The Maverick Queen

by Zane Grey

First published 1950

Amazon

3.9(425)

In South Pass City, Wyoming Territory, an ambitious woman has built influence in a rough mining and cattle community where political connections and economic power are closely linked. Her position is threatened by disputes over unbranded cattle, rival interests and relationships that make it increasingly difficult to keep business, affection and survival separate.

The setting reflects the tensions of late territorial Wyoming, where ranching wealth, local government and informal control of the range could overlap. The novel places a forceful female figure at the centre of that world, showing both the opportunities available in a fluid frontier society and the danger of depending on power that can quickly shift to someone else.