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CHASM CREEK: A Novel of the West
Rubén Santiago, enslaved in Mexico as a child, has turned his back on his Navajo heritage. Now an old man, his only friend is Morgan Braddock, a haunted Civil War veteran with a questionable past. Morgan wants nothing more than to return to his wife and children, but a hangman’s noose stands in the way. Esther Corbin, abandoned by her husband, and her four children face an uncertain future on the outskirts of Chasm Creek, a territorial mining town. When the two men seek help at her isolated farm, their growing friendship unleashes consequences that expose the lies upon which they have built their lives. Ghostly visitations and violent confrontations rip away their illusions and, when a vengeful stranger arrives in Chasm Creek, Rubén is forced to confront his past in order to save his friend’s life. This is a story of friendship and family, love and loss, and finding one’s place in the merciless Arizona desert.
292 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 9, 2014
19 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Grady Cox
2 books4 followersPatricia Grady Cox is a member of Western Writers of America and Women Writing the West. Her nonfiction work has appeared in magazines, newspapers, and ghost-written memoirs. Patricia has volunteered at the Pioneer Arizona Living History Museum where she experienced, first-hand, the realities of life in the 1800s. Her love of the southwest—the landscape, the history, the culture—infuses her work with authenticity. Originally from Rhode Island, she moved to Arizona 24 years ago and currently lives in Phoenix. Her debut novel, CHASM CREEK, will be available in November 2014.
Patricia also blogs monthly at http://pcoxwriter.wordpress.com/
For more information: www.patriciagradycox.com
Patricia also blogs monthly at http://pcoxwriter.wordpress.com/
For more information: www.patriciagradycox.com
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 12, 2015
Written as one of “The Review Group” Review Volunteers, see http://thereview2014.blogspot.co.uk
It is a very long time since I read a Western. Back in school we had Shane as a class book, and from the same era (and I'm showing my age here) I was a keen watcher of the two television series The Virginian and The High Chaparral. But since those long-ago days I think I have only encountered the Western genre in films. To this British reader, coming across placenames like Rio Verde or Yuma evokes a feeling of going into a fantasy land, where anything might happen.
So it was with an entirely appropriate sense of riding into the unknown that I started this book. There were familiar elements that you meet almost at once. There is the mysterious man with the shady past, the abandoned wife struggling to make ends meet for her family, the lawman balancing his sense of natural justice with the pedantic legalism of "wanted" posters, Indians of several kinds, the optimistic prospectors hoping to strike lucky, and a whole mixture of diverse individuals making up the rest of the small town. There are motives of hate, love, revenge, self-sacrifice, over-protectiveness and partnership. The human environment was intricate and intriguing.
What I had not expected was so much enticing description of the natural world. The untamed beauty of the region comes over vividly in the writing, and successfully imparted a delight in these days of wildness.
==========
Mounds of brittlebush dotted the incline. Dried stems once held flowers, but now burned naked, stabbed through clusters of gray-green leaves. Waxy creosote glistened in the harsh light as the sun climbed across the sky's bleached dome.
==========
or...
==========
When the clouds parted the desert's drab browns and greens had been replaced with splashes of red, vermillion, ochre, olive, yellow. Flat land, soaring monoliths, all a rainbow of colors. Directly below him the ground opened in a deep gash. A clear turquoise stream ran through it and a spindly rock formation towered almost to the top of the surrounding cliffs.
==========
Thinking back, I should have expected this, as the old TV shows were full of spectacular sunsets and desert vistas alongside the human interactions. Apparently my adult appreciation noticed much more than my childish eyes had ever done. Here, the stern vividness of the land throws into stark perspective the actions of the men and women who live in it. Several of the characters have family ties back in the softer, safer states on the Eastern Seaboard, and could easily return there. However, surrounded by a natural world like this, one can entirely understand why they do not go back.
There are, of course, differences in this plot from the ones I remember from childhood. The Native American groups are presented in a much more diverse and compelling way than used to be the case. In particular, their connections with the land - for both good and ill - are an important feature of the novel. The world of the dead, of dreams, and of spirits is both accessible and elusively remote. People's motivations are more complex and more real. Happy endings are elusive.
On a technical level, the book is well presented and prepared. For my taste I would have preferred a few more commas here and there to help readability, but this is a minor issue. The heart of the book is not its technical presentation, but the way in which the human story draws you into the vastness of the western landscapes. You emerge from this book with a sense that the world is very large, and that with a little perseverance, a person might find all manner of beauty in it.
It is a very long time since I read a Western. Back in school we had Shane as a class book, and from the same era (and I'm showing my age here) I was a keen watcher of the two television series The Virginian and The High Chaparral. But since those long-ago days I think I have only encountered the Western genre in films. To this British reader, coming across placenames like Rio Verde or Yuma evokes a feeling of going into a fantasy land, where anything might happen.
So it was with an entirely appropriate sense of riding into the unknown that I started this book. There were familiar elements that you meet almost at once. There is the mysterious man with the shady past, the abandoned wife struggling to make ends meet for her family, the lawman balancing his sense of natural justice with the pedantic legalism of "wanted" posters, Indians of several kinds, the optimistic prospectors hoping to strike lucky, and a whole mixture of diverse individuals making up the rest of the small town. There are motives of hate, love, revenge, self-sacrifice, over-protectiveness and partnership. The human environment was intricate and intriguing.
What I had not expected was so much enticing description of the natural world. The untamed beauty of the region comes over vividly in the writing, and successfully imparted a delight in these days of wildness.
==========
Mounds of brittlebush dotted the incline. Dried stems once held flowers, but now burned naked, stabbed through clusters of gray-green leaves. Waxy creosote glistened in the harsh light as the sun climbed across the sky's bleached dome.
==========
or...
==========
When the clouds parted the desert's drab browns and greens had been replaced with splashes of red, vermillion, ochre, olive, yellow. Flat land, soaring monoliths, all a rainbow of colors. Directly below him the ground opened in a deep gash. A clear turquoise stream ran through it and a spindly rock formation towered almost to the top of the surrounding cliffs.
==========
Thinking back, I should have expected this, as the old TV shows were full of spectacular sunsets and desert vistas alongside the human interactions. Apparently my adult appreciation noticed much more than my childish eyes had ever done. Here, the stern vividness of the land throws into stark perspective the actions of the men and women who live in it. Several of the characters have family ties back in the softer, safer states on the Eastern Seaboard, and could easily return there. However, surrounded by a natural world like this, one can entirely understand why they do not go back.
There are, of course, differences in this plot from the ones I remember from childhood. The Native American groups are presented in a much more diverse and compelling way than used to be the case. In particular, their connections with the land - for both good and ill - are an important feature of the novel. The world of the dead, of dreams, and of spirits is both accessible and elusively remote. People's motivations are more complex and more real. Happy endings are elusive.
On a technical level, the book is well presented and prepared. For my taste I would have preferred a few more commas here and there to help readability, but this is a minor issue. The heart of the book is not its technical presentation, but the way in which the human story draws you into the vastness of the western landscapes. You emerge from this book with a sense that the world is very large, and that with a little perseverance, a person might find all manner of beauty in it.
December 7, 2014
This isn’t just a western, this is a novel about love, and loss, and betrayal, and about hope and redemption and worlds beyond the one we can see. The setting was so clear and real, sometimes I thought I was seeing it on horseback. Every character had a story that unfolded gradually, and I cared enough about them to keep turning the pages. The ending was unexpected, but satisfying. A definite must read, even if you think you don’t like westerns.
April 4, 2019
Violent.
October 13, 2017
Wonderful Story
Book setting was late 1800s. Life is hard for a women alone but this story shows that some women were strong and independent. Characters in book made me stop and think about life then. Author does a great job on surroundings, wildlife etc. Story was interesting and very enjoyable. Ending a surprise.
Book setting was late 1800s. Life is hard for a women alone but this story shows that some women were strong and independent. Characters in book made me stop and think about life then. Author does a great job on surroundings, wildlife etc. Story was interesting and very enjoyable. Ending a surprise.
November 25, 2021
Excellent story full of interesting and vivid characters. Has some tried and true western story elements--men with a murky pasts drifts into town, saloon fight, horse rustling, etc. But the lead character is a woman who is make a go of things after her husband left her and their children. It's an interesting and well written story. A western told in a new way.
July 12, 2015
This is a great book to get lost in. Buckle up your spurs, gather your calico dress, and walk on the dusty roads of the Arizona Territory into the lives of Esther Corbin and Morgan Braddock.
Chasm Creek is an old fashioned Western about a woman with five children, whose secretive husband may or may not return home from his own quest. She's alone, trying to survive, and working hard to raise and protect her children. Enter a mysterious stranger with a dark past, along with his Mexican friend and partner who has his own demons to deal with as he ultimately embraces his true origin as a Native American. There's a lot of drama, surprises, life journeys for each of the characters as they are thrown together, and of course there's love and redemption along the way.
The author's storytelling ability is evident and her writing flows. It's obvious she's done her research of the period, the people, and the land, as she sprinkles the text with Navajo and Spanish languages. She paints beautiful landscapes and colorful Western skies with her words and creates spirit-filled dream visions for us to witness:
As we root for the hero and heroine of the story, it's interesting to watch them develop and become whole as they draw close to each other. But this isn't just a tidy, formulaic Harlequin romance. Filled with betrayal, nasty villains, some blood and guts and shoot-'em-ups, there are many twists and turns before we reach the end. Modern women will likely identify with Esther who will do anything to protect her children, who perseveres through every trial and tribulation, and who comes out stronger in the end.
by Denise McAllister
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
Chasm Creek is an old fashioned Western about a woman with five children, whose secretive husband may or may not return home from his own quest. She's alone, trying to survive, and working hard to raise and protect her children. Enter a mysterious stranger with a dark past, along with his Mexican friend and partner who has his own demons to deal with as he ultimately embraces his true origin as a Native American. There's a lot of drama, surprises, life journeys for each of the characters as they are thrown together, and of course there's love and redemption along the way.
The author's storytelling ability is evident and her writing flows. It's obvious she's done her research of the period, the people, and the land, as she sprinkles the text with Navajo and Spanish languages. She paints beautiful landscapes and colorful Western skies with her words and creates spirit-filled dream visions for us to witness:
It had human eyes! The coyote turned down a narrow footpath leading away from the ruins. Another appeared and followed the first. Then another and another. Dozens. Hundreds. Some whined as they passed, others growled. All looked at him with those eyes. Yellow tears fell from their haunted eyes and hardened to nuggets of gold as they fell.
As we root for the hero and heroine of the story, it's interesting to watch them develop and become whole as they draw close to each other. But this isn't just a tidy, formulaic Harlequin romance. Filled with betrayal, nasty villains, some blood and guts and shoot-'em-ups, there are many twists and turns before we reach the end. Modern women will likely identify with Esther who will do anything to protect her children, who perseveres through every trial and tribulation, and who comes out stronger in the end.
by Denise McAllister
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
October 15, 2019
This extraordinary novel was selected for the finals of the 2015 Historical Fiction New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards, and rightly so. Set in the old ‘Wild West’, it includes many of the stock elements of a popular western, a make-shift, alcohol-fuelled gold-mining town, a flawed sheriff, a noble Indian, and a kind-hearted mother doing her best for her children, but it is so much more than this.
Essentially, this is a novel about the human condition: family and loyalty, our loves and woes, our tensions and prejudices. Characters are nuanced and so real they walk off the page. The location is described in such well-chosen, poetic brushstrokes I felt I was there.
The story itself is that of Esther Corbin, a woman whose life becomes irrevocably entangled with that of two men, an aged Navajo named Rubén Santiago, who was stolen from his tribe as a child and raised as a God-fearing Roman Catholic, and a rough-looking fugitive with a price on his head. Initially, Esther fears these intruders on her property but then, due to a series of unpredictable circumstances, she allows them to use her farmstead and even nurses Morgan Braddock, the fugitive, back to health.
Beautifully written, scenes of domestic life in very challenging conditions are interlaced with strange, spirit-world encounters. There is the normal banter and deceitfulness of growing children and a coyote whose tears form nuggets of gold; there are violent, heartless confrontations between men in uniform and supposedly renegade Indians, and moments of tender grown-up emotion. Grady Cox shows her readers how difficult, not to say dangerous, it must have been to raise a family in Territorial Arizona during the nineteenth century. She also gives us a both a heart-rending and a heart-warming love story between older people. I cannot recommend this book highly enough
enough. (This review was written for Discovering Diamonds Reviews)
Essentially, this is a novel about the human condition: family and loyalty, our loves and woes, our tensions and prejudices. Characters are nuanced and so real they walk off the page. The location is described in such well-chosen, poetic brushstrokes I felt I was there.
The story itself is that of Esther Corbin, a woman whose life becomes irrevocably entangled with that of two men, an aged Navajo named Rubén Santiago, who was stolen from his tribe as a child and raised as a God-fearing Roman Catholic, and a rough-looking fugitive with a price on his head. Initially, Esther fears these intruders on her property but then, due to a series of unpredictable circumstances, she allows them to use her farmstead and even nurses Morgan Braddock, the fugitive, back to health.
Beautifully written, scenes of domestic life in very challenging conditions are interlaced with strange, spirit-world encounters. There is the normal banter and deceitfulness of growing children and a coyote whose tears form nuggets of gold; there are violent, heartless confrontations between men in uniform and supposedly renegade Indians, and moments of tender grown-up emotion. Grady Cox shows her readers how difficult, not to say dangerous, it must have been to raise a family in Territorial Arizona during the nineteenth century. She also gives us a both a heart-rending and a heart-warming love story between older people. I cannot recommend this book highly enough
enough. (This review was written for Discovering Diamonds Reviews)
March 23, 2015
In her recently released novel, Patricia Grady Cox captures the old Southwest with skill and aplomb. The realism of Chasm Creek brings the reader into the lives of Morgan Braddock, Civil War hero but now a wanted killer, Morgan’s partner, Reuben Santiago, a Navaho raised in a Spanish Roman Catholic family, and Esther Corbin, a mother of four children.
Esther’s husband has been gone for months; he’s apparently abandoned his family and their meager farm. She jumps at the chance to rent out the farm to two men, Morgan and Reuben, who want to set up a business selling horses to the Army. Esther and her children move to the nearby dusty mining town of Chasm Creek, to stay with her brother, the town marshal.
Although Morgan longs to be with his wife and children, he can’t go back. Esther doesn’t miss her abusive husband, but he’s left her in a bad position, still married but without an income. Even though it’s morally forbidden, Esther and Morgan can’t deny the deep longings they feel toward one another.
Chasm Creek, a story of love, loss and fate entwined, brings to life a keen sense of place. Patricia Grady Cox’s descriptions are so vivid and richly detailed, I often wanted to linger, to savor the moment. On the other hand, the book is a captivating, fast-paced read. Cox is highly skilled in bringing the Southwest, its landscape, authentic characters and language, to life..
For more information about the author, visit www.PatriciaGradyCox.com
Esther’s husband has been gone for months; he’s apparently abandoned his family and their meager farm. She jumps at the chance to rent out the farm to two men, Morgan and Reuben, who want to set up a business selling horses to the Army. Esther and her children move to the nearby dusty mining town of Chasm Creek, to stay with her brother, the town marshal.
Although Morgan longs to be with his wife and children, he can’t go back. Esther doesn’t miss her abusive husband, but he’s left her in a bad position, still married but without an income. Even though it’s morally forbidden, Esther and Morgan can’t deny the deep longings they feel toward one another.
Chasm Creek, a story of love, loss and fate entwined, brings to life a keen sense of place. Patricia Grady Cox’s descriptions are so vivid and richly detailed, I often wanted to linger, to savor the moment. On the other hand, the book is a captivating, fast-paced read. Cox is highly skilled in bringing the Southwest, its landscape, authentic characters and language, to life..
For more information about the author, visit www.PatriciaGradyCox.com
October 21, 2019
I have never been a lover of westerns but this story is so beautiful and so well written it is impossible to put it down. It reminded me of John Steinbeck with its carefully chosen, sparse language. I loved the characters, who stayed with me long after I had finished the novel. Evocative of the era, she brings a reality to the American west which is often lost in endless gun battles. Instead we see the world in all its harshness through the eyes of an abandoned wife and mother. We meet a man who has all the attributes of a true hero but is held back by his past.
Patricia has put a tremendous amount into her research and not only do we learn about the life of those early settlers, but also of the Indians and the spiritual culture which sustained them. I highly recommend this novel.
Patricia has put a tremendous amount into her research and not only do we learn about the life of those early settlers, but also of the Indians and the spiritual culture which sustained them. I highly recommend this novel.
April 6, 2015
Just finished reading Chasm Creek. The book was a great read with lots of engaging characters. The setting of the old west was very interesting to me having grown up in a city atmosphere..The book was interesting and kept me wanting more as I read. I could have kept reading but unfortunately the book ended. I really hope a sequel is written ..Chasm Creek is a great book. Kept my attention from the beginning to the end. I highly recommend this book..
August 2, 2019
This book has received a Discovering Diamonds Review:
Helen Hollick
founder #DDRevs
"Set in the old ‘Wild West’, it includes many of the stock elements of a popular western ... but it is so much more than this."
Helen Hollick
founder #DDRevs
"Set in the old ‘Wild West’, it includes many of the stock elements of a popular western ... but it is so much more than this."
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews