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The Deadly Five
It is 1858 and thousands of gold seekers are descending on the west coast of British Columbia to seek their fortunes in the gold rush. The new British colony becomes a hive of activity where Americans, Canadians, and the indigenous people of the land collide, often with deadly repercussions. An unlikely team of adventurers forge an alliance as they make their way along the treacherous Fraser River, hoping to strike it rich. With dangers at every turn from man, nature, and beast, the men learn to rely on one another to survive. Though they all seek enough gold to change their lots in life, friendship and camaraderie may be the greatest treasure to be found on their journey. The Deadly Five is based on the enthralling and fascinating Fraser River Gold Rush. Brimming with adventure and intrigue, readers will be whisked back to the early 1800s where life was merciless, and it took courage and determination to find that elusive pot of gold.
204 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 5, 2020
3 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Raymond Maher
4 books A lifelong storyteller and lover of history and adventure stories, Maher published his first novel based on the Fraser River Gold Rush of 1858 in British Columbia, Sept. 2020. (THE DEADLY FIVE.)
Its sequel, (THE SECOND FIVE is being published in 2022.)
Trapped at Birth With Only One Way (2024) is Maher's third novel. A suspense, mystery, thriller about a man on the run to stay alive. His toxic family wants him dead, and an outlaw biker group has the same objective.
Maher's novels reflect his life experience of living and working in four Canadian provinces. Often, he was the stranger in town who knew no one. He writes of the human need to give and receive respect, recognition, friendship, and humor among people, especially strangers.
A resident of Chilliwack, BC, for the past 11 years, Raymond and his wife Marilyn have four grown children and seven grandchildren. They live near Historic Five Corners in Chilliwack.
Its sequel, (THE SECOND FIVE is being published in 2022.)
Trapped at Birth With Only One Way (2024) is Maher's third novel. A suspense, mystery, thriller about a man on the run to stay alive. His toxic family wants him dead, and an outlaw biker group has the same objective.
Maher's novels reflect his life experience of living and working in four Canadian provinces. Often, he was the stranger in town who knew no one. He writes of the human need to give and receive respect, recognition, friendship, and humor among people, especially strangers.
A resident of Chilliwack, BC, for the past 11 years, Raymond and his wife Marilyn have four grown children and seven grandchildren. They live near Historic Five Corners in Chilliwack.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 2, 2020
2.5 stars
This book has a really interesting premise (and historical information), being set in the 1858 Fraser River Gold Rush, concerning the trials of five US gold prospectors teaming up to try and make it big in the wilds of colonial era British Columbia.
The majority of the story is told from the perspective of "Nothing" Brown, a Quaker who's not quite a preacher, and short of being a doctor.
The first person perspective is a little confusing at times with the present tense being used. I know people often criticise the use of framing devices, but I feel like one could have been useful here for the timeline of the story. It often felt like the story was presented as "We are doing this, and then this and this and this". Perhaps Nothing could be recounting past events to someone, and have questions interjected to help keep the focus of the story and break up the monotony?
Alternatively, using a journal log/letters/newspaper articles (like in Carrie or Dracula) may have been a bit clearer for present tense use.
Additionally, this may have helped with a major issue I had with this particular novel - exposition (it's easier to get away with this e.g. in letters, I think). I imagine when writing a historical novel, it must be a fine balancing act between presenting information to a reader (who may or may not have knowedge of your subject) but also creating believable characters, with some personality and not a museum plaque listing facts and dates. Often the dialogue in the book felt like a character randomly presenting historical information from a textbook, rather than an organic conversation between "real" people. "Show, don't tell" also comes to mind here, as we're often told what the characters have said to each other, but without internal thoughts, senses or facial expressions etc. There were some good lines of dialogue, but it never seemed to flow with the particular scene, and there was often a distinct lack of visual descriptions for characters outside the main five.
This is quite a short book, in which five different characters need to have their personalities/traits established, meet and bond as a group. The book moves so quickly from scene to scene - especially ones that are clearly meant to elicit emotion but lack the build up of tension - that it feels like you don't really get a chance to empathise with the characters, and the occasional exposition dump of a particular character's backstory quite often feels shoehorned in, unfortunately.
The writing comes across as clunky, as there was a lot of repetition of information the audience should already know. In addition to some punctuation errors, these seem more like editorial issues. While this may seem nitpicky, such problems can alter a reader's experience of a novel, potentially making something a joy to read, or a bit of a slog to get through.
I feel overall the characters were quite interesting, and this had a lot of potential, but that I was left dissatisfied upon finishing the book.
This book has a really interesting premise (and historical information), being set in the 1858 Fraser River Gold Rush, concerning the trials of five US gold prospectors teaming up to try and make it big in the wilds of colonial era British Columbia.
The majority of the story is told from the perspective of "Nothing" Brown, a Quaker who's not quite a preacher, and short of being a doctor.
The first person perspective is a little confusing at times with the present tense being used. I know people often criticise the use of framing devices, but I feel like one could have been useful here for the timeline of the story. It often felt like the story was presented as "We are doing this, and then this and this and this". Perhaps Nothing could be recounting past events to someone, and have questions interjected to help keep the focus of the story and break up the monotony?
Alternatively, using a journal log/letters/newspaper articles (like in Carrie or Dracula) may have been a bit clearer for present tense use.
Additionally, this may have helped with a major issue I had with this particular novel - exposition (it's easier to get away with this e.g. in letters, I think). I imagine when writing a historical novel, it must be a fine balancing act between presenting information to a reader (who may or may not have knowedge of your subject) but also creating believable characters, with some personality and not a museum plaque listing facts and dates. Often the dialogue in the book felt like a character randomly presenting historical information from a textbook, rather than an organic conversation between "real" people. "Show, don't tell" also comes to mind here, as we're often told what the characters have said to each other, but without internal thoughts, senses or facial expressions etc. There were some good lines of dialogue, but it never seemed to flow with the particular scene, and there was often a distinct lack of visual descriptions for characters outside the main five.
This is quite a short book, in which five different characters need to have their personalities/traits established, meet and bond as a group. The book moves so quickly from scene to scene - especially ones that are clearly meant to elicit emotion but lack the build up of tension - that it feels like you don't really get a chance to empathise with the characters, and the occasional exposition dump of a particular character's backstory quite often feels shoehorned in, unfortunately.
The writing comes across as clunky, as there was a lot of repetition of information the audience should already know. In addition to some punctuation errors, these seem more like editorial issues. While this may seem nitpicky, such problems can alter a reader's experience of a novel, potentially making something a joy to read, or a bit of a slog to get through.
I feel overall the characters were quite interesting, and this had a lot of potential, but that I was left dissatisfied upon finishing the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2025
This was undoubtedly the worst book I've read all year.
The editor, if there was one, must have been asleep at the wheel. Grammatical and spelling errors (and an abundance of senseless commas) are scattered throughout the book - which has absolutely no plot to speak of. A handful of flat, undeveloped characters (and those nicknames. Ugh.) meet up and search for gold together. The POV begins with one character and then switches back and forth a few times, then inexplicably one character becomes the voice for the rest of the book.
The characters are different ages and ethnicities with different backgrounds but they all speak the same, as does every other character in the book. Every sentence of dialogue is stilted and feels forced and fake. Not to mention out of line for the era the story takes place in.
And, of course, all of the characters in this tale of 1858 embrace and espouse perfect 21st century ideals about women, Indians, minorities, law and justice, the environment, etc.
The story moves from one event to another with zero build up, and most of these events are meaningless to the storyline or introduce minor characters for the purpose of briefly playing a villain as a foil for the perfect main characters, or to be killed off within a few pages.
And as for the Gold Rush - what Gold Rush? These were tough, gritty, nation building, and character forming years for BC and the real people who lived them. These guys just hop in a canoe, paddle up one of the most treacherous waterways in the country, and stop for a few days at every gravel bar they encounter. Where la-dee-da with hardly any effort at all they recover significant amounts of gold. Which they of course vote to hand out to whoever they encounter that might need it, it being so easy to come by and them being so righteous and virtuous and all.
The whole thing reminds me of the poorly executed stories so many of us wrote as pre-teens. As a lover of historical fiction, I would strongly recommend giving this one a miss.
The editor, if there was one, must have been asleep at the wheel. Grammatical and spelling errors (and an abundance of senseless commas) are scattered throughout the book - which has absolutely no plot to speak of. A handful of flat, undeveloped characters (and those nicknames. Ugh.) meet up and search for gold together. The POV begins with one character and then switches back and forth a few times, then inexplicably one character becomes the voice for the rest of the book.
The characters are different ages and ethnicities with different backgrounds but they all speak the same, as does every other character in the book. Every sentence of dialogue is stilted and feels forced and fake. Not to mention out of line for the era the story takes place in.
And, of course, all of the characters in this tale of 1858 embrace and espouse perfect 21st century ideals about women, Indians, minorities, law and justice, the environment, etc.
The story moves from one event to another with zero build up, and most of these events are meaningless to the storyline or introduce minor characters for the purpose of briefly playing a villain as a foil for the perfect main characters, or to be killed off within a few pages.
And as for the Gold Rush - what Gold Rush? These were tough, gritty, nation building, and character forming years for BC and the real people who lived them. These guys just hop in a canoe, paddle up one of the most treacherous waterways in the country, and stop for a few days at every gravel bar they encounter. Where la-dee-da with hardly any effort at all they recover significant amounts of gold. Which they of course vote to hand out to whoever they encounter that might need it, it being so easy to come by and them being so righteous and virtuous and all.
The whole thing reminds me of the poorly executed stories so many of us wrote as pre-teens. As a lover of historical fiction, I would strongly recommend giving this one a miss.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)
Trapped at Birth: With Only One Way Out is the kind of book that doesn’t just tell a story—it pulls you into someone’s reality and makes you think deeper about life, pain, survival, and purpose. From the very first chapter, the author builds an intense emotional atmosphere, and I found myself fully connected to the struggles, hopes, and silent battles within the character’s life.
What I enjoyed most is how real and raw the story feels. It touches sensitive topics identity, trauma, resilience but does it in a way that feels honest, human, and courageous. The writing isn’t just storytelling; it feels like a voice finally being heard. I found myself reflecting on the choices we don’t get to make at birth, but also the strength we find along the way.
The book isn’t just about suffering it’s about the courage to fight through it. It reminds us that sometimes, the way out isn’t easy, but there’s always a way if we keep moving forward.
Powerful, emotional, and unforgettable. I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves meaningful, purpose-filled stories that stay in your mind even after the last page.from readers community groups.
Trapped at Birth: With Only One Way Out is the kind of book that doesn’t just tell a story—it pulls you into someone’s reality and makes you think deeper about life, pain, survival, and purpose. From the very first chapter, the author builds an intense emotional atmosphere, and I found myself fully connected to the struggles, hopes, and silent battles within the character’s life.
What I enjoyed most is how real and raw the story feels. It touches sensitive topics identity, trauma, resilience but does it in a way that feels honest, human, and courageous. The writing isn’t just storytelling; it feels like a voice finally being heard. I found myself reflecting on the choices we don’t get to make at birth, but also the strength we find along the way.
The book isn’t just about suffering it’s about the courage to fight through it. It reminds us that sometimes, the way out isn’t easy, but there’s always a way if we keep moving forward.
Powerful, emotional, and unforgettable. I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves meaningful, purpose-filled stories that stay in your mind even after the last page.from readers community groups.
June 3, 2021
I found the book a bit wordy, but found myself getting more interested in the characters as the book went along. It kind of ended abruptly, but all in all, I did enjoy it :)
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August 13, 2022great
December 1, 2025
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I hope you're doing well I reach out because I know your book
I hope you're doing well I reach out because I know your book
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews