A new action-packed historical Western from an award-winning author of more than forty Western bestsellers.
THEY CALLED HIM CRAZY WOLF
As a widower with three young boys, Duncan Hunter dreamed of a new life for his sons in the heart of Washington Territory. But the journey was doomed from the start. Before reaching Hell Gate, their wagon train was attacked by Blackfoot Indians. Most of the pioneers were viciously murdered. But Hunter’s son Cody survived—taken in by Crow Indians and raised as one of their own. They called the boy Crazy Wolf. This is his story . . .
From hunting and tracking on the American frontier to leading patrols on covert missions for the U.S. Army, Cody Hunter would become one of the most valued scouts in the nation. But a part of him would always be Crazy Wolf—a man of two worlds, as wild and free as the land itself. And every bit as dangerous . . .
First in a blazing new series by Spur Award-winning author Charles G. West!
“Rarely has an author painted the great American West in strokes so bold, vivid, and true.” —Ralph Compton
Charles 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.
Best I’ve read in 2023 for this genre! What an amazing, well written book is: “To Hell and Gone” by Charles G. West! The first in an epic new series about the making of an American legend, Set in 19th century Yellowstone, this is the story of Crazy Wolf. Sole survivor of a brutal attack by a Blackfoot war party on the wagon he was in riding in as his family were heading to start a new life west, Cody Hunter, a young 5 yr old boy shot in the back was found under a clump of bushes by “Spotted Pony”, a Crow Indian chief, who nurses him back to health and raises him as his own son, teaching him all the ways of the Crow. Most especially, he becomes a highly talented scout, He and his brother Bloody Axe, eventually are hired by the US Army as skilled scouts they need for Army operations.
Jam packed with action, rescue operations, revenge, avengment, with having to fight prejudice and ignorance, Crazy Wolf can never forget the father who raised him to be Crow as he moves and hunts like a ghost delivering a swift kill one never thought coming, but nor can he forget he looks (save for the braids) and talks like a white man being born of while parents.
There comes a time in his life when so much of his Crow world (as he knew it) is gone, and living on a reservation is an unacceptable and unappealing option to him. Thus he decides in order to remain a free man, he is going to have to learn to live as a white man. But he discovers a mind blowing twist as he is just about to embark on this new chapter in his life!
The characters and scenes are so well written, so believable and really come to life; I was completely engrossed from first to last page wanting more. Highly recommended.
5 Bright Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My thanks to NetGalley, Charles G. West, and the publisher for an ARC. All opinions are voluntary and are my own.z
It was the late author Bill Crider, with his 'Outrage at Blanco' novel that made me love revenge stories so much and in away revenge stories for me will always be a tribute to him.
Another awesome read, from the 2018 Spur Award winning author, from one of the greatest Western writers of the 21st Century. West never disappoints, puts his readers right into the pages, not afraid to get a little blood on his hands, as far as being a clean read, and a master with creating believable characters.
With To Hell and Gone, author Charles G. West created a masterpiece with a scout raised by the Crow tribe, called Crazy Wolf, that has multiple intertwining storylines, has every elements you'd want in a Western, good very evil and is the first book in the Cody Hunter Series.
He rescues an Officer's daughter from the Blackfeet, hunts down an adversary who tried to destroy his reputation as an Army Scout and kills him for killing his blood brother. Cody desirers after getting closure from the Crow Indian couple who raised him to embrace and live his life as a White man verse Indian. He sets out to explore the Mountains, where his dad and brothers where killed or so he thought. Along the way he visits an old Officer friend, ends up rescuing two children Sister and Brother stolen by the Blackfeet, finds them a hew home, along the way he kills several criminals and ends with his shocking discover regarding his family.
In all it's another really good Charles G. West novel, another likable character in Cody Hunter, has you turning pages, allows you to escapism from all the bad things in the World, the perfect author to start with if your trying the Western genre for the first time and has a legend smilin' down on him.
I had to look back at all the books I’ve read to confirm and it turns out this really was the first western novel I’ve ever read! That’s hard to believe but I’m thrilled that this was the first because it certainly set the bar as for what to expect from a book in such a genre!
To Hell and Gone seriously surprised me! I thoroughly enjoyed it and once it hit the half way point I legitimately had no idea what to expect for the rest of the story. I’ll expand more on that later. It moved at a great pace with a kickass main character named Crazy Wolf, once known as Cody Hunter. When Cody was five years old his two older brothers and father were a part of a small wagon train to the Washington Territory. They were ambushed by Blackfoot Indians and many died. A group of Crow Indians came upon the massacre some time later once the others moved out and were surprised to find an injured boy, Cody, lying next to a wolf. Taking it as a sign, Spotted Pony gives the boy the name Crazy Wolf and takes the young white boy in as one of their own to be a Crow.
Fifteen years later Crazy Wolf is employed as a scout for the US Army. Known for his incredible scouting skills, he is employed by Captain Boyd to go with a Corporal Ben Walker and Private Fred Castle to meet up with a convoy who is transporting his daughter, Amy, to where Boyd currently resides and calls home. Happening upon the charred remains of the transport wagon he realizes that the Sioux Indians took Amy and it turns into a race against time to get her back. Walker insists that he’s running the show here and wants to bury the bodies of the men who were part of the transport before returning to the fort from which they departed but Crazy Wolf insists on tracking the kidnappers.
Luckily, Crazy Wolf finds them and saves Amy. I loved the way these two interacted and got to know one another as the story progressed! Seeing Amy's confidence improve and the development of a fiery determination after her abduction was great. Upon returning to the fort, a trial ensues due to Walker having reported that Crazy Wolf abandoned the two of them and went off on his own. Crazy Wolf and Walker were already never on the best of terms and following the trial Walker is out to get Crazy Wolf. Following a horrible loss, Crazy Wolf goes after Walker who is now officially a deserter of the US Army. At this point, I figured the entire story would revolve around this plot point. Color me surprised when by page one hundred forty-two that plot line is resolved and there’s still roughly one hundred seventy pages left!!
I loved this though because it allowed Charles G. West to really show off the wild in the wild wild west. It served as a sort of, dare I say, fun reminder that things worked a whole lot differently back in the day! On the way to the next fort or sign of civilization Crazy Wolf might come across one or two men attempting to rob him of his belongings at night. Or he may save someone about to be taken hostage by a man who is holding up a locale where people convene to eat. Even hearing a shot or two down at the local saloon isn’t necessarily cause for alarm because it means someone may have just gotten a little upset after a card game, or engaged in a duel. I feel as if a genre like this opens the doors the same way a time travel or fantasy story would in that as long as you have a damn good character and engaging setting you can really tap into many aspects of the time period and make it come alive in whatever way you please.
Crazy Wolf makes it back to the village his people call home. His father, Spotted Pony, is pleased to see his son but reminds him that he shouldn’t be locked in to living on the reservation the rest of them are eventually going to have to move to, and that he should take advantage of his white man roots. I also have to add here that I love the names the Indians have. It helps them stand out far more than any other name you may typically see. Names such as Two Moons, Walks Fast, Sunflower, Lost Turtle, Many Scalps, Two Toes, and Iron Claw, to name a few!!
Saying farewell to his people, he makes his way to a fort in hopes of seeing an old friend he worked with in the past. Upon finding Lieutenant Ira McCall and getting reacquainted he learns that he arrived on just the right day as he was going to be leaving with a fifteen man convoy to attempt a rescue mission of a young boy and girl. The two were kidnapped by a group of Indians after they attacked their family farm and murdered their father and mother.
From this point on it’s basically the start of act three and this was the standout part of the entire novel! Hell, the entire novel was really well done but this is where it stayed in the same lane until the end. Cody Hunter manages to track down the Blackfoot Indian party and also manages to have a load of success with his rescue mission. At this point in the story the dynamics between the newly introduced characters and Cody was great, especially considering the fact that they’re characters that stick around with Cody the longest. The dialogue was kind of, I could say clunky, or super formal, but in a way that makes it perfect and accurate for the time period! Especially when it comes to Cody, a man who is adorably naive at times as he maneuvers his way through the white man world and finds he has a lot to get reacquainted to in time.
I kick myself for having read the description of book two before finishing this one because the ending gives the reader a great surprise!! That disappointment aside, inflicted entirely by my own self, I’m excited to get around to book two!! I can only hope for the same type of adventures and run-ins. I also have to wonder if we might see any more returning characters. I really enjoyed how quite a few significantly stood out at the places Crazy Wolf/Cody Hunter stopped to trade and eat and gather information, particularly the trading post and stable owners. It certainly serves as a reminder that good people can come into your life and help you along your journey. In this case, out main character proceeds on and it's then up to your imagination to fill in the rest as far as what the supporting characters lives look like in the world of the fictional western genre!
Here is a story that opens with a wagon train traveling only to be attacked and a five-year-old boy Cody Hunter being shot but living and then being raised by an Indian chief as one of his sons. His name becomes Crazy Wolf. later he and his brother become scots for the Army and as the adventures go he is given a mission along with two other soldiers only he finds the daughter of the officer and brings her back to the Fort. It is not that easy and it causes problems between him and one of the other soldiers, to the point of him leaving to track down that soldier. He will later find his father and two brothers still alive when he thought that they were dead. There is a lot going on in this book but everything is done in a way that it all makes sense and works. Plenty of action and a very good book with good characters. I received this book from Netgalley.com
I found that I liked this book. I haven’t finished but was on the site. It is violent in many ways but that’s the frontier for you. Crazy Horse has to be one of the most decent men I’ve ever read about. Not boring by any means. Being chased by a murderous rival tribe, he takes the time to take care of his horse's needs. He is (was) an Indian scout for the US Cavalry and is considered one of the very best. He fights with a rifle, homemade bow and arrow, and knife. Crazy Horse is white, but I won’t spoil it for you. He is fast, smart, compassionate and assertive. I gained in my knowledge of Indian camp living, dressing out animals for their food; ( deer meat spoils in one day if it isn’t smoked right away) and their feelings about moving to a reservation. This read is my first of the situation presented but I’ll look for more.
Well the blurb was enticing, but when I got into the book, I have to say I was bored stiff. The storyline was decent, but the characters were a bit on the boring side. I finished the book, but when the option to read the second one popped up, I passed. I had had enough of Crazy Wolf and his exploits (which weren't exciting in the least). I hate giving bad reviews, but if this is an example of Charles West's writing, then he won't be one of my "favorite" authors. I'm a very fast reader and a book has to grab me from the first page, and I'll know if it's going to be good. This one drug along and was way too long to say a lot of nothing.
Charles G West steps into the long void of Louis L’Amour. I’ve been disappointed by the western writers of late. Too many are writing rawnching romance novels masquerading as westerns. Harlequin on a horse.
West goes back to the man’s man. Willing to right the wrongs and take on the bad guys! Cody Hunter is a hero to follow. Great read!
I read a lot of books I’m retired now and reading is my main hobby. Mr. West I have to say your Book “ Hell and Gone” is the best and most entertaining I have read in guíte sometime . I read and enjoy a lot of William Johnstown’s books. Two or three a week. Mr. West you are up there with the best.
Cody Hunter and his family were caught in an attack by an Indian tribe. Cody survived when he was protected by a. wolf. He was given the name Crazy Wolf and thrived in their care. As an adult he leaves the life he has led as an army scout to explore a new life. His story is full of adventures. If you enjoy stories of the wild West, then this one is for you!
Interesting story. Not at all what I expected. And set up of course to be a series with a surprise ending.
The hero was born white, raised by the Crow from age 5, and is a scout for the Army post. The novel unfolds with him rescuing a couple of settlers kidnapped by Blackfeet and Sioux.
I may read another one. The characters are engaging but a bit too 'heroic'.
This is the first time I've read a book by this author. I enjoyed it very much. The storyline was well balanced with interesting characters and subplots. Time and place is established nicely, and the pace was crisp and consistent. The MC is both interesting and likeable. Quality writing and an interesting story make for an excellent read!
This was a fun read. The hero pulls off amazing feats, but that is one of the reasons we like him. It is like reading about Jack Reacher (Lee Childs books) taking on a couple of armed toughs and soundly beating them. I will look for others in this series.
The author has written a very adventures story of one boy’s adventures from when he lost his family when he was young until his adult life. Very enjoyable reading.
This is a great book that was free with my Prime. I was looking forward to book 2, but I am not a fan of TRAP series. Book 2 is not free for $6.99. I wouldn't care except that book 1 was a free trap. I don't like playing games!
No complicated plots, just a honest story, that was satisfying to my soul. The good guys win, no agonizing over the right of self defense. Straight shooting at a fast pace.
Starts out really good, but as the story continues, I got bored with it. Has some action in it but is still a slow read.
Has a lot about the character and others eating a lot. Reminded me of another western author or ghost writers that does the same thing on a lot of their stories.
This is an entertaining book which I enjoyed reading. I intend to read the next book in the series hopefully it’ll be just as entertaining and enjoyable. I had not read a cowboysand injuns book in quite some time and I must admit I missed them‼️
This read more like a journal than a novel. Also, it seemed like anyone he met except for a few were the Bad Guys. He was always the brave hero, leaving the lazy cowards behind. The dialog was stilted, and there was a lot of repetition. I will not be reading the rest of the series.
This book takes place a little bit after Custer’s last stand. The protagonist in the book is kind and clean. No swearing or any sexuality. He’s a good 1950s good guy that does the right thing and his rewarded with success.
I enjoyed this book a lot. I thought it was an interesting story and look forward to reading the next one. The author did a good job developing the main character. Thanks for the free book.