Luke's Gold

This is the first novel I've read by this writer.I must say,he puts together an excellent tale of the Old West. Though there's no specific mention of the date ,it supposedly takes place, some time after 1871;so probably between then and 1880.It is set mainly in Montana,around Deer Lodge ,Butte and Helena after Cade Hunter has made his was from Colorado .He has decided to make a new life for himself,maybe raising horses.Along the way he encounters Luke Tucker who asks him to help find the gold he stashed away during the Civil War.Retrieving this gold ends up being much more than either of them imagine and leads to a series of events,and characters that result in lots of action and surprises. While Cade is still a young man at 21,he is very apt in handling horses and looking out for himself.The surprises and encounters almost result in his demise a couple of times;but he persists and probably one of the biggest surprises of all is when he is called "the dumbest man I've ever met";and by whom. A good tale and one that has all the makings of a sequel or even a series.A well written story with great action and characters;though not near enough of real colorful Old West language and conservation and expressions or descriptions.

I have read many westerns by this author and have never found one I did not enjoy. If you enjoy a story that is realistic and you never know what is coming next (not the fast draw type of story) you will enjoy this book. Plenty of action and excellent character development.