The Long Trail Home

Fortunes of the Black Hills #3

by Stephen Bly

The second son of Brazos Fortune, Samuel, is somewhat the lost sheep of the Fortune family. After he is run out of Texas, he ends up hiding out with his father and brother. Although he struggles to escape the consequences of his previous lifestyle, he refuses to talk about the past. Brazos has to deal with sending Samuel back to Texas to make amends or allowing him to have a new start in Dakota. To make things even more complicated, Samuel decides to marry a divorced woman with several children and a questionable reputation. Through it all, Samuel never gives up his Christian heritage.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction

257 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Stephen Bly (August 17, 1944 - June 9, 2011) authored 100 books and hundreds of articles. His book, THE LONG TRAIL HOME, (Broadman & Holman), won the prestigious 2002 CHRISTY AWARD for excellence in Christian fiction in the category western novel. Three other books, PICTURE ROCK (Crossway Books), THE OUTLAW'S TWIN SISTER (Crossway Books), and LAST OF THE TEXAS CAMP (Broadman & Holman), were Christy Award finalists. He spoke at colleges, churches, camps and conferences across the U.S. and Canada. He was the pastor of Winchester Community Church, and served as mayor of Winchester, Idaho (2000-2007). He spoke on numerous television and radio programs, including Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family. He was an Active Member of the Western Writers of America. Steve graduated summa cum laude in Philosophy from Fresno State University and received a M.Div from Fuller Theological Seminary. The Blys have three sons: Russell (married to Lois) and father of Zachary and Miranda (married to Chris Ross) and mother of Alayah, Michael (married to Michelle), and Aaron (married to Rina Joye) and father of Keaton and Deckard. A third generation westerner, Steve spent his early years working on ranches and farms.

Reviews

[Pop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe my all time favorite Western series. The characters are well defined, the drama exhilarating, locations well defined, just a wonderful series. The narrator, Jerry Sciarrio, is very good, one of the best I have experienced.

[Janis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had no idea I was starting a series, and unfortunately not at the beginning. It doesn’t say that anywhere in the book that I could see. I only found that out here on Goodreads. I was lost a lot in the last half of the book. Some in the first half as well, but not as much. Consequently, the story didn’t flow that well for me. As much as others liked it, I’m sure that strongly affected my enjoyment of the book.

[Grape · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good old fashioned western. Had a bit too much of the Christian faith thrown in for my taste, but it was easier to stomach being that this faith was popular in the cowboy culture at the time it was based. Some of the events were a bit ridiculous to be believable. But the characters were lovable and brought to life effectively by the reader Jerry Sciarrio. Lots of suspense.

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

great

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Dave Bullock]

It was a good story. A wayward boy that finds his way back to his family. I liked it.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very easy read and a pretty decent rendering of the prodigal son story.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story. I liked it. A wayward son returns home.

[LadySnowAngel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still easily my favorite in the series. Love Sam's story.