Tim Holt #9

Tim Holt abandons his guns and reputation to pose as a mild-mannered tenderfoot, infiltrating the outlaw-controlled valley of Sky Gap where his friend Greg Bevan is fighting for survival against ruthless killers. Playing the part of a bumbling Easterner, Tim uses wit and seeming accident to outwit the gunmen at every turn, all while working to turn the townspeople against the outlaws who've terrorized them into submission. Can one man without firearms restore order to a valley held hostage by murderers and rustlers?

When a priceless two-hundred-year-old Spanish vase vanishes from Don Esteban's hacienda, Tim Holt and his partner Chito find themselves trailing the thieves straight into a web of sabotage at the nearby Horseshoe Silver Mines. As mysterious accidents plague the mine and force the desperate owners toward selling cheap, Tim uncovers a hidden Spanish silver shaft worth a fortune—and realizes the stolen vase is the key to a much larger scheme. Now Tim must race to Hangman Gulch to stop a crooked deal before the real treasure falls into the wrong hands.

A ruthless gang of outlaws systematically gun down the town's deputies, leaving the sheriff desperate and vulnerable—until Tim Holt steps forward to take the badge and uncover their sinister plan. When a young rider accidentally discovers the gang's scheme to rob the stage, railroad, and bank simultaneously on the fifteenth, Tim must race against time to stop them before they escape through Cactus Pass with their spoils. Frank Bolle illustrates this action-packed showdown as Tim and his allies set a deadly ambush for the killers fleeing town.