Purple Yarn

A series of murders test the friendship between Tyler Spurlock, a gifted, idealistic lawyer and former Pennsylvania cavalryman, and Loice Eubanks, a county sheriff and former Confederate prone to quick judgments. Set out west in the 1880s, the murders come at a bad time for the sheriff, faced as he is with political opposition from Larnelle "Big'un" Huff and with problems caused by a hypochondriacal wife. Although Lawyer Spurlock indirectly aids Eubanks' political campaign by accepting an appointment to represent the prosecution in a criminal action brought against the sheriff's opponent, he does not hold back any when he undertakes to represent persons whom the sheriff believes responsible for the killings. As so often reflected in his work, Goolsby employs realistic courtroom drama and memorable characters to tell his story.