Crow Creek Crossing

Cole Bonner #1

by Charles G. West

In this gripping western tale, nothing burns as hot as the flame of righteous vengeance.Wyoming holds the promise of a bright future for newlyweds Cole and Ann Bonner. Alongside Ann’s sister, her husband, and their children, the young couple have braved the long, hard road across Nebraska in hopes of building a new life for themselves on a tract of land near Crow Creek Crossing.But their dreams of a fresh start are quickly cut short. While Cole is away in town, a gang of outlaws led by the despicable Slade Corbett raids the family homestead, leaving behind a smoking ruin and the bodies of everyone Cole holds dear.The vicious attack transforms this once easygoing young man into a grim avenger. With cold, merciless determination, Cole vows to track down every last member of the gang and make them pay—in blood.

Genres: Westerns

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2014

About the author

Charles G. West first arrived on the western literary scene in March, 1998 with his first novel, Stone Hand, published by Penguin under their Signet imprint. The book was the first of a three-book series, featuring Jason Coles, master tracker. The public response to those first three books called for more western fiction by West, and as of January 2014, Signet has published forty-five.

Inspired in his youth by great adventure authors like A.B. Guthrie and Vardis Fisher, West has always sought to be true to the men and women who braved the dangers of the savage frontier that was ultimately forged to become the American west. Novels by Charles G. West are classified as historical/westerns due to his diligent research in his subject matter, choosing to weave his fiction into the fabric of the actual places and events, being true to the times as well as the people. As a result, his protagonists are usually not heroes, but are often called upon to perform heroic deeds.

Insisting that his protagonists must be instilled with a sense of fairness in addition to courage. West readily admits that many of the characters in his books are patterned after his two sons, both of whom are graduates of the University of Montana, one still lives in Kalispell, Montana - and is the source of much of the author's detail on the ways of the mountain man. Both sons share West's love for the Big Sky Country.

Presently, the author resides in Ocala, Florida with his wife, Ronda, whose name is found on the dedication page of every West novel.

Reviews

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cole Banner got a shock to his soul when he returned to the newly built farm north of Cheyenne, Wyoming(formerly Crow Creek Crossing) to find his recent bride and his in-laws and their three children slaughtered, the bodies burned.

Another body told him who was responsible. One of the men he'd had a run-in with the day before in Cheyenne.

The fairly innocent young man became a hunter. He'd never killed a man before, but all that changed as he tracked the four remaining men, not seeming to care whether he lived or died as long as he got the outlaws.

There are people who care though, who continually patch him up as he pursues his mission.

A fine novel of revenge.

[Dan Panke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read by Charles G West. Don't stop writing!

[Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Westerns seem to always follow a similar trail. Not so different than other genres but it always seems more pronounced in a Western to me. That is not a bad thing....just pointing out that if you like Westerns you will probably like most such novels. I happen to be one of those people. So, this book follows some familiar storylines but is very well written and has compelling characters. I appreciated that it leaves out some of the standard language found in Westerns and has more realistic dialogue as well. I grew up reading Louis L'Amour and it seems that the best of the genre come from that era or even earlier. I am gratified that recently I have been finding more modern Western writers and enjoying diving back in to the Old West. This author has certainly joined that crowd now and I will be reading more of his work.

[Jay Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about revenge. The action is always returning to Crow Creek Crossing (Cheyenne, Wyoming). The main character is a newlywed who has moved from Nebraska with his new wife and members of her family. When they are killed, he seeks revenge. I really liked the old mountain man and the stay in the Crow village. It is a good fast paced read and I was close to giving it another star.

[Jonny Phake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read. A typical western book storyline (only my third book in this genre). Nothing original there, from cast to plot.
I loved the descriptions throughout. It helped me picture the time and place. From graphic action scenes, to camping conditions. Made me appreciate the book more.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

An honest to goodness great western. I burned through all but 25 pages in one sitting. Highly recommended if you enjoy a good, classic western.

[Jeffery · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I liked about this book is it has some Native American mythology in it and the ending is not like many other westerns involving the end and a woman.

[Lewis Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good read from Charles West! And, thank you to Kim for telling me this book was "Cole Bonner #1", and not "Massacre at Crow Creek Crossing".

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this just an average white hat vs black hat revenge story. I had hoped to enjoy it more but there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.

[Jordan Bowar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one! Well written and interesting, It was similar to Death Is The Hunter. I agree the ending was incomplete, obviously left open for a sequel. Looking forward to the Cole Bonner series coming out this year!

[Mike C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good western by this author. Ending seemed a little incomplete. Perhaps a sequel?