What do you think?
Rate this book
The Circuit Rider #1
The Circuit Rider
In a wild land full of lawlessness and sin rides Mike Tower, a traveling preacher known as a Circuit Rider. Circuit Riders travel from town to town, offering their services to those in need. Tower is a man of mystery, utterly fearless though he carries no gun. As he sets out on this latest circuit, is he riding toward a new beginning, or running away from a former haunted life?
Bird Hitchcock, a woman known for her skill with a gun and love of the bottle, has taken the job of protecting Mike Tower on his journey to the West. Yet as she and Tower ride, they quickly find themselves on the hunt for an elusive killer who is brutally murdering women. Protecting Tower seems less and less important as Hitchcock discovers a link between her past and the murderer – will she finally get a chance to exact revenge and find redemption?
Bird Hitchcock, a woman known for her skill with a gun and love of the bottle, has taken the job of protecting Mike Tower on his journey to the West. Yet as she and Tower ride, they quickly find themselves on the hunt for an elusive killer who is brutally murdering women. Protecting Tower seems less and less important as Hitchcock discovers a link between her past and the murderer – will she finally get a chance to exact revenge and find redemption?
307 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 6, 2012
246 people are currently reading
164 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
February 4, 2018
So this was my Read Harder Western, which puts the lie to Read Harder at least in this case. Its about 300 pages and has 107 chapters, mostly written in the style of BBC News Online (ie most paragraphs are just sentences). All the chapters end with a semi cliffhanger and normally a punchy one to five word phrase. Its split into seven episodes and bills itself as a serial novel (no idea if it was published that way originally). It is the essence of pulp, fantastically readable with the most hissable villain you can imagine and a stoical titular hero to hide that it is really about a female gunslinger. But pulp is supposed to be enjoyable, and I enjoyed this possibly because I never read Westerns. I've seen plenty of movies, and can happily dissect a John Ford movie for its themes, though most of those are writ large here. But you are never more than ten minutes from a gunfight, or its heroine downing yet another bottle of whiskey. It revels in its cliches, it plays like a procedural and like a procedural is enjoyable as much for playing to the crowd as the quirks which mark it out. Its quite possible that were I a Western reader, I would roll my eyes at this as I would at much as I do at other stuff. As such, cos it wasn't a hard read, I will add another Western to my list. But I can't say I didn't enjoy reading it.
(The version I read was by Dan Ames - it appears Dani Amore is a pseudonym of the very prolific Dan Ames, but it is interesting to see who a book is being marketed to on Amazon in this way...)
(The version I read was by Dan Ames - it appears Dani Amore is a pseudonym of the very prolific Dan Ames, but it is interesting to see who a book is being marketed to on Amazon in this way...)
November 4, 2017
Don't know why it took me so long to read this - I really enjoyed this! Loved the dynamic between Tower and Bird and will definitely be reading the sequel. If you enjoy classic westerns with plenty of action you will want to read this.
December 9, 2014
My first books outside of chapter books for kids were the ones I took off my grandpa's shelf... his Louis L'amour books. Since I was eight, I've had a secret penchant for the genre, despite the fact that it gets little love from the literary circles. And most of the time, modern writers of westerns are way too violent for my taste.
Well, The Circuit Rider was way too violent for my taste, But what was good about it made up for it in my opinion and I thought it was a great book. I've read a lot of westerns, but never one where the woman was the drinking gunslinger and the man was the one who needed a body guard. Pretty interesting premise.
What I liked: The characters were well developed and the plot kept me reading. Obviously I liked to read about a capable woman from that time period, although all her strength came from the wounds she received at the hands of a sadistic man. I loved Tower, but it seemed like there was little development of him, except for one big reveal. I would have been interested in his story, how he turned to God after everything he'd been through. I would have liked to know more about how he ministered to people instead of just having it alluded too. It would have given me a better idea of who he was as a man.
Disliked: Well, all the gory violence. Yeah, it was a violent time when things were settled violently, but it was pretty graphic. Also, it bothered me that there was not really any women in the book that weren't being killed or abused in some way. Maybe the innkeeper? She was so brief she doesn't count. It was not a fun time to be a woman, I get that, but not one woman who can take care of herself and who isn't a victim of some sort. Boo :(
I think the story suffered from being brought out as a serial. At times it lacked a cohesiveness, a wholeness. I was sad that there weren't more interactions between Tower and Bird outside their murder investigations and the other action scenes. For two people who spent weeks on the trail and saved each other's lives, they didn't have a lot to say. The end was left wide open for a continuation for their story and I hope these gaps will be addressed, for I certainly plan on reading them.
Well, The Circuit Rider was way too violent for my taste, But what was good about it made up for it in my opinion and I thought it was a great book. I've read a lot of westerns, but never one where the woman was the drinking gunslinger and the man was the one who needed a body guard. Pretty interesting premise.
What I liked: The characters were well developed and the plot kept me reading. Obviously I liked to read about a capable woman from that time period, although all her strength came from the wounds she received at the hands of a sadistic man. I loved Tower, but it seemed like there was little development of him, except for one big reveal. I would have been interested in his story, how he turned to God after everything he'd been through. I would have liked to know more about how he ministered to people instead of just having it alluded too. It would have given me a better idea of who he was as a man.
Disliked: Well, all the gory violence. Yeah, it was a violent time when things were settled violently, but it was pretty graphic. Also, it bothered me that there was not really any women in the book that weren't being killed or abused in some way. Maybe the innkeeper? She was so brief she doesn't count. It was not a fun time to be a woman, I get that, but not one woman who can take care of herself and who isn't a victim of some sort. Boo :(
I think the story suffered from being brought out as a serial. At times it lacked a cohesiveness, a wholeness. I was sad that there weren't more interactions between Tower and Bird outside their murder investigations and the other action scenes. For two people who spent weeks on the trail and saved each other's lives, they didn't have a lot to say. The end was left wide open for a continuation for their story and I hope these gaps will be addressed, for I certainly plan on reading them.
November 7, 2016
A Strange Partnership
I gave The Circuit Rider a three star rating as I thought the story was incomplete. The storyline was laced with excessive drinking and cursing. The story would be moving along in a supposedly logical direction and it would then change to a different scenario...The two major characters went along on their trip without really pinning down the purpose for it. When the end was reached it really wasn't an end but another beginning. I understand sequels, but usually they have an ending point and even though an end can turn into another beginning it really does wind down to a real ending. The Circuit Rider all at once just stopped.
I gave The Circuit Rider a three star rating as I thought the story was incomplete. The storyline was laced with excessive drinking and cursing. The story would be moving along in a supposedly logical direction and it would then change to a different scenario...The two major characters went along on their trip without really pinning down the purpose for it. When the end was reached it really wasn't an end but another beginning. I understand sequels, but usually they have an ending point and even though an end can turn into another beginning it really does wind down to a real ending. The Circuit Rider all at once just stopped.
October 13, 2012
Dani Amore's THE CIRCUIT RIDER is a serial, and in the first two installments the author does a great job of giving the reader two distinct stories, but still tying them together as part of a bigger picture. As with all of Amore's stuff, the main pull here are the characters-- Mike Tower, the former bad man turned preacher, and Bird Hitchcock, the tough as nails but damaged female gunslinger, make for an interesting pair. Amore expertly plays on the yin-yang nature of their partnership.
In short, I loved these first two installments and can't wait to see what Tower and Bird get up to next.
In short, I loved these first two installments and can't wait to see what Tower and Bird get up to next.
August 14, 2019
The Circuit Rider - a review by Rosemary Kenny
*slight spoilers*
Dan Ames is best known for his spy thrillers, but in The Circuit Rider he starts an excitingly different series of the same name, originally released seven years ago, as his alter-ego Dani Amore, by introducing his many fans to the eponymous Circuit Rider, Mike Tower - ex-army sniper and detective turned pacifist preacher - who's been sent on a preaching circuit across the rural Wild West.
Both Tower and the 'protector' assigned to him, Bernadette 'Bird' Hitchcock, have dark secrets in their past. In Bird's case, hers has driven her to seek frequent oblivion in the bottom of a whisky glass and in Tower's gives him nightmares, that make him afraid to show any response to the strange attraction and respect both preacher and bodyguard have for each other.
With dangerous outlaws, corrupt lawmen, Native Indians on the warpath and undertakers constantly in demand, preaching peace and love might seem to be superfluous in the very Wild, (West) towns on their trail.
Will Tower forsake his pacifist nature and revert to the expert fighter he used to be, when it comes to the final showdown?
What is Bird's personal vendetta against the evil that has risen and spread across the region once more? Will love of the 'demon drink' endanger Bird and Tower?
Can the unlikely detectives save each other from the many dangers they encounter?
And will their deadly nemesis finally get his 'comeuppance'?
Finally and most importantly, will doing the right thing bring both protagonists the salvation they seek, for the innocent and themselves?
Read this wonderful book, The Circuit Rider by Dan Ames and saddle up for a wild ride - it's a five star winner...yee haah!!
*slight spoilers*
Dan Ames is best known for his spy thrillers, but in The Circuit Rider he starts an excitingly different series of the same name, originally released seven years ago, as his alter-ego Dani Amore, by introducing his many fans to the eponymous Circuit Rider, Mike Tower - ex-army sniper and detective turned pacifist preacher - who's been sent on a preaching circuit across the rural Wild West.
Both Tower and the 'protector' assigned to him, Bernadette 'Bird' Hitchcock, have dark secrets in their past. In Bird's case, hers has driven her to seek frequent oblivion in the bottom of a whisky glass and in Tower's gives him nightmares, that make him afraid to show any response to the strange attraction and respect both preacher and bodyguard have for each other.
With dangerous outlaws, corrupt lawmen, Native Indians on the warpath and undertakers constantly in demand, preaching peace and love might seem to be superfluous in the very Wild, (West) towns on their trail.
Will Tower forsake his pacifist nature and revert to the expert fighter he used to be, when it comes to the final showdown?
What is Bird's personal vendetta against the evil that has risen and spread across the region once more? Will love of the 'demon drink' endanger Bird and Tower?
Can the unlikely detectives save each other from the many dangers they encounter?
And will their deadly nemesis finally get his 'comeuppance'?
Finally and most importantly, will doing the right thing bring both protagonists the salvation they seek, for the innocent and themselves?
Read this wonderful book, The Circuit Rider by Dan Ames and saddle up for a wild ride - it's a five star winner...yee haah!!
March 31, 2018
A Rough Ride Across the West
The Circuit Rider follows Preacher Mike Tower and his bodyguard, the legendary Bird Hitchcock, across the western plains as they journey from Missouri to San Francisco. Mike Tower has an obligation to bring the word of God to the towns they pass thru, but his ultimate goal is to get to San Francisco where his new congregation is waiting. Bird needs the money the bodyguard gig provides, but has ulterior motives, as she pursues a personal vendetta. The journey proves much more dangerous than either of them expect.
The plot held my interest but sometimes I couldn't help but feel that the language and actions were too modern for the time period. I also didn't need to be pestered by the constant references to Bird's drinking, that wore on me. I was on pins and needles for the ending, the suspense was handled well.
The Circuit Rider follows Preacher Mike Tower and his bodyguard, the legendary Bird Hitchcock, across the western plains as they journey from Missouri to San Francisco. Mike Tower has an obligation to bring the word of God to the towns they pass thru, but his ultimate goal is to get to San Francisco where his new congregation is waiting. Bird needs the money the bodyguard gig provides, but has ulterior motives, as she pursues a personal vendetta. The journey proves much more dangerous than either of them expect.
The plot held my interest but sometimes I couldn't help but feel that the language and actions were too modern for the time period. I also didn't need to be pestered by the constant references to Bird's drinking, that wore on me. I was on pins and needles for the ending, the suspense was handled well.
September 19, 2023
This was so much more than I expected for a serial story! Thank heaven I did not read this as a serial or it would have driven me crazy! Dani Amore delivered an excellent nail biter with this one.
She developed her characters slowly as the story progressed, and what characters they are. We have a Union Soldier-turned detective-turned preacher, and a whisky swillin', lady gun slinger. Every two-bit town and just about every other camp fire had an adventure for our heroes. All this without much cussin' and no sex described, but this is a western novel so there was some over-achieving gunslingling that I feel was necessary for the perfection of the adventure.
This was an old west novel for the cowgirls who dreamed of being gunslingers just like the boys do. This was a great adventure, and I hope this isn't Mike Tower and Bird Hitckcock's last ride.
She developed her characters slowly as the story progressed, and what characters they are. We have a Union Soldier-turned detective-turned preacher, and a whisky swillin', lady gun slinger. Every two-bit town and just about every other camp fire had an adventure for our heroes. All this without much cussin' and no sex described, but this is a western novel so there was some over-achieving gunslingling that I feel was necessary for the perfection of the adventure.
This was an old west novel for the cowgirls who dreamed of being gunslingers just like the boys do. This was a great adventure, and I hope this isn't Mike Tower and Bird Hitckcock's last ride.
January 13, 2020
This book is everything it says it is. No more, no less. Since I bought the book with certain anticipations based on the plot description, I was very happy with what I got. I also love the fact that the book is divided into episodes, like a movie serial, which adds to the fun. I do have a small gripe about the ending, but my no-spoilers policy prevents me from discussing that. Still, it didn't prevent me from having a damn good time with this book, and looking forward to the next in the series. If the book description intrigues you, I recommend you give it a read. I feel confident you won't be disappointed. I certainly wasn't.
October 21, 2017
Reads Like An Entertaining Western Movie
I have read a few western styled stories, but none held my interest like this one!
The two main characters are loveable and you can't help but route for them throughout the story.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because there are times a in the story when it seems like things would have been better with the main characters working more together than apart. Otherwise a superb plot with beautiful and unexpected twists!
Would love to see a book 2 and see where these two main characters go from here!
I have read a few western styled stories, but none held my interest like this one!
The two main characters are loveable and you can't help but route for them throughout the story.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because there are times a in the story when it seems like things would have been better with the main characters working more together than apart. Otherwise a superb plot with beautiful and unexpected twists!
Would love to see a book 2 and see where these two main characters go from here!
August 17, 2017
A FANTASTIC Read!!
I decided to read this book because of it being about a "Circuit Rider", a traveling Preacher. I was familiar with that because of the movie " Sheffey". WOW!! The story line was unexpected, but so brilliant! I love good "Western" stories, movies, etc... I don't want to give ANY details, because that will ruin it, but it is worth reading. Thank you, Dan Ames, for a fantastic job!
I decided to read this book because of it being about a "Circuit Rider", a traveling Preacher. I was familiar with that because of the movie " Sheffey". WOW!! The story line was unexpected, but so brilliant! I love good "Western" stories, movies, etc... I don't want to give ANY details, because that will ruin it, but it is worth reading. Thank you, Dan Ames, for a fantastic job!
August 26, 2017
Action
Lots of action; enough for two or three books. Characters or book not well fleshed out. I liked that it didn't have a lot of hoky "western" dialog, but I had difficulty remembering the time period. It moved so quickly I got worn out reading it.
One REALLY major bloop was when Bird was addressed as "'Ms", a designation that wasn't in use at that time. For gunslingers and desperadoes, they were extremely polite.
Lots of action; enough for two or three books. Characters or book not well fleshed out. I liked that it didn't have a lot of hoky "western" dialog, but I had difficulty remembering the time period. It moved so quickly I got worn out reading it.
One REALLY major bloop was when Bird was addressed as "'Ms", a designation that wasn't in use at that time. For gunslingers and desperadoes, they were extremely polite.
August 2, 2019
Rough and lawless days of the west, they took matters into their own hands. Rather they were guilty or not.The days of whiskey, bar fights and guns. Then comes Tower with a guard of Bird. She sounds intriguing, and has her own set of rules, along with the whiskey bottle.Thinks it is the best cure for a dry throat. We have Tower who is quiet, doesn’t carry a gun, a man of integrity and a man of the cloth. A glimpse once again into the rugged side of the west.
August 21, 2019
A different kind of story from
Dan Ames. It's a great story but I didn't expect a western. Atypical Ames, tall, dark, smart man with a mysterious past and a story with the twists and turns of a drunk surveyor. Bird Hitchcock! What a woman, beautiful and deadly with a strong sense of justice.
Great story, I enjoyed it immensely and shall await the next adventure of this pair
Dan Ames. It's a great story but I didn't expect a western. Atypical Ames, tall, dark, smart man with a mysterious past and a story with the twists and turns of a drunk surveyor. Bird Hitchcock! What a woman, beautiful and deadly with a strong sense of justice.
Great story, I enjoyed it immensely and shall await the next adventure of this pair
August 28, 2017
Inspired by Calamity Jane
I think the heroine in this story captured the spotlight and appeared more interesting
Then the hero.
I further believe the author fashioned " Bird
Hitchcock " after the infamous " Calamity Jane "
that died in 1903.
Pretty good tale, I think many others will like it.
I think the heroine in this story captured the spotlight and appeared more interesting
Then the hero.
I further believe the author fashioned " Bird
Hitchcock " after the infamous " Calamity Jane "
that died in 1903.
Pretty good tale, I think many others will like it.
December 21, 2018
Loved it
This book had intriguing characters that rolled out beautifully as I read through their treacherous journey. The author did an amazing job of exploring the motivation of people, the complexity of what happens when someone is hurt and damaged, and how the gentle company and slow building friendship can help the healing process. I want more!
This book had intriguing characters that rolled out beautifully as I read through their treacherous journey. The author did an amazing job of exploring the motivation of people, the complexity of what happens when someone is hurt and damaged, and how the gentle company and slow building friendship can help the healing process. I want more!
December 23, 2019
(NOTE: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book or a B. 3 stars means a very good book or a B+. 4 stars means an outstanding book or an A {only about 5% of the books I read merit 4 stars}. 5 stars means an all time favorite or an A+ {Only one of 400 or 500 books rates this!).
This book was surprisingly entertaining.
This book was surprisingly entertaining.
October 20, 2020
The Preacher and the Gun
Terrific book! Action packed and no dull moments. This could become a very satisfying series. A new preacher is assigned to ride circuit from Kansas to San Francisco along with a guard. The guard is a woman who is a first class gunslinger and hopeless drunk. Then the misadventures start.
Terrific book! Action packed and no dull moments. This could become a very satisfying series. A new preacher is assigned to ride circuit from Kansas to San Francisco along with a guard. The guard is a woman who is a first class gunslinger and hopeless drunk. Then the misadventures start.
March 15, 2021
I have been a fan of westerns since childhood. This read is the first, that I can remember, written serial style.
There is a lot of action, drinking, and violence. The relationship between Tower and Bird is well done. Each episode is like a contained short story with everything coming together at the end.
If you like Westerns, you should try reading this one.
There is a lot of action, drinking, and violence. The relationship between Tower and Bird is well done. Each episode is like a contained short story with everything coming together at the end.
If you like Westerns, you should try reading this one.
September 25, 2023
This book has been sitting in my to be read pile for almost 10 years. I am kicking myself now for not reading this right away. It is fantastic. The two main characters are flawed but fascinating and the author does a great job of developing them. The story is full of action and violence leading to a satisfying conclusion. 5 Stars (I would give it 6 if I could)…
July 26, 2017
Really enjoyed the trip through states i grew up in.
This is my first western novel and really enjoyed the characters. Especially Bird as she is a very strong and capable gun slinger that always sets things right.
This is my first western novel and really enjoyed the characters. Especially Bird as she is a very strong and capable gun slinger that always sets things right.
August 27, 2017
Entertaining
This was a very interesting read. I'm not usually a fan of westerns, but I loved the characters and the plot. Apparently it's the first in a series. I'm going to find them and read them.
This was a very interesting read. I'm not usually a fan of westerns, but I loved the characters and the plot. Apparently it's the first in a series. I'm going to find them and read them.
September 21, 2017
The Circuit Rider
BRAVO !! I loved this story. The bouncing around, each character rememberal. I could picture the last city entered, in this era often wishing I had been born back then. Thank you Dan Ames and Amazon
BRAVO !! I loved this story. The bouncing around, each character rememberal. I could picture the last city entered, in this era often wishing I had been born back then. Thank you Dan Ames and Amazon
February 18, 2018
Solid Western
This is a solid western and I plan to look for more books from this author. Teaming a preacher and a drunk make for some interesting situations. Each of the five episodes are complete stories which flow together to produce a well-thought-out book.
This is a solid western and I plan to look for more books from this author. Teaming a preacher and a drunk make for some interesting situations. Each of the five episodes are complete stories which flow together to produce a well-thought-out book.
May 17, 2018
The Circuit Rider
This was a very good read, intriguing, and keeps you hooked the whole time. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes western novels with guns, mystery, twists, alcohol, and a priest.
This was a very good read, intriguing, and keeps you hooked the whole time. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes western novels with guns, mystery, twists, alcohol, and a priest.
October 13, 2018
Entertaining
Kept your interest; fast pace storyline. Characters relevant to story; development of main characters was interesting and intriguing. Story concluded well. Would like to read how these characters continue on their next case.
Kept your interest; fast pace storyline. Characters relevant to story; development of main characters was interesting and intriguing. Story concluded well. Would like to read how these characters continue on their next case.
March 31, 2025
Enjoyable
A most enjoyable and entertaining story to start off a series which I will be continuing to read. Plenty of wry humour, story twists and action, and two quirky and engaging lead characters.
A most enjoyable and entertaining story to start off a series which I will be continuing to read. Plenty of wry humour, story twists and action, and two quirky and engaging lead characters.
June 12, 2017
Great Book
This book moved along and keeps you in suspense wondering what will happen next. A suspenseful thriller in a western theme.
This book moved along and keeps you in suspense wondering what will happen next. A suspenseful thriller in a western theme.
June 22, 2017
Only average
I thought it would be more of a western. I think it was more fantasy. I did finish it though.
I thought it would be more of a western. I think it was more fantasy. I did finish it though.
July 1, 2017
Entertaining
An in between read. Not a nail biter but fun . A little too predictable but entertaining and a change of pace.
An in between read. Not a nail biter but fun . A little too predictable but entertaining and a change of pace.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews