Some things I can't do.

Terry has written a good yarn. It's interesting, has a good pace, and has well developed characters. The thing I hate is Terry's use of the word "nigger" for anything on two legs. I can find no historical reason for this and I would not recommend it for reading.

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Strikingly "Authentic" Historical Drama

Terry C. Johnston demonstrates a genuine talent for immersing his readers/listeners into mind's-eye realistic settings in this (his first) book. He clearly understands the Wild West as it stood in the early 1800s: hardscrabble, lawless, under persistent threat or loyal friendship from Indians, in a constant war against an unforgiving Mother Nature, etc. The absolute necessity of pioneering perserverance comes through clearly and Johnston makes the point by putting readers/listeners directly into pre-Civil War Wyoming.

The book follows the life of St Louis native Josiah Paddock - growing up poor, fleeing justice after killing a rival, heading West to start a career as a Beaver Trapper, and eventually teaming up with seasoned mountain man 'Titus "Scratch" Bass'
..and then Grand Teton adventures ensue.

The vocabulary/prose is competent, the dialogue is cinematic, the descriptions are unsurpassed, and the hyper-realistic setting is sweeping in scope.
Less fortunately, nothing of any real consequence happens in the book: it's more a fictional biography/travel book than a narrative (esentially a series of character & setting-development anecdotes). Notwithstanding a "catch the traitor" storyline towards the end of the novel, there really isn't any "plot" worth describing.
In addition, there are loooooooong stretches of totally irrelevant scenes in the book (e.g  20 minutes describing being measured for new mocassins - I'm Not Kidding.. arguing over what material to use, learning how to put them on and walk in them so that they last, and on & on...). An effective editor could easily cut 15 hours without changing this book at all [small wonder 29 publishers rejected 'Carry The Wind' until Johnston finally found one willing to take a chance].
Lastly, the author inserts so many colloquiallisms into the dialogue that it becomes annoying: ("Caint" instead of "can't"; "Yar" instead of "year"; "Har" instead of "hair"; "If'n" instead of "if"; etc.). The technique - designed to put readers into Johnston's world - is overdone to the point that it becomes unintentionally distracting.

As to Narration: reader Alex Boyes turns in a creditable - if unspectacular - performance. His diction, cadence, and tone are commendable.. but his timbre is a little high-pitched for a Western story, he reads a little too slowly (listen at 1.15X), and his voice-acting is unimpressive (giving a Scottish character an Irish lilt is baffling). Altogether, the performance is solidly "adequate".

Besides being about twice as long as it needs to be (and suffering from ho-hum quality standards), this 5/10 star effort would really benefit from some underlying plot device: perhaps a pursuing 'Javert' character or something.
Regardless, if you can get it included with your subscription as I did (a 'Plus' option), this audiobook is a reasonable download. Should Audible ask for a Credit, however, I would recommend passing.

[Incidentally: If you decide to give the book a try, be aware that the descriptions of drinking blood and eating raw intestines are straight-up nauseating.. and the explicit sex scenes are so comically incongruous you will laugh out loud]

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