The House of Crow

by John W. Wood

In the early 19th century, a Blackfoot Indian warband slaughters a group of Irish immigrants. Soon after, another war party finds the wagon - and a baby still alive in the wreckage.

He soon becomes known as the White Crow - one of the Dog Soldiers of the tribe - and begins to make a name for himself as a warrior. But after a journey to Old California, his life takes a drastic turn.

This historical fiction saga follows the life of the Crow family, from their beginnings in 1816 to the American Civil War and the times of the U.S. Marshals, and finally to the story of Charles Crow - the last son of The House of Crow.

Genres: Historical Fiction

277 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 8, 2015

About the author

John was born in February of 1941 and raised in Flint, Michigan.
John severed in the United States Marines, was a Califonia Peace officer and owned and operated a security business.
In 2003, John retired to Las Vegas, Nevada. He began writing using his experiences and knowledge of the military and police. John has written three novels, "White Crow," "The Crow Legacy," “The House of Crow,” and a novella, "With Deadly Purpose." All titles are now available as Audiobooks.

Reviews

[Don Dupay]

In reading The House Of Crow, author John W Wood has once again taken the magic of black dots of ink on white paper and transformed them into scenes, emotions and excitement that capture us. Wood is a master story teller skilled at making us love some of the characters and hate the others. We share the vengeance and the justified violence in the name of good.

In this story Wood dons the silk exotic robes of the Chinese Tong wars in early San Francisco as Crow and snares us into the intrigue. The wars erupt into a bloody massacre, barely survived by our hero. This China Town intrigue evolves into Crow’s attempt to save a shipping company he has inherited through marriage, from murderous pirates plundering his company’s sailing clipper ships in the South China seas.

Crow is a quick study in seamanship and outfits his ship with Gatling guns and cannons and sails forth leaving a pregnant wife to hunt down and kill the pirates in Hong Kong. The battles are prolonged and bloody brutal and Wood spares us from nothing, putting us in the battle and behind the guns. After nearly two years of battling pirates in China Crow is successful. But at what cost?
Crow returns to San Francisco a changed man to a family he barely remembers and a son he has never seen.

John W Wood has the ability to capture the reader and force them to keep turning pages until eyes become blurry. The House Of Crow is a must read, a page turner and an excitement read. I give it 5 stars.

[Owen Clough]

I read this wonderful saga of the life and time of Crow. From been found as a baby by the Indians his youth right up to adult hood this is a great western yarn. JW wood leaves you the impression of dusty rides cold weather hot summers the smell of horse sweat. When you put the book down in your mind's eye the wide open plains shimmering heat in the distance as a man called Crow follows his destiny and you are along for the ride. Loved it.
5 stars Mr Wood

[Rafael Hines]

Incredible! Best I've read in years!

What an amazing adventure! The House of Crow reminded me of the brilliant and beautiful novels written by Larry McMurty and James Clavell. Loved the diverse cast of characters, the action and JW Wood's masterful writing style. I hope that Mr Wood is typing away because I can't wait for his next novel. In the meantime, I love this book so much I'm going to read it again. It's that good. 5 stars aren't enough!

[Mari]

This is an old-fashioned rip-roaring adventure tale. It is definitely male orientated, but then so was a great deal of the culture in the cities during the 19 century. It was definitely male orientated in the eastern civilizations. If you are tired of the angst in the modern novels, this is a restorative read. There was only one slight quibble and that was when it read dressed like a cowboy. The character in question would have been dressed like a range hand as the word cowboy was used for boys, not men. It did nothing to detract from the story.

[Steve Stevens]

have read all three of the White Crow series. John W Woods writes A facilitating trilogy this series has more twists and turns than a roller coaster ride at the fair I'm sad that there isn't any more. thanks again for the ride John W Wood you're books were A winner winner chicken dinner five star all the way. Steve Stevens.

[P.S. Winn]

This book is an epic journey reminiscent of a James Clavell or a Louis L'amour saga. Charles' father has died and his Uncle William Crow knows the young ma, who is inheriting the family business needs to know the story of the past. Beginning with a child captured by Blackfeet Indians, and named White Crow, the adventure takes readers back in time as White Crow becomes a man and deals with trouble in Old Chinatown as well as on the high seas. This is an interesting read and a look at different generations. The author did a great job telling a story that is intriguing and also shares history in all its glory. This is the first book I have read by this author and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the journey.

[Ray]

An Exciting Read

I completed this in two sittings, I was so engrossed in it. I could feel the tossing of the ship, and smell the sea air. I felt the tension in Chinatown, and tasted the dust from the streets. The duplicity of some of the characters was handled so well. I truly enjoyed the book. There were probably a dozen typos that distracted from the flow of the story. But it is a 5 star read!

[Julia Hall]

This book is absolutely amazing! Everything has great detail and you're never questioning what is going on. The ending was spectacular and I'm very excited for the next book. Definitely a must read!

[Kenna McKinnon]

This book traces four generations of warriors, lawmen, and successful executives called Crow, from the dog soldier Isaiah “White” Crow (raised by a mountaineer and Indians in 1824), to the great grandfather Jed Crow, to 60-year-old William Crow, who tells the history of their formidable forebears to his young Marine nephew, Charles Crow, in the present. Charles, after hearing the family stories of the courageous black haired / blue eyed Crows, must make a decision that will alter his life.
“The House of Crow” has 96 chapters and a myriad of characters, which, for this reader, caused difficulty in keeping the characters straight in my mind. The continuity of the tale sometimes suffered as a result. But the author is an excellent writer. Obviously, much research and his own personal experiences in law enforcement, the military, and business contributed to the authenticity and grittiness of the tale. Asian readers may take exception to the rather stereotypical Chinese culture represented here in old San Francisco and Hong Kong, however, such retelling is a part of our unfortunate “white” history. A somewhat surprising but satisfying and compelling ending rounds out a great, rollicking story of Irish immigrants, dog soldiers, lawmen, pirates, sea captains, and wealthy entrepreneurs.
My favorite part of “The House of Crow” involves the adventures at sea. The story really seems to pick up here, about halfway through the book. It seemed at first to be a fairly run-of-the-mill Western genre but is much more than that. Apparently, Mr. Wood is planning a prequel and I look forward to reading more about Charles’ ancestor, “White Crow”.
This book could stand alone, or would make part of an excellent series. Well done, from a reader who doesn’t normally enjoy a Western adventure!

[Berk Rourke]

This is a classic form of story, a relative telling the heir to the family legacy the tale of his ancestors. The writing itself is very well done, the book was well edited and without obvious errors which would detract from its presentation. One could see this book having been prepared by a traditional publisher with editors spending massive amounts of time on its completion.
The story of the Crow family begins with Irish immigrants who on their way west are attacked and killed by Blackfoot Sioux. Crow natives, deadly enemies of the Sioux come upon this scene and kill many Sioux, while finding a living white child among the dead. From this beginning comes White Crow, whose son, known in California as El Hombre de la Hatche, (the man of the hatchet) marries and joins a business firm after working as a U.S. Marshall. The story roars on to a conclusion about which I will not tell you. If you wish to know the entire family story you must read the book. I did and I could hardly stop reading before finishing the book. It was/is a great story done in a professional manner with wonderful characters. Enjoy. I certainly did.

[Sharon]

The Crow series is a good read; if you read the first volume, you will want to read the next two books. I read all three in three days because I just had to know what was happening next. I do believe the first book, White Crow, was the best - I couldn't put it down. To tell the storyline makes it sound very improbable - child found by Crow chief, becomes Mountain Man, then a Don in Mexican California, then a Wagon train leader - but the author put it together in such a way that it is totally believable and fun to read. The next two books follow White Crow's son through the Civil War, the Gold Rush, and the annexation of California by the United States, and piracy in the Far East. Again, a plot that may sound as if it won't work, but does.

I recommend, if you like adventure and a good story-line, that you read the Crow series.

[Elaine Milks]

The House of Crow, by John W, Wood is an awesome 5-star read! The book is an historical fiction, filled with action, about a family of warriors, set in the 19th century when a band of Blackfoot Indians attack a group of Irish immigrants. The story is being told to a young man by his Uncle after both his parents have died. He is told the history of his family name, the character and courageous adventures of his father's lineage back to his great, great grandfather, a wonderful heritage. Absolutely hard to put down, an enjoyable read.

[A.J. Griffiths-Jones]

This book is of a genre that I rarely read but, having now followed the journey of Jedadiah Crow & his ancestors, I’m relishing the idea of reading the sequel. Every scene is told with such precision & clarity, making this a brilliant work of historical fiction but without losing the undeniable excitement of a good old western. Wood is a superb storyteller, obviously knows his weaponry terms well & spins a most enjoyable yarn.

[Nancy Silk]

"The Bravery Of The Crow Men For Generations"

This is a historical fiction story which follows the life of the Crow family from 1816 to the present day. It's also the times of pirates, U.S. Marshals, and Charles Crow, the last son of the Crow family. This is an exciting saga with lots of adventures and likable characters. Fast paced for fast reading. I was totally captivated. Highly recommend.

[Michele Zuniga]

Eating Crow

This is a rousing multi-generational potboiler of what should have been a series, such asShogun, Tai-Pan, etc. Instead it was shmooshed into one volume, much barely outlined. That outline was good enough to have me reading to the end, but the writing was disappointing.

[Shirley]

The Family Crow

This was a very good book. I like how the author told the story of Jed Crow inside if the story about his grandson. This story also wove tales of our shipping history.

[James]

A great Series

I read all three books. I enjoyed each of them. If you like action and adventure you’ll like them too. Mr. Wood is a great Author and I look forward to seeing his next efforts.

[Mike Bradford]

great adventure series

Love how the author takes you through the great story of this family. The tales of adventures and hardships make this a series you can not put down. I must say the authors writing is well worth reading. I highly recommend this series and author

[Carolyn Weisbart]

It's a good read

It's a good read, but the writing is only fair and the story a little choppy. But I'm glad I finished it.

[Paula Neal]

Good Book

An interesting story. Caught and held my attention from the beginning. Mixing cultures, span of time all combine for a provocative story.

[Ronda Wian]

Family saga.

The house of crow had no long places to read through it was very good. My best Thank you to the author.

[Joe Stack]

This is a fast paced, action filled, enjoyable story of San Francisco Chinese gangs & Hong Kong pirates versus U.S. Marshalls and private security force in the mid to late 19th Century.