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Lawless Prairie
A man discovers the bloody cost of freedom in this bold tale of the Old West.
Clint Connor only took the horse to stop a man from mistreating it, but a vengeful judge sentenced him to six years. Quietly serving his time, Clint suddenly finds himself free after he’s swept up in a daring jailbreak.
Now a fugitive, Clint Connor will need courage, cunning, and a cold-blooded ruthlessness as he rides the lawless prairie. But before he can escape to the hills of Montana, he’ll have to outgun malicious outlaws and face a final showdown with a marshal determined to bring Clint back as a prisoner—or a corpse.
Clint Connor only took the horse to stop a man from mistreating it, but a vengeful judge sentenced him to six years. Quietly serving his time, Clint suddenly finds himself free after he’s swept up in a daring jailbreak.
Now a fugitive, Clint Connor will need courage, cunning, and a cold-blooded ruthlessness as he rides the lawless prairie. But before he can escape to the hills of Montana, he’ll have to outgun malicious outlaws and face a final showdown with a marshal determined to bring Clint back as a prisoner—or a corpse.
240 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
11 people are currently reading
45 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 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 9, 2019
Another of West's "convict with a heart of gold" type stories. The bad guys weren't very interesting in this one, but it didn't matter as much because they were secondary to the main plot of Clint trying to evade the law. It also had an interesting quandary for the lawman: he knows Clint is a good guy that got cheated of his freedom, and yet he still has a job to do in brining him back to jail.
February 5, 2017
Young Clint Connor has been serving time in the Wyoming Territorial Prison for the last three years for the unpardonable sin of stealing a horse. Now everybody knows that that such a crime committed in the American West during the latter half of the 19th century is second only to murder in seriousness (and maybe not even then) but in Clint’s case it’s an understandable offense since he was really just protecting the horse from the savage abuse being handed out by its owner. Unfortunately, the owner in question happened to be the judge so there just wasn’t going to be a good end to that story.
However, all of that is backstory to the beginning of this novel and the action commences almost immediately when Clint finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and is forced to escape along with a couple of other hardened criminals or face immediate execution. Clint has some savvy to go along with his courage and he is able to turn that situation to his advantage, even though he would have preferred to have served out his sentence and not be forever after running from the law. What follows is a nicely-plotted, unpredictable story filled with nicely drawn characters, several subplots (including a sweet romance), and a satisfying ending.
I’ve read a lot of Westerns over the years but they have almost always been those that were written decades ago, many of them in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. And I rarely grant them 5 stars. I appreciate this author’s attention to historical accuracy as well as the attention he pays to the horses of this novel. He realizes that horses aren’t just part of the scenery and understands that they can’t simply be ridden forever without tiring, needing horseshoe replacement, etc. Seems like a small detail but it just further cements my enjoyment.
I’ve been looking for a more modern writer who writes westerns in a similar style and I think I have found one in Mr. West. I’m happy to see he has quite a few under his belt for me to pursue.
However, all of that is backstory to the beginning of this novel and the action commences almost immediately when Clint finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and is forced to escape along with a couple of other hardened criminals or face immediate execution. Clint has some savvy to go along with his courage and he is able to turn that situation to his advantage, even though he would have preferred to have served out his sentence and not be forever after running from the law. What follows is a nicely-plotted, unpredictable story filled with nicely drawn characters, several subplots (including a sweet romance), and a satisfying ending.
I’ve read a lot of Westerns over the years but they have almost always been those that were written decades ago, many of them in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. And I rarely grant them 5 stars. I appreciate this author’s attention to historical accuracy as well as the attention he pays to the horses of this novel. He realizes that horses aren’t just part of the scenery and understands that they can’t simply be ridden forever without tiring, needing horseshoe replacement, etc. Seems like a small detail but it just further cements my enjoyment.
I’ve been looking for a more modern writer who writes westerns in a similar style and I think I have found one in Mr. West. I’m happy to see he has quite a few under his belt for me to pursue.
September 4, 2022
I'm a fan of a good western every now and then, and this was one entertaining read! A simple story, but it was a pageturner for me. Sometimes I just want something simple. I was a fan of the main character, Clint Conner, who is your typical good guy, and I was invested in his story. This was one of those books that when it ended, I just sat there holding it with a goofy grin on my face because I enjoyed it and the ending that much. If westerns are your thing, I'd definitely recommend this one!
December 3, 2014
Another awesome read, from one of the greatest Western writers of the 21st Century. West never disappoints, puts his readers right into the pages and a master with creating believable characters.
This one is about Clint Conner, set right after the Custer's Last Stand at Little Bighorn, in Wyoming and Montana. He's just a kid who runs into trouble with the law for stealing a mistreated horse and unfortunately for him the Judge is also the owner of the horse.
He serves half his sentence. While cleaning stalls, he gets entangled into a prison breakout, to save his life, he joins some outlaws and in the processes saves a prison guards life.
Marshall Zach Clayton, gets hot on the trail of the three escapees, repeatedly their trails cross, even has his life saved by Conner and realizes he's a good guy caught in a bad situation. Conner ends up meeting the love of his life, while escaping from the Outlaws and in the end Marshall Clayton repays a debt.
This one is about Clint Conner, set right after the Custer's Last Stand at Little Bighorn, in Wyoming and Montana. He's just a kid who runs into trouble with the law for stealing a mistreated horse and unfortunately for him the Judge is also the owner of the horse.
He serves half his sentence. While cleaning stalls, he gets entangled into a prison breakout, to save his life, he joins some outlaws and in the processes saves a prison guards life.
Marshall Zach Clayton, gets hot on the trail of the three escapees, repeatedly their trails cross, even has his life saved by Conner and realizes he's a good guy caught in a bad situation. Conner ends up meeting the love of his life, while escaping from the Outlaws and in the end Marshall Clayton repays a debt.
November 30, 2021
I picked this up off the thrift store bookshelf - first time I have read a western novel. To my surprise, it was a page-turner! I grabbed it every time I had a break or few extra minutes. It's an action-filled story with a little romance and a compelling plotline. I ran through it in less than a week, and am now interested in trying other western authors (although Charles G. West showed his spurs quite well here). Enjoyed it - maybe you wiil, too.
July 5, 2021
There were positives with this book enough that I finished it and usually I wouldn't be able to with a book that had the issues this book has.
The writing was campy, and I was camping; so I was really just enjoying the badness of it for the first half of the book. Reading dialogue that's not quite right can be fun like watching an old tv show or B-movie.
In the second half of the book I almost gave up on it because of some really unnecessary things that I didn't think added to the characters or moved the story. The depiction of Native Americans seems really weak and although some context is given for why the natives are upset at the time the descriptions of their behavior is so obvious it's like they're wolves as opposed to people.
I think the thing that kept me reading was the historical and geographical information given because it seemed well researched; so it was disappointing to not have a better picture of the natives.
The writing was campy, and I was camping; so I was really just enjoying the badness of it for the first half of the book. Reading dialogue that's not quite right can be fun like watching an old tv show or B-movie.
In the second half of the book I almost gave up on it because of some really unnecessary things that I didn't think added to the characters or moved the story. The depiction of Native Americans seems really weak and although some context is given for why the natives are upset at the time the descriptions of their behavior is so obvious it's like they're wolves as opposed to people.
I think the thing that kept me reading was the historical and geographical information given because it seemed well researched; so it was disappointing to not have a better picture of the natives.
March 1, 2024
A very good Western,by a writer I enjoy a lot.
Clint Conner stole back a horse his dad had sold, because it was being mistreated.
The owner of the horse was a local judge who gave him six years in prison for it.
3 years into that sentence, he finds himself unknownly part of a jail break. If he tries to stay behind, he'll be killed by the two prisoners who planned the break out.
So Clint is now on the run, with a relentless U.S. Marshall behind him.
This avoids many Western cliches, even if it does have a few. 😊
The Marshall very early on, figures out Clint is basically a good man. But he still needs to bring him in.
Clint has many adventures along his way.
Indians...
Love...
Danger...A good, realistic Western.
Clint Conner stole back a horse his dad had sold, because it was being mistreated.
The owner of the horse was a local judge who gave him six years in prison for it.
3 years into that sentence, he finds himself unknownly part of a jail break. If he tries to stay behind, he'll be killed by the two prisoners who planned the break out.
So Clint is now on the run, with a relentless U.S. Marshall behind him.
This avoids many Western cliches, even if it does have a few. 😊
The Marshall very early on, figures out Clint is basically a good man. But he still needs to bring him in.
Clint has many adventures along his way.
Indians...
Love...
Danger...A good, realistic Western.
December 13, 2023
Good read
Always enjoyed reading Charles G. West books and this one also enjoyable. Held your interest as to how he was going to escape the law. Well written and tense until the end.
Always enjoyed reading Charles G. West books and this one also enjoyable. Held your interest as to how he was going to escape the law. Well written and tense until the end.
June 7, 2023
This was my first time reading anything from this author. I went into like I do every book and came out loving this wild western adventure.
The ending is without a doubt my favorite part of the
The ending is without a doubt my favorite part of the
May 4, 2021
I picked this up for a quick read on a weekend trip and it fit the bill nicely. We're not breaking new ground here, but the characters were likable and the story moved at a brisk pace. I haven't read this author before, but I'm adding him to the list.
We discussed favorite westerns in this early episode of the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/ep...
We discussed favorite westerns in this early episode of the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/ep...
July 7, 2019
Another great book from Charles G West. The outlaws didn’t have a huge roll in it, I really enjoyed the main characters and Clint’s journey, It kept me interested all the way through. Definitely recommend!
September 11, 2014
Lawless Prairie is the first western i have ever read. This novel was recommended to me by a friend, and although i was skeptical, i gave it a shot. Wow! What a story, The wild frontier of the American west, the characters,the language and slang they used and the writing, which is historically correct, all made for an enjoyable read. Great ending too! I will be reading more of Mr. West's work for sure.
February 5, 2009
Latest from Mr. West, who's building a consistent body of excellent work. Gets better every outing.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews