Information below was sent to NacNewsNow.com by Mainsail Media and Thomas Goodman – Email: tgoodman@mainsailbooks.com – Website: mainsailbooks.com
AUSTIN, TX – Spur Award-winning Texas novelist Thomas Goodman will release Through Many Dangers: A Novel of the 1905 Pistol-Packing Preacher on October 1, 2026, bringing to life a nearly forgotten chapter of East Texas history.
Thomas Goodman writes historical novels inspired by true Texas crimes. His Texas Tales novels recover little-known stories from Texas history and reimagine them through fiction. Goodman lives in Austin, Texas.
Inspired by a remarkable true story, the historical crime novel is set in Groveton during the Piney Woods timber boom, when sawmills brought money, newcomers, saloons, gambling, and violence into communities across East Texas.
When young Methodist minister Rick Burleson arrives in Groveton with his wife and two children, he expects to lead a church, not a war.
Thomas Goodman’s Through Many Dangers draws on the true story of a minister who confronted bootlegging, corruption, and violence in 1905 East Texas
Instead, he finds a town where bootleggers operate with impunity and powerful men have little interest in enforcing the law. A corrupt sheriff, an indebted lumber baron, and a cold-blooded enforcer help keep the criminal operation intact.
As threats turn to violence, Rick begins carrying a Colt revolver and eventually places the loaded pistol on his pulpit each Sunday. He must decide how far a man of faith can go when the law refuses to act and the people he loves are in danger.
Set amid the sawmills, logging camps, saloons, churches, and pine forests of turn-of-the-century East Texas, Through Many Dangers combines historical crime and suspense with questions of courage, faith, marriage, and the limits of lawful resistance.
Western Heritage Award-winning East Texas novelist James Wade praises Goodman’s portrayal of the region:
“Thomas Goodman again shows why he is one of the finest historical fiction authors we have. His vision of East Texas, both the place and the people, is as accurate as it is spellbinding. And his portrayal of Rick Burleson masterfully captures the moral weight of the ‘pistol-packing preacher.’ Through Many Dangers is a captivating read”
Goodman is also the author of The Last Man: A Novel of the 1927 Santa Claus Bank Robbery, winner of the 2024 Spur Award from Western Writers of America and a 2024 Will Rogers Medallion Award.
His Texas Tales novels draw upon true crimes and conflicts from Texas history, combining extensive historical research with fictional storytelling. Through Many Dangers grew from the documented story of an East Texas minister whose confrontation with lawlessness earned him a reputation as the “pistol-packing preacher.”
Through Many Dangers will be published by Mainsail Media in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle editions.
Pre-Order: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0H6XK5K59
For complete information about the book, visit: https://mainsailbooks.com/through-many-dangers/
Author website: www.thomasgoodmanwrites.com
Author Social Media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thomasgoodmanwrites
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/164591436-thomas-goodman