Mariana’s Knight

 

The Revenge of Henry Fountain

W. Michael Farmer
Book Cover: Mariana's Knight
Part of the Legends of the Desert series:
  • Mariana’s Knight
Editions:ebook, Paperback

A father and son vanish. A legend is born.

On February 1, 1896, Albert Fountain-prominent attorney, lawmaker, and fearless militia leader-set out across the desolate Tularosa Basin with his eight-year-old son, Henry. Despite threats against his life, Albert was determined to see justice served, returning home after securing indictments against powerful cattle thieves. His wife, Mariana, believing no one would harm a man traveling with a child, had urged him to take Henry along. Before they departed, she entrusted Henry with a small ivory horsehead fob-a symbol of his promise to protect his father.

They never made it home.

Their wagon was found abandoned in the vast desert, the horses missing, and a patch of blood-soaked sand glistening in the sun. Though their bodies were never recovered, whispers of vengeance and survival grew into legend-some say Henry lived to avenge his father's murder. Others claim the truth was swallowed by the shifting desert winds.

Rich in historical detail, Mariana's Knight brings to life a true unsolved mystery of the American Southwest-a tale of tragedy, resilience, and the undying bond between a mother and her son.

About the Author

W. Michael Farmer

W. Michael Farmer combines ten-plus years of research into nineteenth-century Apache history and culture with Southwest-living experience to fill his stories with a genuine sense of time and place. A retired Ph.D. physicist, his scientific research has included measurement of atmospheric aerosols with laser-based instruments, and he has published a two-volume reference book on atmospheric effects on remote sensing. He has also written short stories for anthologies and award-winning essays. His first novel, Hombrecito's War, won a Western Writers of America Spur Finalist Award for Best First Novel in 2006. His novels telling the story of the Mescalero Apaches  Killer of Witches, The Life and Times of Yellow Boy, Mescalero Apache, Book 1 and Blood of the Devil, Book 2 won Will Rogers Medallion Awards and were New Mexico–Arizona Book Awards Finalists in 2016 and 2018. Mariana’s Knight, The Revenge of Henry Fountain won the 2017 New Mexico–Arizona Book Award for Historical Fiction and Blood of the Devil, Book 2 was a finalist. Apacheria, True Stories of Apache Culture, 1860-1920 won the 2018 New Mexico–Arizona Book Award for History-Other and was recognized as the 2018 New Mexico Book of the Year and as a top twenty book about the southwest by the Pima County Library system. In 2019 Knight’s Odyssey, Knight of the Tiger, and Apacheria won Will Rogers Gold Medallion Awards.

Other Books By W. Michael Farmer

Stand-Alone Books

Series: Chato's Chiricahua Apache Legacy

Series: Legends of the Desert

Series: The Apache Kid Chronicles

Series: The Life and Times of Yellow Boy, Mescalero Apache

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