Written by Hank the Cowdog author John R. Erickson, the Riley McDaniels series is a middle-grade mystery and adventure series following a boy growing up on a ranch in Texas after the death of his father in the 1920s. While possessing a lot of Erickson's Hank the Cowdog folksiness, the series can have dark or mature scenarios, giving lots of attention to drama between estranged family members, the danger posed by criminals in the Twilight of the Old West and Riley broadening his knowledge through his friendship with a Badass Bookworm storekeeper. There are currently three books in the series: Moonshiner's Gold, Discovery at Flint Springs, and Fear's Return.
Tropes in the books:
- Abnormal Ammo: In Discovery at Flint Springs, Aaron uses his plane to drop flour bombs on a group of fossil thieves
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Riley's younger brother Coy is a Teacher's Pet who is quick to lecture or aggravate Riley.
- Badass Bookworm: Aaron Kaplan is a storekeeper who is known for his love for classical music and fine literature, but he is also an ex-boxer who has lost none of his old skills.
- Badge Gag: In Fear's Return, the lazy Sheriff South deputizes Abner Dawson to do some of his work for him. When Abner shows off his new badge, he is chagrined to learn that South mistakenly gave him a dogcatcher's badge.
- Dirty Cop:
- Constable McGregor is a sadistic extortionist, moonshiner, and hired gun.
- Sheriff South is a decent man who is unhappy about being unable to arrest the gangsters but refuses to even bother trying due to his pessimism about how powerful their friends are (although Flanderization in the sequels makes him consistently useless, albeit a bit more honest).
- Dirty Coward: In Fear's Return, Jackie Tinsley, the school bully and Riley's rival for Laura Higgins' affections makes a quick excuse to take one of the only available horses and leave the Higgins ranch when he learns that escaped convict Joe McGregor is nearby.
- Have You Told Anyone Else?: When the McDaniels brothers stumble across moonshiners, one, Charlie, asks if their mother knows where they’re at. They are too scared to lie and say no, but Charlie jokes about how she’d punish them for going into the canyon if she did and sends them away unharmed. Charlie later gets an Undercover Cop Reveal, explaining his mercy toward them.
- Hidden Depths: Grampy Dawson is introduced as an irresponsible drunk who nearly misses his son-in-law's funeral and then skips town rather than help his family through their grief, but he later starts being there for them more, appreciates classical violin music far different than what he plays in barrooms, and is a Retired Badass brand inspector who is still willing to draw a gun on criminals.
- Hired Help as Family: Spud, the ranch hand, has little life outside the ranch and views the McDaniels' as his family, a feeling they reciprocate.
- Minion with an F in Evil: Whitey, one of the bank robbers in Fear's Return, is a Bumbling Sidekick who ignores an opportunity to shoot anyone.
- Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: Doctor Wallace is rumored to be involved in moonshining and protection rackets. It eventually turns out that his medical practice consists of prescribing liquor for supposed medical reasons as a loophole to avoid laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol and giving an elderly patient Worst Aid to steal her money.
- She Is Not My Girlfriend: Riley insists that his friend and neighbor Laura is One of the Boys and that it is childish to assume they must like each other. However, even before he gives up maintaining this pretense, he admires how the wind blows her hair and is eager for a chance to impress her in a gallant fashion.
- Twilight of the Old West: The books are set a few years after the official end of the Twilight of the Old West (1927 onward) but show that even technology like planes and airplanes and a bigger government haven't been enough to fully eradicate outlaws who seek to take over towns or hide out in the hills while doing battle with Texas Rangers. Some of the more positive parts of the Old West, such as close-knit cowboy families and boomtowns with sizable and sophisticated immigrant populations, are also displayed.
- Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: There is an optimistic tone to the story and plenty of whimsical moments and characters, but the villains are vicious gangsters who are poisoning an old woman. Also, the only reason they Wouldn't Hurt a Child after capturing the narrator and his family is because they could make money selling those kids into modern-day slavery picking cotton (with it being subtly implied they plan to sell the boys’ mother into sexual slavery).
- In Fear's Return, Wallace is reduced to a minor threat, but his Dragon-in-Chief Joe McGregor, despite some slapstick moments, is still a crafty opponent with an ugly temper who is perfectly willing to shoot Riley.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Great-uncle George attends the funeral of Riley’s father, is established as The Quiet One and a hardworking local tycoon, and dies of a stroke during a Time Skip at the end of the first chapter.
