Silently Beats the Drum -The first book of 'The Drum Series - During the years he fought for the lost Southern Cause in the Civil War, Jeb Patton should have died countless times. Carrying only the precious memories of the girl he left behind, he survives until one night near a no name town in Arkansas he is severely wounded. Waking up in a tent with his right leg removed, Jeb loses the desire to live, until he meets a man more severely injured than he.
Released from the hospital, Jeb starts a long walk home with one good leg and an old crutch. Along the way he befriends an old runaway slave, named Moses, and picks up a young black girl, Faye, whose father has been killed by the Yankees. Unsure what to do with the two, he takes them home to Missouri , knowing they can reach freedom from there. But, once at home Jeb Patton discovers that the girl he loves deeply no longer loves him. Thinking she does not want him because of his missing leg, Jeb takes Moses and Faye and heads west, to the shinning mountains.
Greenriver - When an old mountain man is forced to seriously hurt a young man during a confrontation in a small town saloon all hell breaks loose. Jeb Patton, who is in town to visit his family, is drawn into the situation when his uncle informs him he has been losing a large number of cows over the past few months. While most of the white ranchers and cattlemen suspect the Sioux, Jeb knows the Indians have nothing to do with the missing cattle.
It is the death of a waitress from the hotel restaurant that starts Jeb investigating the missing cattle and he soon discovers the local banker might be involved. But, it is not until he finds gold on a ranch that the bank had repossessed that Jeb starts to understand what is going on. Enlisting help from two ancient mountain men, an old runaway slave, and a Sioux woman, he decides to put an end to the bankers control over the small town. He quickly discovers it might be easier said than done.
Death Comes at Dawn - John Crawford rode with Quantrill's Raiders during the Civil War and swore at the wars end to do two things, murder all the niggers he could find and kill Jeb Patton. Discovering Jeb is living in the mountains and has a small group of black friends, Crawford heads west. The mountains are experiencing a near war with the Indian tribes, as the United States Government establishes a high demand for buffalo hides, hoping to exterminate the red menace by removing their food source. Buffalo Watkins is a hide taker and when Jeb kills his brother in a fair fight, he swears to have his revenge. As Jeb works as a go between for the Army and the Indians to prevent a war, his black friend, Abe, is killed by Crawford. Enlisting the help of a black man, Jefferson Jones, along with Ty Fisher and Jarel Wade, Jeb decides its time to confront both Buffalo Watkins and John Crawford. His only problem is both men prove hard to find and even harder to kill.
Santa Fe -Jeb Patton is arrested for robbing an army payroll and the killing of all six of the army guards. To prove his innocence and to clear his name he is hired by the United States army to help recover a missing army payroll and to bring the men responsible for the robbery turned murder to justice if at possible.
Enlisting help from of an old army sergeant, along with the assistance of a young runaway slave, and an old Mexican sheepherder, Jeb finally tracks down all of them but the leader. Following the leader of the gang from the grasses of Great Plains , to snow capped mountains of Santa Fe, and then through the burning desert sands to Tucson, he finally corners the man in Nogales. Jeb proves beyond a doubt that he is no quitter and quickly discovers neither is the leader as he proves to be a very hard man to keep under lock and key. Finally the man is cornered in a boarding house and after a lengthy fight with Jeb he is taken by the Sioux, for their own form of punishment
