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Where the Crows Fly
"A fine story of sisterhood and the thin line between guilt and grace in the Old West.” —Reavis Z. Wortham, New York Times Bestselling Author of Comancheria
Where Crows Gather, Death Ain't Far Behind.
In Breyer, Texas, a murder of crows circles overhead the morning Big Andy Connor is found facedown in the mud behind his saloon.
The Crow Fly wasn’t just a brothel. To the women who live and work there, it’s shelter. Hard-won. Held together by grit and necessity, for better or worse. With Big Andy gone and the law circling just as surely as the crows, they can’t wait for protection or permission. They take the reins. Old Peg, Kate Dawson, Molly Brewster, and Cocheta band together to keep the brothel running—because when the world turns its back, women turn to each other. Emily Augusta, the local dressmaker who found Andy’s body, steps in to manage the books.
But in Breyer, the past never stays buried.
As Sheriff Jed Thornton hunts for a killer, old grudges surface, a slick stranger starts buying up the town, and the women of The Crow Fly learn that justice—like grief—isn’t always clean. Sometimes it’s quiet. Sometimes it’s cold. And sometimes, it flies on black wings.
Where the Crows Fly is a haunting Western mystery from Will Rogers Medallion–winning author Sharon Frame Gay—a story of survival, sisterhood, and the thin line between guilt and grace in a town too good at keeping its secrets.
Where Crows Gather, Death Ain't Far Behind.
In Breyer, Texas, a murder of crows circles overhead the morning Big Andy Connor is found facedown in the mud behind his saloon.
The Crow Fly wasn’t just a brothel. To the women who live and work there, it’s shelter. Hard-won. Held together by grit and necessity, for better or worse. With Big Andy gone and the law circling just as surely as the crows, they can’t wait for protection or permission. They take the reins. Old Peg, Kate Dawson, Molly Brewster, and Cocheta band together to keep the brothel running—because when the world turns its back, women turn to each other. Emily Augusta, the local dressmaker who found Andy’s body, steps in to manage the books.
But in Breyer, the past never stays buried.
As Sheriff Jed Thornton hunts for a killer, old grudges surface, a slick stranger starts buying up the town, and the women of The Crow Fly learn that justice—like grief—isn’t always clean. Sometimes it’s quiet. Sometimes it’s cold. And sometimes, it flies on black wings.
Where the Crows Fly is a haunting Western mystery from Will Rogers Medallion–winning author Sharon Frame Gay—a story of survival, sisterhood, and the thin line between guilt and grace in a town too good at keeping its secrets.
312 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 2, 2025
5 people want to read
About the author
Sharon Frame Gay
24 books12 followersSharon Frame Gay grew up a child of the highway, playing by the side of the road. She is internationally published in several anthologies and literary magazines, including Chicken Soup For The Soul, Gravel, Biostories, Typehouse, Crannog Magazine, Lowestoft Chronicle, Thrice Fiction, Fiction on the Web, Saddlebag Dispatches, Literary Orphans,Typehouse and others. She has won awards at The Writing District, Rope and Wire, Owl Hollow Press and Wow-Women On Writing, and has twice been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.
She is a 2021 recipient of the Will Rogers Medallion for excellence in Western writing and a finalist for the Peacemaker Award, 2023.
Her debut album, "Where the Crows Fly", is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, and other bookstores.
She is a 2021 recipient of the Will Rogers Medallion for excellence in Western writing and a finalist for the Peacemaker Award, 2023.
Her debut album, "Where the Crows Fly", is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, and other bookstores.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 1, 2025
The first sentence in the prologue of this entertaining book reads, “Breyer, Texas, looked like a pile of lumber flung by sulky giants on land that carried a grudge.” Soon after, one of the characters, old Doc Winters, is quoted as saying, “Give Breyer a chance, and it will buck right off, then kick ya in the teeth, just to make sure you learned a lesson.” Well, what can I say? I was immediately drawn in by the strength of the descriptive writing. However, a good beginning in one thing, but can the author hold it together for the entire book? I’m happy to say that the answer is “Yes!” In spades.
Early on, wealthy bowler hat-wearing Lyle Confort makes an appearance and begins buying up businesses in this town out in the middle of nowhere. The actions of this florid and pompous man set the stage for what’s to come.
This is a wonderful book. Centered around the ladies who run The Crow Fly saloon, it’s full of interesting characters who are living in a harsh land during equally harsh times. It’s a page-turning delight, and reads like a long loping canter on horseback across a hot, dusty plain. Each chapter is beautifully written and is meant to be savored. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Highly recommended.
Early on, wealthy bowler hat-wearing Lyle Confort makes an appearance and begins buying up businesses in this town out in the middle of nowhere. The actions of this florid and pompous man set the stage for what’s to come.
This is a wonderful book. Centered around the ladies who run The Crow Fly saloon, it’s full of interesting characters who are living in a harsh land during equally harsh times. It’s a page-turning delight, and reads like a long loping canter on horseback across a hot, dusty plain. Each chapter is beautifully written and is meant to be savored. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Highly recommended.
October 11, 2025
The Author’s Literary Talents Shine ... This lively novel brings the wild west to life, setting its story in the dusty, somber town of Breyer, Texas. The action revolves around The Crow Fly Saloon and its accompanying brothel, with the author showcasing her skill through vibrant character descriptions and vivid depictions of both the town and its landscape. Mystery weaves through the lives of the town’s eclectic residents as an unsolved murder pushes the determined Sheriff Jed Thornton toward a truth he wishes he could ignore. I hope this is just the first book in a new series. – David B. Crawley, M.D. – Author of “Steep Turn: A Physician's Journey From Clinic to Cockpit” and “A Mile of String: A Boy's Recollection of His Midwest Childhood.”
September 11, 2025
Sharon Frame Gay is my favorite living fiction writer, period. Affectionately known as “QUEEN OF THE WESTERN WRITERS,” she can write equally well about men or women. Primarily a short story writer, this first novel is quite the achievement. It reads as smoothly as a screenplay for an old western movie. She brings her usual spectacular detailed imagery to the characters and atmosphere of the fictional town of Breyer, Texas, where the action centers around the local “house of ill repute.” Typically well researched and historically accurate, Sharon is particularly well versed in anything to do with horses. So if you like a good murder mystery or a good western, or both, you can’t go wrong here. Highest recommendation!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews