Devil's Canyon

by Buck Stienke

Eric Schmidt is a bright young lad learning his gunsmithing skills as an apprentice under his father's patient tutelage in the spring of 1862. Events beyond his control drag him into the thick of combat after a marauding Yankee cavalry patrol attacks his family's ranch and murders his father, mother and younger sister.
"Canyon of the devil…Devil's Canyon…Guess that is appropriate," Eric said.
"You gonna kill me now?" Billy gasped.
"Nope…already did."
Devil's Canyon follows his footsteps across east Texas, into Louisiana and back as he tracks the perpetrators down and later joins the Confederate Army in defense against the northern aggressors. Eric is mentored by Captain Marcus Aurelius Matson, a highly capable graduate of West Point. A tale a revenge, passion, love and loss, Devil's Canyon is written large against the dramatic backdrop of the American Civil War, as told through the eyes of a young rebel cavalry officer.

418 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 24, 2014

Reviews

[Robert Enzenauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought my signed copy directly from Timber Creek Press. Stienke is an excellent story-teller. Which is extraordinary, since most USAF pilots NEED THEIR HANDS to tell a tall tale. This book latches onto the reader from the very start. The books follows a volunteer from his beginning through the Civil War and the ultimate promotion to general officer. The book is special because of it's focus on the West - west of Nashville, e.g. Texas. The book moves fast, with excellent word pictures of Stienke's home state of Texas. Great characters. Excellent plot. Will start the next book tomorrow.

[Tom Shillingburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very well written. The author keeps your attention throughout the entire book. When I first started reading I couldn’t put it down. The author’s knowledge of the Civil War history and jargon is remarkable. Very good read!

[T.C. Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Eric Schmidt, Author Buck Stienke has created the quintessential American hero-one that men admire, and women want to be with. Like many larger than life figures, Schmidt is thrust into action by personal events that would overcome lesser men. It takes place during the Civil War, but the story is timeless.

Told more often than not from horseback, readers will find themselves in the middle of a tale that unfolds from a humble East Texas life that is light years away from the social and political strife in the eastern half of the US at that time. Eric is an unlikely candidate for the role he eventually inhabits, but he grabs the Longhorn bull with both hands and faces the situation with steely determination and grit.

That is not to say that everything is clanging steel and rifle shots. There is a softer side to the story that includes a strong family bond, as well as a romantic attachment that transcends the horrors of wartime carnage. Stienke exhibits a sense of compassion and empathy in his writing that will appeal to all segments of the population He is co-author of both the Black Eagle Force Series and the Oklahoma Indian Territory saga of Bass Reeves. His maturity as a writer is matched by his technical expertise in weapons technology, old and new
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If your goal is to leave the world behind and spend some time in someone else's shoes for awhile, you won't find a better book. Saddle up and be prepared to meet some of the most interesting characters you could want.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superb novel of Civil War battles in the Texas- Louissiana areas. American history rather than simply a western.