The Way of the Coyote by Elmer Kelton

It is the end of the Civil War, in the 1860s.  Rusty Shannon is a former Texas Ranger who rescues a small boy from his captives, the Comanche Indians.  The two journey to Rusty's Texas home where he is confronted by two outlaws who hold an old grudge against him.  One of his friends, a black man named Shanty, is burned out of his home by the Klu Klux Klan.  The state police and the judges, as well as most politicians are carpetbaggers, robbing normal folks of the their farms and possessions.  Comanches are raiding homes for scalps, horses, killing women and taking small children to raise as slaves or warriors.  This is the story of two men and their struggles to remain free among hard ruffians. 

I enjoy Westerns very much and Elmer Kelton is a master.  He is a six-time winner of the Spur Award, has earned four Western Heritage Awards from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, and was named the greatest Western author of all time by the Western Writers of America.  He has written more than forty books.

The Way of the Coyote was published in 2001 by Tom Doherty Associates. 

Note:  I didn't realize it at the time I checked this book out but it is the third book of a series, although it was still well read out of order.  The first book is called The Buckskin Line and the second is called Badger Boy.  I'm currently reading these and will review soon, so check back often.