Newport Beach, CA Author Publishes 1930s-Set Western

October 26, 2016 - Logan's Leap, a new book by Wes Barry, has been released by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc.

Handsome thirty-four year old Jack Logan, born into wealth, fame and power, heads New York's most prestigious law firm. Women adore this bachelor. Men envy him. His face graces magazine covers. He is a man who has it all. And yet, a man who has nothing!

Since its inception three generations ago, the firm has been controlled by the Logan dynasty. William Marshal, co-owner of the firm, is a man with many vices. And now, in 1931, he has stolen millions from client accounts to cover shortfalls in stock options.

Marshal kills himself, leaving Logan to oversee the inevitable demise of the firm. Amid rumblings in the press that commissioners are considering an investigation of Jack's possible hand in the theft, he leaves for Europe. There, he is chased throughout Paris by the hungry press.

In defeat, he heads back to the States, but the night before reaching New York, he jumps overboard, and unseen climbs onto a fishing trawler. The papers report, "Logan Drowned at Sea!"

Now anonymous, free from wealth, power and fame, Jack heads west. It's the depth of the Depression and the Dust Bowl. Reaching Arizona, he discovers himself among a breed of man he admires. He meets Glory Boone, a woman he has to have! Amid the mystery of the famed Lost Dutchman Gold Mine and the murder of an elderly doctor with gold fever, as well as the kidnapping of Jack's love, he is tested to the very edge of his powers. In a blazing gunfight Jack becomes the man he was destined to be.

Author's Note:
Though this novel is a work of fiction, I tried to represent the times and places as realistically as possible. The Superstitions are every bit as dangerous as I portrayed them to be. Having hiked and climbed in the treacherous canyons and chimneys myself, looking into abandoned mine shafts, nearly stepping on rattlers, I do have firsthand knowledge of this vast hostile area.

The book by James Swanson and Tome Kollenborn, A Ride Through Time, helped me to understand the legend of Jacob Waltz and both The Lost Peg Leg and Lost Dutchman gold mines.
Allen Eckert's great book, The Dark and Bloody River, was most helpful in filling in some of the blanks in my knowledge about Indian culture.

Logan's Leap is a 350-page paperback with a retail price of $22.00. The ISBN is 978-1-4809-1170-3. It was published by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For more information, or to request a review copy, please go to our virtual pressroom at www.dorrancepressroom.com or our online bookstore at www.dorrancebookstore.com.