The Bells of San Filipo » (Unabridged, 7 CDs, 8 hrs.)

Max Brand's action-filled stories of adventure and heroism in the American West continue to entertain readers throughout the world. Brand penned over 200 full-length Westerns in his career, including Destry Rides Again and Montana Rides. Several of his novels are available from Brilliance Audio.

Jim Gore prospects the barren hills of the southwest, dreaming of striking it rich. He is a man as lonely and forgotten as the nearby ghost town itself, San Filipo. That is, until an earthquake uncovers the abandoned town's long-guarded secret - a treasure in silver! How much more is still hidden beneath the ruins?

Jim meets the mysterious Chris Estaban, a man with secrets of his own, who tells Jim that he is also known as "The Doctor" and "Colonel Dice." Jim knows his only chance to get the silver is to team up with this mysterious gunman and gambler. But what he doesn't know is that his easy-going life will end forever when greed, violence and betrayal take over.

Library Journal

Although Jim Gore has been mining for years, he still hopes the small vein of ore he is working will eventually lead to the "mother lode." His daily routine is broken when he finds a Mexican who is carrying a pack loaded with 50 pounds of pure silver. Gore traces the Mexican back to the ghost town of San Filipo, and the adventure begins. Brand (The Whispering Outlaw, Audio Reviews, LJ 2/15/95) peoples this mythical town with the ghost of a nun, the legendary bells, and Diego Ramirez. Ramirez, heir to the lost fortunes of San Filipo, has come to claim the wealth of his ancestors. The return of this wealth has been announced by the eerie ringing of the bells-bells that were lost when San Filipo burned 100 years ago. Don Estaban, heir to a lost empire, sees the treasure of San Filipo as a quick way to rebuild his former wealth. Written in 1926, this story combines mythology and mystery to make an intriguing adventure. Recommended.-Theresa Connors, Arkansas Technological Univ., Russellville