STARDUST TRAIL

Against his better judgment, Hollywood-hating private investigator Nate Ross takes on a Tinseltown case in the spring of 1938. It sounds like a milk run; find an alcoholic screenwriter whose absence is stalling production on Republic Pictures’ latest Western.

But when the missing rummy turns up dead, and Nate learns that somebody’s going to lethal lengths to keep Stardust Trail from being made, his simple case becomes far more complex, and deadly. He finds himself traveling in unfamiliar territory: the world of the B-movie cowboys, and the lines between the “reel” West and the real West begin to blur as Nate wrangles a twisted case of murder and sabotage pointing back nearly forty years to a bloody, real-life, “Wild West” crime.

. . .

"The plot has more twists and turns than a snorty bronc, taking  you through the world of low-budget Westerns and lowlife hoods, down  mean streets and into rugged canyons. It's a wild ride, but a fun one  all the way." 

~ Western Way Magazine

"J.R. Sanders, through Nate  Ross, spins us a story with 1938 household names - Gene Autry, Roy  Rogers, Yakima Canutt...John Wayne. Pick up Stardust Trail, get comfy in  your favorite spot with your favorite beverage, tune out distractions -  unless you've got music by Gene Autry or Dave Stamey handy - and settle  in for an enjoyable ride along the Stardust Trail." 

~ Six-Gun Justice Podcast

"J.R. Sanders strides confidently into the world of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. The writing is breezy and smart."  

~ Henry's Western Round-up