Bounty of Shadows: Book 1
Publication Date: August 18, 2025
Will her life philosophy, “Do right, fear no man,” get her killed?
A string of bad luck has left former Army helicopter pilot Dot Ybarra with a serious case of wrecked nerves and a need for peace and solace at her family’s Idaho ranch. Instead, she encounters a desperate mother who stumbles onto their land, begging Dot to rescue her kidnapped daughter.
There’s a bounty on the kidnapper’s head, and fugitive recovery agent T.J. Roman is not about to let that paycheck slip through his fingers. Together, he and Dot rescue the child.
But their actions set off an explosion of secrets in Euskadi. The sheriff is slinking around with a new shady sidekick, Dot’s friends are stabbed, and armed mercenaries attack her ranch, forcing her to use her hunting and archery skills to defend her family. Cornered by the unknown enemy’s three-pronged attack, Dot and her charges retreat deep into the Payette National Forest. Isolated in the mountainous forest, separated from T.J. and any help, Dot must make a hard choice: fight or walk away?
Will her first recovery job be her last?
When an injured woman shows up at the family ranch, it kicks off a series of unexpected events.
Author Winter Austin launches the first installment of A Bounty of Shadows series with Ride a Dark Trail. The lead character, Dot Ybarra, is both spunky and sassy.
Within the first few pages, the author offers clues about Dot’s past as a former Army pilot, making it clear that she has returned to her family’s Idaho ranch for solitude.
The plot centers around the injured woman named Ashley, who claims her daughter has been kidnapped by her scumbag ex. To make it even more interesting, an old army friend turned fugitive recovery agent shows up hunting for Ashley.
Together, Dot and T.J. Roman get caught up in an explosive adventure filled with intrigue as they head into the Payette National Forest. With unexpected enemies on the prowl, Dot must decide whether to defend the innocent or walk away.
Ride a Dark Trail delivers a strong female character who is driven to protect others.
Winter Austin perpetually answers the question: “were you born in the winter?” with a flat “nope,” but believe her, there is a story behind her name.
A lifelong Mid-West gal with strong ties to the agriculture world, Winter grew up listening to the captivating stories told by relatives around a table or a campfire. As a published author, she learned her glass half-empty personality makes for a perfect suspense/thriller writer. Taking her ability to verbally spin a vivid and detailed story, Winter translated that into writing deadly romantic suspense, mysteries, and thrillers.
When she’s not slaving away at the computer, you can find Winter supporting her daughter in cattle shows, seeing her three sons off into the wide-wide world, loving on her fur babies, prodding her teacher husband, and nagging at her flock of hens to stay in the coop or the dogs will get them.
She is the author of multiple novels.
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OMG! Thank you!!!
Woohoo! Thanks for the great review!