Cimarrón

by Andrew McBride

"Cimarrón meant wild. Untamed. That's how Calvin Taylor, the young man they called 'Choctaw,' saw himself. As free of restraint as the raw new land he wandered, where the only law was lynch law. Someone who couldn't be broken to the plow. Choctaw's stamping ground was the Arizona Territory of 1873. He worked as a mustanger, catching and breaking wild horses; for the army scouting against Apaches; as a cowboy trailing horse thieves. Each adventure added to his growing reputation as a man skilled and deadly in the use of guns. But when he came up against a desperate band of kidnappers, Choctaw faced some hard choices. Which side of the law was he really on? And where did his true loyalties lie? Because the man leading the kidnappers had been-maybe still was-his best friend . . "

307 pages, Hardcover

Published August 17, 2022

About the author

ANDREW McBRIDE has written 9 critically-acclaimed western novels set in Arizona and New Mexico in the 1870s and 1880s, with the same central character CALVIN TAYLOR. They are CANYON OF THE DEAD, DEATH WEARS A STAR, DEATH SONG, THE ARIZONA KID, SHADOW MAN, THE PEACEMAKER, COYOTE’S PEOPLE, CIMARRÓN and MEXICAN SUNSET. All but CIMARRÓN are available as kindles. MEXICAN SUNSET is available as a kindle and a paperbck, CIMARRÓN was a finalist in the 2023 NEW MEXICO-ARIZONA BOOK AWARDS . Historical figures - the Apache chief COCHISE and BILLY THE KID and WYATT EARP in fictionalised form - feature.
McBride’s work has been praised by acclaimed, award-winning novelists. W. MICHAEL FARMER calls CIMARRÓN ‘Superlative… a classic western.’ LUCIA ROBSON called COYOTE’S PEOPLE an 'outstanding novel.' Other reviewers have called his work 'western fiction at its best!' 'superb' and 'quietly remarkable.' RALPH COTTON calls Andrew McBride ‘among the top Old West storytellers.'
ABOUT ANDREW McBRIDE:
Andrew McBride lives in Brighton, England.
Find Andrew McBride on FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/Andrew-McBri...
On TWITTER:
https://twitter.com/andrewmcbride21
Read his blogs here: ANDREW McBRIDE AUTHOR BLOG:
http://andrewmcbrideauthor.blogspot.

Reviews

[J.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a month of hard work and limited reward prospecting in the mountains, a young man named Calvin Taylor rides into Wickenburg, Arizona, in the fall of 1873, hoping for a little rest and relaxation.
There he saves the life of Declan Flynn, another young man with a checkered past. The two quickly become friends and unite in a quest for new adventures in a partnership breaking wild horses.
But how well does anyone truly know another person? Situations soon develop that have Calvin questioning trust and friendship. Events separate the two men and Calvin finds himself once more misunderstood, the target of bigotry, a vengeful sheriff, and a foil for the agenda of others seeking reputation as gunmen. When he eventually reunites once more with Declan Flynn he's forced to test the true measure of friendship and loyalty against his own ethics.
If you've read any of the previous novels in this series, you'll be aware Calvin Taylor has packed a lifetime of experience into his twenty-some years as a mule wrangler for a freight crew, a scout for the army, and as a cowboy. He's also been trying to shed the nickname 'Choctaw' and a reputation as a gunslinger. He owes the nickname to his upbringing on a reservation, though some have misconstrued it to an unpopular affection for Indians.
It isn't necessary to have read those other novels to enjoy this one. Andrew McBride's skills will draw you into this fast-paced, action-filled story with its sympathetic characters, a plot full of riveting twists, and a true-to-life setting. I don't hesitate to recommend this and other books in the series to all who enjoy a good story.

[Steve Hockensmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrew McBride writes my kind of Western: authentic but not dry, character-driven but not dull, suspenseful and exciting but not pulpy or over-the-top. The story follows a young drifter, Calvin “Choctaw” Taylor, as he bounces around Arizona Territory searching for his place in the world. He’s an interesting character — sympathetic yet hot-headed and callow — and it’s easy to believe he could either way: managing to make a “respectable” home for himself somehow or heading down the path to lawlessness and self-destruction. I won’t say which road he takes, of course. You should pick up “Cimarrón” and find out for yourself!

[Lorrie Farrelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I received an advance copy of Cimarrón from the publisher. The following is my honest and unbiased review.

Calvin Taylor – the main character in Andrew McBride’s Cimarrón, latest in his series of authentic, rough-and-ready Western novels featuring Calvin – has packed a lifetime’s worth of living – and just as many death-defying escapes – into his twenty years. An inherently moral young man who believes strongly in justice, fairness, loyalty to friends, and doing the right thing, he nonetheless struggles mightily as he repeatedly faces situations in which he must act against the dictates of his conscience. Survival in a largely lawless West forces men to take the law into their own hands. Calvin understands this and even lives by “kill or be killed,” but he never really comes to terms with it.

Known by most as “Choctaw” for his upbringing on the reservation where his father worked, Calvin dislikes the nickname and tries to shake it, as well as the gunslinging reputation he seems to be gaining. Despite his efforts to be a peaceful man, his “particular skills” of fighting, tracking, marksmanship, wrangling, and scouting lead him into one harrowing adventure after another. A complex loner who craves company, dogged by bigotry (he has had two Native American lovers, and has an affinity for their people), Calvin often finds himself misjudged and mistreated. To make matters worse, his best friend has embarked on a life of crime, horse thieves are intent on killing him, a wealthy rancher’s headstrong daughter has set her wild sights on him, and a none-too-honest sheriff would like nothing more than to lynch him. Calvin’s life has become more desperate with each day that passes.

Cimarrón is so fast-paced, authentic, and breath-taking in its depiction of the Old West that readers may well wonder if author McBride isn’t actually a magically reincarnated scout, wrangler, and gunslinger himself. McBride makes you breathe the trail dust, listen to the coyotes howl, feel the hiss and sting of a bullet as it whizzes past your ear. He is equally adept at creating characters so complex and believable that they live and breathe in your mind. In short, he will completely immerse you in Calvin’s world. Hold tight to the reins, open the book, and hang on for a wild ride! Highly recommended!

[W. Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this superlative story of a young man developing his code of honor and ethics through his reaction to the challenges of frontier life, Andrew McBride vividly describes the west as it was in 1873 Arizona. The young man, Calvin Taylor, aka “Choctaw”, in his early twenties, and having lost a close connection to the Apaches he once scouted against, wanders the land learning its changes and challenges as he works with iron-nerved men who are trying to tame a wild frontier west. Choctaw becomes close friends with a wild and free, red-headed Irishman near his age whose courage is great, but his honor is small. Eventually over the course of adventures that range from horse wrangling to fearlessly facing and surviving men trying to kill him, to stopping hangings in the wild back country along the Mogollon Rim, Choctaw must eventually face his friend and kill or be killed. Filled with historic details, page-turning, viscerally satisfying action, Cimarrón is a classic western to be enjoyed, savored, and remembered.

[Thomas Clagett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Andrew McBride’s new novel, CIMARRÓN, follows the continuing adventures of young Calvin Taylor, nicknamed Choctaw, a former freighter and Army scout. Of McBride’s series featuring Choctaw, I have read COYOTE’S PEOPLE, the book that precedes this one, and it was terrific. McBride continues to prove he knows how to tell a story and in CIMARRÓN, which means wild, he gets Choctaw into a whole passel of trouble. Set in Arizona Territory in 1873, Choctaw’s past keeps catching up with him, sometimes for better, sometimes not, as he encounters hard case sheriffs, a grinning Irish rascal, a spoiled brat, and others in this kidnapping tale where friends and enemies are sometimes hard for Choctaw to tell apart. It’s a wild adventure, and McBride keeps things moving. Recommended.

[Ted Cartier · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started off well but bogged down. Wasn't worth finishing.