Blood River

I just finished reading this book last night. It was good, but very shocking. The violence was very graphic, I found it hard to believe that I was reading a western. But what made it worth while was knowing that the good guys won and the bad guys lost.

Life is hard in the expanse of the Palo Duro Canyon of Texas. For Chip Morgan, his mother Mercy and father Keith, as well as the other settelers of the region, the biggest threat comes from the Comanche's. Keith keeps after Mercy trying to convince her that they should move on to Jefferson Territory before the Comanche chief Red Hand sends his warriors to their ranch to destroy them or force the family to move off what the Comanche consider their land. Mercy keeps resisting until she sees what was left of their neighbors after the Comanche's attacked and butchered them. So the Morgan's along with their helper Luke Neely began the long and difficult journey from Texas to Ute Mountain. With the help of Julio Selva, the Morgan's secure a place to build a new ranch near Lost Creek. Not all the Indian troubles have been left behind in Texas. Now instead of the Comanche's to contend with, there are the Ute's, who prove to be equally as fierce and brutal to those they consider interlopers on their land. While out hunting, Chip is surprised by a half-breed Ute named Bear. The Ute takes Chip back to his lodge where he meets Bear's wife Willow. Bear teaches Chip how to survive and hunt in the mountains. Bear warns Chip to be careful because the local Ute chief Umiya does not want any Anglos or Mexican's to settle along Lost Creek or near Ute Mountain. All is going well until a Ute warrior sees Luke desecrate a sacred Ute shrine. While Chip and Luke are away, the Ute's attack the Morgan Ranch. Keith is taken captive and Mercy is savagely assuualted. Chip arrives at the ranch to find his mother barely alive. With the aid of Willow, Mercy recovers from her wounds. Chip now knows he must somehow kill Umiya or the family will be destroyed. With Bear's help, Chip devises a plan to kill Umiya and free his father. BLOOD RIVER is an EXCELLENT story of courage and bravery on the western frontier. DON'T MISS this outstanding book from Spur Award winning author Jory Sherman.