The Scout: Α Classic Western Adventure Series

Luke and Mae #2

by Zachary McCrae

On the road to Julesburg, betrayal rides on the same trail as Luke Vance…

As a newly sworn scout, Luke Vance and his wife, Eve, set out once more on the Oregon Trail. This time, they guide settlers west toward Julesburg and through the perilous crossing of the South Platte River. With brutal weather, swollen rivers, and unforgiving terrain ahead, every decision could mean life or death…

Yet the harsh frontier isn’t the only threat stalking the trail. Luke’s cousin Nathan, driven by jealousy and greed, schemes to exploit the journey—and to seize wealth, power, and even Eve herself.

Luke must grow into a leader far beyond his years to protect the vulnerable and hold the fragile community together.

☆☆☆☆☆

The "The Scout" is a stand-alone Western Historical Adventure book, which is bound to captivate readers of the genre

Stay tuned for Zachary McCrae’s gritty tale on the trail inspired by the tales of Zane Grey and C.J. Petit!

Thank you!

Get this Book FREE With Kindle Unlimited!

469 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 22, 2026

About the author

Zachary McCrae was born and raised in Colorado, in a north city overlooking the Rockies. When he was sixteen, he abandoned his state, scarred by the death of his parents in a hit and run. He moved east and worked as a shoemaker, a plumber, a woodcutter and even an ironworker, among other things. When he turned twenty-two, he decided to study at college so, with the money he had gathered for himself, he went all the way to South Carolina, where he reunited with long-lost Scottish cousins and studied English language and literature—his passion.

At the age of thirty, he decided to stay with his wife, his Southern belle named Maryanne, and newborn twins in a small ranch just outside Anderson county. He served as a member in the local church community while writing down Christian stories of ranchers travelling West to make ends meet in the 1800s for fun. At the age of 50, and after his son and daughter moved away to pursue their own careers and studies, he decided with Maryanne to renovate his father’s ranch and leave as plain as possible.

The Rockies were calling him back home. Shortly after, he decided to start tending to the land, like his mom did, and having his own animals, like his dad did. Some years later, and after lots of health issues, he finally decided to tend to his personal dream—become a writer of Western Adventure stories.

Zachary McCrae is an adventurous soul but with the strong will of a bull and the level-headedness of his favorite mare. If you’re looking for your next favorite western writer, who reads Louis L’ Amour and Zane Grey in his free time, follow Mr. McCrae’s writing journey into the wild wild West!

Reviews

[Thisbe {Praise God!}]

The Scout by Zachary McCrae
(Book 2 in the Luke and Mae series)

A Christian /Western/Clean Romance
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Luke loved quiet mornings on the plains. Vast, pale-blue sky stretched outward with no end, air crisp enough to sting the lungs, and there was nothing but wind and hoofbeats to break the hush. The world felt newborn, washed clean by the night."

If I could give this book 6 stars I would do it so quick! I knew that the Oregon Trail was long I didn't know IT WAS THIS LONG!! This being the second book and there still in the on the trail!
The main reason why I love this book is because God is such a big aspect in it! The characters are always praying and trusting God with their safety! Luke and Eve's relationship is the sweetest thing EVER!! All the hugs, holding hands, and forehead kisses....😍😍😍😍😍😍🥹🥹🥹
I ate this up so fast though I wish I could have slowed down cause I loved it so much! There were some parts that needed a little editing but other than that It was all good!

“We don’t survive out here by lettin’ fear run the decisions. We survive by thinkin’, listenin’, and takin’ chances when silence’ll get us killed.”

[Karen Kersley]

The story itself was good continuing on from The Outcast. But the editing was terrible and made the book really confusing. Why is it called Luke and Mae when her name is Eve? The little girl belonging to the Devlins was called Sarah in the first book in this one she was called Rose or Etta couldn't even pick one name. A lot of things were so different from the first book and not explained at all. The wagon train was suddenly so big that they didn't know all the people. Where did they all come from? Eleanor was pregnant even though she wasn't even engaged let alone married in the first book. Some incidents in the book were repeated in the next chapter but almost like they were re-written because everything the people said or did was different. It was the strangest dis-jointed book I have ever read. In the first book Luke was shot by Zack, Gunner's brother, in the shoulder. All through the second book he complains about his ribs where he was shot by Gunner. I don't know shouldn't the author remember what he wrote in the first book?

[LaNell Mueller]

Good story line

The story is good, the characters interesting but the presentation is jumbled. And characters are called different names at different times. Luke was Luke Vance in first book, now he is Luke ?. The child Sarah in the first book was an infant in arms now she's walking and it's supposed to be only 2 weeks later. And one place she is called Sarah then a sentence later she is Etta. Also at the end where the first book is being described Eve is called Mae. There is no Mae in the story. There are numerous instances where situations are not written cohesively. The first novel was well written, easy to read. This was hard to read. It definitely needs an editor and proofreader. I hope that it was the fault of whoever put it into print and not the author. Mr McCrae, please make the corrections. I like your stories but don't want to read another book like this one.

[Jim]

Really needed a good editor. So many times the story mixed characters names, got events out of sequence, contradicted itself or just did not make sense. A couple of times it seemed like the author meant to rewrite previous events but forgot to erase the old so there were 2 versions of the same events. Makes for a hard read. I don’t remember the first book, of the series being like this. Not sure if I will bother with the next one.

[Joanne Anderson]

good storyline but way too much confusion

This author tells way too many versions of the same event. In each chapter it has the same event happening just in a different way all of the way to the end. The ending was done then in the epilogue he goes thru the same event happenings but then it is a different version. This author needs to get a proofreader. The stories are okay but the writing of the book sucks.

[Beverly Kee]

I liked this book a lot but...

Great storyline but I was very disappointed that the little girl Mae took care of in the first book had two new names in this one. And I also thought that her father was taken by the Calvary in irons.

[Kristy Day]

Good book but the continuity errors make it frustrating

Good book but the continuity errors make it frustrating. Time is skipped, a short wagon train becomes longer with new people that weren't there before. Things like that make it r frustrating.

[Patrick G Long]

Felt like I was there

What a wonderful story. I felt like I was traveling with them on this adventure. Kept me so that I did not want to put the book down and I didn't till I had it done. Keep writing like that and I'll be a forever fan.

[Jeff]

Continuity issues with the previous book. Difficult to follow

Story changes from chapter to chapter
Book to book
I need nine more words to post this review
So there

[Merrie]

Ok storyline e

Good story but the book loses its way often and repeats this vs. No very well edited. I probably won't get the next one.

[Donn Spencer]

Good second book

The second in the series was good. I liked it better than the first. Some sadness but ended well. I recommend