Texas Standoff, is the last of his fictional works in a series about the Texas Rangers.

Review:Grewel
Elmer Kelton died in 2009. During his lifetime he wrote many westerns situated in his native Texas. Texas Standoff is the last of his fictional works in a series about the Texas Rangers.

The story begins simply enough. An anonymous writer has sent a letter to Ranger headquarters, asking the Rangers to investigate vigilante activities where the writer lives. Rangers Andy Pickard and Logan Daggett get the assignment. Although not entirely comfortable with each other, they hit the trail. When they arrive in the area, they learn that tensions between two families--the Teals and the McIntoshes--underlie the trouble brewing in the area.

Pickard and Doggett begin their investigation by getting to know members of each of the families. Additionally, they become familiar with other leading citizens in the area, including an inquisitive newspaper reporter. Not surprisingly, listening to members of each of the families criticize the other in similar fashion, the Rangers suspect that someone else is actually stirring up trouble.

As they view instances of cattle rustling and ambushes of people, the Rangers search for key bits of evidence to indicate the identity of the person or persons causing all the trouble.

Just as they're seemingly making progress in the investigation, Pickard and Doggett receive word that, due to budget cuts, they are being laid off from their jobs as Rangers. That doesn't keep them from discovering the identities of the vigilantes and bringing them to justice. Additionally, they succeed in helping members of the younger generation of Teals and McIntoshes to work together and set aside the animosities that existed between the two families in the past.

In the end, Daggett (who'd been seriously injured shortly after their arrival in the area) married Carrie Teal and landed the job of sheriff in the area. As for Pickard, he returned to his longsuffering wife (who remained at headquarters while he was out on assignment) and informed her they were at last going to build on the land they'd purchased and start ranching for themselves.

In telling the story, Kelton incorporated the usual western scenario of good guys vs. bad guys with the good guys coming out on top in the end.
Texas Standoff Originally published in Shvoong: http://www.shvoong.com/books/novel-novella/2221240-texas-standoff/