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Duel at Low Hawk
Boot Stoner spent twelve years behind bars for stealing. Upon release, he added murder and kidnapping to his list-and U.S. Deputy Marshal John Ward is the only one who stands a chance of stopping Stoner's bloody rampage.
- GenresWesterns
280 pages, Paperback
First published July 3, 2007
12 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Charles G. West
71 books75 followersCharles 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 27, 2022
I hate to read a book only to pick it apart, and I should have known better than to give this repeat offender another chance, but maybe a little constructive criticism is in order--not necessarily for Charles G. West, for whom it may come to late, but perhaps for other practicing or would-be fictioneers.
Let Duel at Low Hawk serve as a lesson in how not to write a Western.
First, never refer to your antagonist as an "evil half-breed" or "savage." If the character is bad news, there is no need to telegraph it; his actions will or should make his true nature clear, and there is certainly no need to need for racist qualifiers. It may be a trite observation, but if your lawman is stoic, show it, don't say it. If the writer does their job, the hero's personality should be readily apparent.
Remember, less is more, and nuance and subtext matter. Don't insult the reader's intelligence by spelling everything out or editorializing. And practice restraint. By definition, the Western is a violent genre, but gratuitous violence, particularly when it is directed at women and children, is never recommended.
Traditionally, the Western is plot-driven, but that doesn't mean character development should take a backseat to incident. You want your characters to be real people, not types. Your plot can be simple, even formulaic, but your people should have depth.
And remember what Ernest Hemingway said. The first draft of anything is s**t. That makes revision an essential component of good writing. I've only managed to finish reading two of Mr. West's novels, but both of them read like first drafts. This would make sense if they were self-published. That they were published by the Penguin Random House imprint Berkley does not say much for their editorial staff, and may speak volumes as to why the popularity of the Western genre continues to decline.
Let Duel at Low Hawk serve as a lesson in how not to write a Western.
First, never refer to your antagonist as an "evil half-breed" or "savage." If the character is bad news, there is no need to telegraph it; his actions will or should make his true nature clear, and there is certainly no need to need for racist qualifiers. It may be a trite observation, but if your lawman is stoic, show it, don't say it. If the writer does their job, the hero's personality should be readily apparent.
Remember, less is more, and nuance and subtext matter. Don't insult the reader's intelligence by spelling everything out or editorializing. And practice restraint. By definition, the Western is a violent genre, but gratuitous violence, particularly when it is directed at women and children, is never recommended.
Traditionally, the Western is plot-driven, but that doesn't mean character development should take a backseat to incident. You want your characters to be real people, not types. Your plot can be simple, even formulaic, but your people should have depth.
And remember what Ernest Hemingway said. The first draft of anything is s**t. That makes revision an essential component of good writing. I've only managed to finish reading two of Mr. West's novels, but both of them read like first drafts. This would make sense if they were self-published. That they were published by the Penguin Random House imprint Berkley does not say much for their editorial staff, and may speak volumes as to why the popularity of the Western genre continues to decline.
August 29, 2019
Damn! Boot Stoner is one mean bastard. The story follows him along as he commits one murder after another. After his release from prison, he goes on a rampage. I thought it was very interesting, I’ve read a lot of westerns but this was the first one from the outlaws point of view. Of course there was also a good guy, the Deputy Marshall along with an Indian boy. It’s not for sensitive readers, but this is one that I definitely recommend!
June 8, 2021
Lucy Gets Her Man
A really good western! Bad guy kills a lot of people and abducts a beautiful Indian girl only to get what he's got coming. John a relentless lawman ultimately gets his girl and lives happily ever after. Yes, I would highly recommend this book!
A really good western! Bad guy kills a lot of people and abducts a beautiful Indian girl only to get what he's got coming. John a relentless lawman ultimately gets his girl and lives happily ever after. Yes, I would highly recommend this book!
May 17, 2019
REally like this easy to read western!
June 4, 2023
Fantastic read! Fast paced plot keeps you turning pages every night. The ending blew me away. West is definitely worth it!
August 30, 2024
The book has a lot of murder and mayhem .
October 18, 2014
This story has a man raping a 14 year old girl in it. Yes a 14 year old girl. Besides all the other cruel things he does his obsession with raping a 14 year old girl is really stupid. I'm confused at how this writer gets inspiration. Rape is not a very good inspiration. In fact it turns me off from his stories. He has a lot of good stories but these with rape in them just make me not want to read anything else he has. The story would be great if it didn't have the obsession of the man wanting to rape the 14 year old. Yes, I keep saying the 14 year old because that is how sick it is. It's one thing to write stories about older women getting raped, which I don't like either, but its another when you start writing stories about kids getting raped. Something is quite wrong with that picture. If I could write the author himself I would tell him so.
June 3, 2012
"Duel at Low Hawk" follows the path of a very bad man, Boot Stoner, as he leaves a trail of murders after being freed from prison. Deputy Marshal John Ward is the only man that can stop the bloody rampage and free Lily, the young girl he holds hostage.
I've tried to grab every Charges G West book I could find because I like his stories and his writing style. I love a good western read from time to time and there are so few western novels currently written.
I've tried to grab every Charges G West book I could find because I like his stories and his writing style. I love a good western read from time to time and there are so few western novels currently written.
July 25, 2009
Boot Stoner goes on a rampage after release from prison, murdering his parents, the man who put him there, and kidnapping an Indian girl adopted by his family.
Deputy Marshall John Ward goes after him.
Deputy Marshall John Ward goes after him.
January 13, 2013
This author keeps writing good novels and I keep reading them. I have many more to read. I just hope that he continues to write good novels.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews