Overview

When naïve Englishman Baron Jerome Manchester Paget arrives in 1878 Fort Griffin with a satchel full of money to start a buffalo ranch and expand his wealth, a horde of colorful swindlers from throughout Texas arrive to relieve him of his fortune and to destroy his dream. With a passel of oddball characters and more twists and turns than a stagecoach trail, The Fleecing of Fort Griffin starts a cascade of swindles, counter-swindles, and comic miscalculations aimed at taking the baron for all he is worth. To stay rich-and alive, the baron must outwit crooked West Texas gamblers, a one-eyed gunfighter, a savvy marshal, conniving females, a disenchanted army colonel, and a worldly stump preacher, all convinced they're smarter than him. With only a young orphan for a valet and a rooster for a watchdog as his allies, Baron Paget must navigate frontier greed, vanity and hubris to survive. Written by Spur Award-winning author Preston Lewis, a master of western plot twists and humor, The Fleecing of Fort Griffin blends period authenticity with razor-sharp wit and colorful dialogue to take readers on an unconventional and uproarious journey through the Old West. A classic of American frontier humor, The Fleecing of Fort Griffin evokes the tall-tale spirit of the Old West for readers who like their Westerns with a smile and a wink at the history of the time. With a passel of oddball characters and more twists and turns than a stagecoach trail, The Fleecing of Fort Griffin starts a cascade of swindles, counter-swindles, and comic miscalculations leading to a surprising conclusion.

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9781964830162

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Reviews

""In The Fleecing of Fort Griffin, author Preston Lewis has crafted an at times snort-inducing comic western that keeps readers fully engaged."" -- Hall Ways Blog ""Lewis mixes history, legends and cards to deal the reader a winning hand."" -- The Roundup ""...Preston Lewis is an especially fresh and innovative writer ..."" -- Rocky Mountain News ""Lewis, an experienced writer of category or formula fiction as well as mainstream works, knows well the art of spinning out a story ..."" -- Texas Books in Reviews

Author Information

Preston Lewis is the award-winning author of more than sixty western, historical, juvenile, and nonfiction works. In 2021 he was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters for his literary achievements. The Will Rogers Medallion Awards named him the 2025 recipient of the organization's Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the literature of the American West.Western Writers of America (WWA) has honored Lewis with three Spur Awards, one for best article, a second for best western novel and a third one for YA nonfiction in 2025. He has received eleven Will Rogers Medallion Awards (seven gold, two silver and two bronze) for written western humor, short stories, YA nonfiction, short nonfiction, and traditional Western novel.Lewis is a past president of WWA and the West Texas Historical Association, which has named him a fellow. He holds a bachelor's degree from Baylor University and a master's degree from Ohio State University, both in journalism. Additionally, he has a second master's degree in history from Angelo State University. He lives in San Angelo, Texas, with wife Harriet Kocher Lewis. In her capacity as publisher of Bariso Press, Harriet Kocher Lewis is an award-winning author and editor. Pintsized Pioneers: Taming the Frontier, One Chore at a Time, which she co-authored with her husband, earned her a Spur Award and a Will Rogers Gold Medallion for young adult nonfiction.Since establishing Bariso Press in 2021, she has edited and published a dozen fiction and nonfiction works. Those books have earned 18 awards from the Texas Institute of Letters, the Will Rogers Medallion Awards, Western Writers of America, the Independent Author Awards, the Literary Global Book Awards, and the Literary Global Children's Book Awards.A retired physical therapist and PT educator, she was an assistant clinical professor of physical therapy at Angelo State University where she taught documentation and scientific writing among other topics as the department's coordinator of clinical education.Kocher Lewis holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Baylor University, a physical therapy certificate from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, and a master's degree in exercise and sports science from Texas Tech University. She and her husband Preston Lewis live in San Angelo, Texas. They have a son, a daughter, four granddaughters and a grandson.

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