’ve ever read. I could not put it down. I’ve read and love L’Amour, Hillerman, Zane Grey and lots of others, but Mobley’s Law has been one of very few I couldn’t put down.

  ***

  5.0 out of 5 stars - A Great Western History.

  Charles Rodenberger (Baird, TX USA)

  I enjoyed this novel all the way. I bought the Kindle version and read it in little gulps as I traveled around. It gave me a knowledge of history that added to the novels by Elmer Kelton and Henry Chappel that I have read. The characters in this novel were life-like and it will make a great movie. I am looking forward to the sequels.

  ***

  5.0 out of 5 stars - A date with the devil.

  By P. Nipper “Pat Decker Nipper. (San Jose, Ca ) Author: Love on the Lewis and Clark Trail.

  Mobley is being ambushed on the prairie by fifteen rag-tag madmen who fully intend to kill him. The rotten governor of Texas has no use for an honest circuit judge in “his” state. Knowing he’s badly outnumbered, Mobley makes his stand. “Come on, boys, you’ve a date with the Devil and he’s a knockin’ at the door,” he says.

  From that page on (page 6), I knew I was in for a great ride and I was not disappointed. It’s hard to believe this is a first novel, since the author is such a talented story teller. This would make a great gift, Christmas or otherwise, for anybody who loves a colorful and fast-moving story.

  ***

  5.0 out of 5 stars - Five Stars First Page to Last

  By Jack Payne (Fresno, Ca.)

  Gerald Summers captured my attention on the first page and refused to release it until I finished the last page-at 4 a.m. On a par with Lonesome Dove, this novel features a compelling hero in Mobley Meadows. He is credible, consistent, and competent. He is intuitive in knowing what is going on around him and decisive in action. A worthy adversary, the Governor is a strong and powerful enough villain to challenge Mobley to “rise to the occasion.” This is quite simply the best western I have read in years.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  No novel can be written without the help of others. They may not know they are helping, but they do it anyway. In my case, these people have mostly been my close friends, people I grew up with and knew to be extremely intelligent. Others were relatives interested in what I was doing, and who provided extremely valuable encouragement as the work progressed.

  My editor, Lesley Kellas Payne of Fresno, California taught me more about writing novels than anyone I have ever met. She deserves much credit for this work.

  Terry Feuerborn, Ph.D, now retired from the University of California where he was Director of Patents and Licensing, helped me with astute comments on several occasions. He had the remarkable ability to remember everything he ever read about writing. I did not forget the lessons he provided, though at times I pouted a bit at his stinging reviews.

  Another was Dr. Carl Hansen, a dedicated reader who, besides being a veterinarian, managed to know when a book was good or bad and did not hesitate to say so. His advice was always sharp and to the point. It was a good thing he lived so far away, for had he been closer, I would surely have chased him down with a switch.

  Other friends who pushed me relentlessly were Kenneth Magrini, a materials scientist who loved the story, and Bruce Jensen, the retired CEO of a nationwide carpet company. I have known Bru
ce since High School and both of these men were great western fans. Bruce put me on to Telemachus Press, and I am thrilled with the relationship.

  Bill Wieben, now living in New Zealand, never gave up on me; and once even approached a big shot movie producer named Peter Jackson to take a look. The man was involved at the time in making really big movies, and did not have the time to consider my work. Pity, for I think he would have liked it.

  Gaynel Ramsey Rader actually kick-started my last efforts at publication. She introduced me to her son, Rhoades Rader, a successful movie producer, who worked for a time to get the book produced; but in the modern era, Hollywood seems to prefer vampires over westerns. Times may be changing, for I see indications everywhere, including the silver screen. They will be called, “Retro-films,” I suspect.

  DEDICATION

  There is only one person to whom I could possibly dedicate this novel and survive: my wife of 47 years, JoAnn Charlene Summers.

  We met in College in 1963 and have not been able to keep our hands off of each other ever since. She encouraged me, discouraged me, laughed at some of my work, scowled at times, but ultimately helped me work through the plot so the novel actually began to make sense.

  All writers need a foil for their work, someone to tell them when they have gone astray. My lovely wife had a sword, and used it like a machete; but I had to admire her grit in staying up all hours of the night while I regaled her with wonderfully turned words. She may have been asleep, but if so, she said nothing about it.