bruce hartman books

My western novel LEGEND OF LOST BASIN was named Finalist for the 2025 Spur Award for Best Traditional Western Novel by Western Writers of America.

“A riveting addition to the Western genre… Skillful storytelling and rich characterizations make this a must-read for fans of Westerns or those who just like good storytelling.,” — Kirkus Reviews.

On the vast northern plains in the 1880s, two young people struggle to find their destinies as the men who rule that savage world fight a life-and-death battle against nature and each other.

Unfolding against a brooding high desert landscape of sand washes, buttes and badlands, LEGEND OF LOST BASIN is an epic tale of domination, rebellion, betrayal and love.

Available on Amazon in paperback, ebook and audiobook formats.

My new western, LEGEND OF LOST BASIN, regularly priced at $2.99, will be on sale on Amazon.com for 99 cents from now through Monday, November 25. The book has been called “a riveting addition to the Western genre… Skillful storytelling and rich characterizations make this a must-read for fans of Westerns or those who just like good storytelling…” — Kirkus Reviews

On the vast northern plains in the 1880s, the men who rule a remote basin fight a life-and-death battle against nature and each other as a range war breaks out between two cattle outfits, triggering a reign of violence and terror from which no one on either side will emerge unscathed.

Unfolding against a brooding high desert landscape of sand washes, buttes and badlands, LEGEND OF LOST BASIN is an epic tale of domination, vioience, betrayal and rebellion.

You can buy it here.

Very proud that my story “Rattlers” is included in the new Saddlebag Dispatches anthology, LUNGERS, LAWDOGS AND LEGENDS: Boomtown Tales of Silver and Blood. Available on Amazon in paperback and as an ebook.

From June 21 through June 27, THE RULES OF DREAMING ebook will be on sale on Amazon for 99 cents. This mystery — which was awarded the Kirkus Star for Books of Exceptional Merit — has been called, “A mind-bending marriage of ambitious literary theory and classic murder mystery… An exciting, original take on the literary mystery genre.”  Kirkus Reviews.“

Selected as an Indie Book of the Year for 2013 by Kirkus Reviews.

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From June 7 through June 13, 2022, THE DEVIL’S CHAPLAIN ebook will be on sale on Amazon for 99 cents. You can buy it here.

The book is a legal thriller with a philosophical twist. “A riveting story that hinges on clues so elusive that the tension is exquisite.” – Midwest Book Review

Disillusioned with her corporate legal career, attorney Charlotte Ambler volunteers to handle the final appeal of Christopher Ritter, a Florida death row inmate whose execution is imminent. Ritter had been a prominent biologist before being convicted ten years earlier for the brutal murder of a prostitute. He denies killing the woman but is tormented by guilt for other, secret transgressions. The only appeal he will allow is to prove that he is innocent—a kind of appeal which is almost impossible to win. Ritter claims he was framed by a shadowy figure named Craft, but as Charlotte studies the evidence she concludes that Ritter is a dangerous psychopath who should not go free. Then a piece of evidence turns up that confirms a key part of his story. Pursuing her investigation, she is thwarted by hidden forces that seem determined to see him executed. In a race against the clock, she searches for the elusive Craft and finds herself in the cross-hairs of a psychopathic killer. THE DEVIL’S CHAPLAIN is a gripping tale of deception and self-deception, betrayal and violence, in which lawyer and client find common ground in their quest for justice and human values.

“Brilliant… A highly entertaining mystery with a heroine as compelling as she is gutsy.” — Ken Bruen, author of the Jack Taylor series.