A man must fight to protect his own in this classic western from Charles G. West...When old-timer scout Jason Coles ended the rampage of renegade Cheyenne Stone Hand, he quit tracking outlaws for the army for good. Settling down with his wife and newborn baby, Coles plans to spend the rest of his days on his ranch raising horses. But that dream is savagely torn from him as his ranch is burned to the ground, and his family is abducted by the bloodthirsty Cheyenne Little Claw, out to avenge the death of Stone Hand. Now, with the lives of his family at stake, Coles must once again strap on his revolvers to hunt a merciless killer...“Rarely has an author painted the great American West in strokes so bold, vivid, and true.”—Ralph Compton
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.
Black Eagle felt very similar to the previous novel in this series, Stone Hand. The storyline seemed to follow almost identically. I hope the 3rd book of the trilogy, Cheyenne Justice, holds more surprises. Jason Coles didn't give me the typical feel of a strong main character although he does get the job done.