1865 ratings | 1780 reviews | avg rating:4.33

Charles’s Year In Books

Charles’s 2025 Year in Books

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Charles Ray’s Followers (153)

Charles’s Bookshelves

to-read (119)
currently-reading (12)
read (2067)
my-books (48)
shelfari-wishlist (1)

Charles’s Friends (672)

Mehreen Ahmed

380 books | 845 friends

Donna Everhart

375 books | 880 friends

Nicholas Trandahl

826 books | 1,030 friends

Lana Kortchik

125 books | 4,948 friends

Robert

4,076 books | 98 friends

Martha Perez

686 books | 2,128 friends

Shellie Blum

120 books | 5,366 friends

K.P. Ambroziak

358 books | 149 friends

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Charles Ray

Goodreads Author

Born

in Center, Texas, The United States

Website

http://charlesaray.blogspot.com

Twitter

charlieray45

Genre

Mystery & Thrillers, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Influences

Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich,[author:Robert L. Parker ...more

Member Since

June 2010

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomcharles_ray

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I've been writing since my teens. In addition to writing for several newspapers and magazines in the US, Europe, Asia, and Africa, I've written two books on leadership and a number of fiction works. I'm also a published poet, photographer, and artist. I write in several genres, reflecting my broad reading tastes. I spent 20 years in the army, retiring in 1982 and becoming a diplomat. I've worked in about 10 countries and traveled to about 30 more, mining each for material to write about. ...more

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Combine Editions
Charles Ray’s books

Average rating: 4.4 · 19,330 ratings · 422 reviews · 562 distinct works • Similar authors

	Mountain Man (Caleb Johnson: Mountain Man #3) 4.28 avg rating — 605 ratings — published 2015 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Last Wagon Train (Caleb Johnson: Mountain Man #4) 4.34 avg rating — 513 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Menace In The Mountain Mist (Caleb Johnson: Mountain Man #2) 4.26 avg rating — 515 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Back To Bear Creek (Caleb Johnson: Mountain Man #1) 4.30 avg rating — 507 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Caleb Johnson: Mountain Man: Vendetta: A Frontier Western Adventure (A Mountain Life Western Adventure Book 5) 4.38 avg rating — 487 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Caleb Johnson: Mountain Man: Fire On The Mountain: A Frontier Western Adventure (A Mountain Life Western Adventure Book 6) 4.49 avg rating — 372 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Caleb Johnson: Mountain Man: Fast On The Draw: A Frontier Western Adventure (A Mountain Life Western Adventure Book 7) 4.42 avg rating — 350 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Caleb Johnson: Mountain Man: This Land Is Mine: A Frontier Western Adventure (A Mountain Life Western Adventure Book 11) 4.35 avg rating — 272 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Caleb Johnson: Mountain Man: Code Of Honor: A Frontier Western Adventure (A Mountain Life Western Adventure Book 13) 4.34 avg rating — 262 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Caleb Johnson: Mountain Man: Showdown At Shiloh: A Frontier Western Adventure (A Mountain Life Western Adventure Book 12) 4.41 avg rating — 251 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Charles Ray…

60 posts
Charles Ray's Blog: Notes from a Writer's Desk

My new author web site

I finally bowed to the inevitable and paid to have my own web site and my own domain. I still have a lot of content to add (purchase links to all my books, for one), but it's up and running, so please drop over and check it out.

charlesray-author.com
http://charlesray-author.com/

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Published on July 17, 2017 04:06 • Tags: author-site, book-promotion, web-site

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Series by Charles Ray

Caleb Johnson: Mountain Man (9 books)
by

Charles Ray (Goodreads Author)

4.35 avg rating — 3,817 ratings

Jacob Blade: Vigilante (10 books)
by

Charles Ray (Goodreads Author)

4.46 avg rating — 592 ratings

Lincoln Croft (6 books)
by

Charles Ray (Goodreads Author)

4.34 avg rating — 268 ratings

Buffalo Soldier (10 books)
by

Charles Ray (Goodreads Author)

4.44 avg rating — 125 ratings

Sheriff B.J. Kincaid (4 books)
by

Charles Ray (Goodreads Author)

4.58 avg rating — 90 ratings

More series by Charles Ray…

Charles is Currently Reading

Charles Ray is currently reading

The Raider: The Untold Story of a Renegade Marine and the Birth of U.S. Special Forces in World War II

by Stephen R. Platt (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Dec 27, 2025 06:12AM

Charles Ray is currently reading

Heretic: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God

by Catherine Nixey

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Dec 24, 2024 03:49PM

Charles Ray is currently reading

A Clash Of Colors: A Medieval Knights Adventure

by Charles Ray (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Sep 02, 2024 07:51AM

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Charles’s Recent Updates

Charles Ray rated a book it was amazing The Pathfinder: John Fremont: A Western Adventure (America250 Book 1) by Jackson Lowry	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
John Charles Fremont and Kit Carson were among the first to open up trails to and in the western frontier, paving the way for the legions of settlers from the crowded East, going West to find their fortune—or themselves. The Pathfinder: John Fremont, ...more
Jan 18, 2026 03:42PM · like · see review
Charles Ray finished reading Bass Reeves: The Life and Legacy of the Wild West’s First Black Deputy Marshal by Charles River Editors	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 10, 2026 02:17PM · 1 like · like
Charles Ray is currently reading The Raider: The Untold Story of a Renegade Marine and the Birth of U.S. Special Forces in World War II by Stephen R. Platt (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 27, 2025 06:12AM · like
Charles Ray rated a book really liked it The Eternal Tide (Two Moons) by Cameron O'Brien	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Deor, a young woman of Alcyone, chafes under the brutal occupation of the Meropans. Then, she learns that she is the reincarnation of a young woman named Lore, who lived on the planet Nebra, which was attacked and destroyed by Remus. Additionally, sh ...more
Dec 21, 2025 06:13AM · 1 like · like · see review
Charles Ray rated a book liked it Joe Walker by Martha Ture	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A fascinating story that mixes history and fiction. Interesting characters in compelling situations that not only hold a reader's interest, while at the same time exposing the reader to the history of the period. My only criticism is that the story i ...more
Dec 18, 2025 04:05PM · like · see review
Charles Ray is currently reading Heretic: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God by Catherine Nixey	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 24, 2024 03:49PM · like
Charles Ray finished reading Chester A. Arthur: Changing Course by Charles Ray (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 20, 2024 12:32PM · like
Charles Ray has read Oliver and Jumpy, Stories 7-9 by Werner Stejskal (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 29, 2024 03:50AM · like
Charles Ray has read Liquid Cool: The Cyberpunk Detective Series (Liquid Cool #1) by Austin Dragon (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 29, 2024 03:25AM · like

More of Charles's books…

Quotes by Charles Ray (?)

“Art is the bridge across the gap between peoples and cultures. Writing is one of the arts that can help link people.”
― Charles Ray, Dead Men Don't Answer

tags: art, culture, storytelling, writing

6 likes

“Wealth that is not shared is not truly wealth,”
― Charles Ray, Caleb Johnson Mountain Man and U.S. Marshal Chad Taylor: War Drums in the Rockies: A Frontier Western Adventure

0 likes

“How”
― Charles Ray, Caleb Johnson: Mountain Man: Tenderfoot: A Frontier Western Adventure

0 likes

See all Charles Ray's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Bargain Basement: Free Mystery Jan 4 - 8	1	22	Jan 04, 2013 01:40PM
Bargain Basement: Hot Mystery Free! February 9 - 13	1	19	Feb 05, 2013 05:15AM
Bargain Basement: Kindle Mystery 'Free!' for five days starting tomorrow!	2	43	Feb 09, 2013 07:25PM
Bargain Basement: Free mystery Aug. 10 - 14!	1	15	Aug 05, 2013 05:45AM
Author's Corner : New Al Pennyback mystery available!	1	2	Jul 07, 2014 01:19PM
Authors & Reviewers: FRONTIER JUSTICE: Reviews Wanted	1	9	Oct 03, 2014 03:58PM
Western Authors &...: Free Kindle Book	1	16	Nov 12, 2014 11:52AM
Cozy Mysteries : Title and Author Game, Round 2	15570	1207	Mar 21, 2016 09:15AM
Cozy Mysteries : Mystery ABC's, Round 2	12168	1137	Mar 21, 2016 12:30PM
Cozy Mysteries : Title and Author game, Round 3	13653	560	Apr 03, 2017 09:53AM

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Charles’s Quotes

“Art is the bridge across the gap between peoples and cultures. Writing is one of the arts that can help link people.”
― Charles Ray, Dead Men Don't Answer

tags: art, culture, storytelling, writing

6 likes

“You cannot go back and make a new start, but you can start now and make a new ending”
― Michelle Cohen Corasanti, The Almond Tree

tags: inspirational-attitude

91 likes

“Hatred is self-punishment. Do you think they're feeling bad because you hate them?”
― Michelle Cohen Corasanti, The Almond Tree

tags: facts-of-life, hate

61 likes

recent posts
Charles’s Groups

Bargain Basement — 8265 members — last activity Jan 18, 2026 10:21AM
Join the Bargain Basement club for Freebies, bargains, reviews, and giveaways.

Q&A with Charles Ray — 12 members — last activity Aug 02, 2012 06:48AM
...June 29, 2012 to August 29, 2012...Charles Ray will be available to answer questions about his published works, his writing style, and the world of ...more

Western Authors & Readers — 415 members — last activity Jan 01, 2026 12:25PM
The western genre is a niche, and this is the place to gather. Where authors & readers can find each other, and talk about what's new. Post your wes ...more

Modern Good Reads — 6774 members — last activity Dec 30, 2025 04:28PM
Modern Good Reads connects readers with books, authors, & challenges. We want to chat, inform, & provide events & discussions, a home for readers and ...more

THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB — 6693 members — last activity 6 hours, 6 min ago
ALL GENRE COMMUNITY OF BOOK LOVERS-Perfect for those interested in good books of any genre, film and lively discussion!- from current fiction, thrille ...more

¡ POETRY ! — 22570 members — last activity Dec 24, 2025 01:37PM
No pretensions: just poetry. Stop by, recommend books, offer up poems (excerpted), tempt us, taunt us, tell us what to read and where to go (to read No pretensions: just poetry. Stop by, recommend books, offer up poems (excerpted), tempt us, taunt us, tell us what to read and where to go (to read it!) Goodreads honors wordsmiths: poets and poetry promoted and prompted here. ~~~ "Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits." -- Carl Sandburg “God has a brown voice, as soft and full as beer.” —Anne Sexton On Clouds – “…what primitive tastes the ancients must have had if their poets were inspired by those absurd, untidy clumps of mist, idiotically jostling one another about…” —Yevgeny Zamyatin “If the poet wants to be a poet, the poet must force the poet to revise. If the poet doesn’t wish to revise, let the poet abandon poetry and take up stamp-collecting or real estate.” —Donald Hall “Poetry is a rich, full-bodied whistle, cracked ice crunching in pails, the night that numbs the leaf, the duel of two nightingales, the sweet pea that has run wild, Creation’s tears in shoulder blades.” —Boris Pasternak “Wanted: a needle swift enough to sew this poem into a blanket.” —Charles Simic “Language is a cracked kettle on which we beat out tunes for bears to dance to, while all the time we long to move the stars to pity.” —Gustave Flaubert “Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It’s that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that’s what the poet does.” —Allen Ginsberg. ~~~~~ Amy King, Moderator Amy King is the recipient of the 2015 Winner of the WNBA Award (Women’s National Book Association). Her latest collection, The Missing Museum, is a winner of the 2015 Tarpaulin Sky Book Prize. She serves on the executive board of VIDA: Women in Literary Arts and is co-editing with Heidi Lynn Staples the anthology, Big Energy Poets of the Anthropocene: When Ecopoets Think Climate Change. She is also co-editing the anthology, Bettering American Poetry 2015, and is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at SUNY Nassau Community College. ...more

Author's Corner — 339 members — last activity Nov 30, 2025 01:35PM
Writers, list your works here, by genre and title. Maybe some readers will peruse without being offended by spam. Please use the appropriate genre fol ...more

Authors & Reviewers — 10923 members — last activity 4 hours, 26 min ago
A&R is about helping authors promote their books. If you are a reviewer or a blogger, and you don't mind writing a honest review, then come and join u ...more

Dark Regions Press readers and news — 133 members — last activity Jul 23, 2024 08:09AM
This is a group dedicated to news and topics revolving around publishing company Dark Regions Press, in business since 1985. Dark Regions Press spec ...more

Virtual Book Launch — 90 members — last activity Nov 16, 2022 09:45AM
Announce and/or hear of new book launches.

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Charles’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-4) post a comment »

date

newest »

message 4: by James

Jul 12, 2020 07:40PM

Hi.

I’d like to introduce myself. Besides being the author of the Jonathon Stones Mystery Series, I am a strong Author's Advocate. I write articles highlighting other authors books. Also, I do author interviews and post them on my blogs. Thanks for friending me.

HBS Author's Spotlight - https://bit.ly/QVEMix
Indie Author's Corner - http://bit.ly/TauYkJ

James Moushon

reply | flag

message 3: by Charles

Oct 23, 2014 02:20PM

I'm now a Book Vetter Reviewer.

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message 2: by Charles

Jun 07, 2013 04:12PM

Same here.

reply | flag

message 1: by C.J.

Jun 07, 2013 04:11PM