Western Indian Fiction

He came west to the Rockies as a young runaway and grew into a legend among the already legendary frontier mountain men. They called him Preacher - a name that would become a monument to all who sought adventure in the savage wilderness of America's untamed west. The only man with the skills to lead a wagon train on the last leg of the rugged Oregon trail, Preacher knows they're headed into trouble. It's hard enough for a hundred greenhorns to survive the wilds of the northwest; being pursued by thieving renegade outlaws and Indians with a thirst for gold makes it damn near impossible.

A Zuni Indian boy dies in a bizarre ritual slaying - and his best friend, a Navajo youth, is missing. Navajo police lieutenant Joe Leaphorn tracks the friend from Zuni village to Navajo hogan, from anthropological dig to hippie commune, across the desert of New Mexico and Arizona.

The year is 1870, and Fool's Crow, so called after he killed the chief of the Crows during a raid, has a vision at the annual Sun Dance ceremony. The young warrior sees the end of the Indian way of life and the choice that must be made: resistance or humiliating accommodation.

Tell Sackett had fought his share of Indians and managed to take something of value from his battles: a deep and abiding respect. But that respect is lost when Apache braves kidnap his nephew, forcing Tell to cross the border into the Sierra Madres to bring the boy back. What troubles Tell more, though, is the boy’s mother: Could she possibly be inventing a rescue mission to deliver her husband’s brother into an ambush?

Larry McMurtry continues the story of Tasmin Berrybender and her family in the Wild West of the 1830s. This is the point in time when mountain men and trappers like Jim Bridger and Kit Carson, though still alive, are already legendary figures, and when the clash between the Indian tribes and the encroaching white Americans is about to turn into tragedy.

By 1873, the great buffalo herds have been all but wiped out, and the hide hunters are looking for other work. So when Gage Jameson hears of one remaining herd, he sees a final opportunity to make a huge profit. But to find the buffalo, he will have to take his line of wagons deep into Comanche territory, where death lurks behind every rock.

In 1885, while The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was becoming one of the best-selling American classics of modern times, Mark Twain began this sequel in which Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, and Jim head west on the trail of two white girls kidnapped by Sioux warriors. Fifteen thousand words into the work, Twain stopped in the middle of a sentence, never to go back. The unfinished story sat on dusty shelves for more than a hundred years until author Lee Nelson decided to finish it.

The Comanche warrior Horseback is born on the same day that the first horse comes to his people. He matures into a powerful leader of uncommon wisdom and vision. Through the strong medicine granted to him by the spirits and the love of Teal, the most beautiful woman in his tribe, Horseback is destined to forge a new direction and lead the Comanches to rule the plains.

The seventh novel in the acclaimed Sean Stranahan mystery series: Scarecrows are appearing in the cliffs above the Smith River in Montana, and state investigator Harold Little Feather is trying to discover the culprit leaving the hay figures in the cliffs, with signs painted that read "No Smith River Mine - Not on My Watch." The event is related to a copper mine project that threatens the river, but his investigation takes an ominous turn when a little girl claims that a scarecrow chased her in the night.

Wambleeska, the youngest son of the Lakota Chief, has grown up in a changing world. Gone are the days of his forefathers. Now, the future is bright with possibilities, and Wambleeska is ready to join his people in this exciting new world. There is just one problem. Unlike his brother, who recently found love and happiness, Wambleeska has felt no connection with any of the women from his tribe, or even the ladies belonging to the nearby settlement of Daisy Creek. Longing for a family of his own, Wambleeska decides to take matters into his own hands and advertise for a mail-order bride.

He came off the frontier: a buffalo hunter, a gambler, a loner. In Abilene, he won a saloon at cards and earned the fear of a lawless town. From then on, Jake Kincaid would not be stopped. He began a rampage of ambition and deal-making that forever changed a land called Kansas and the Indian Territories. But along the way, the deeds and misdeeds of Jake Kincaid affected more than the frontier - they shaped the lives of his two sons. One who became a lawman. One who became an outlaw. Both destined to come face-to-face behind blazing guns....

Elmer Kelton is hailed as the greatest Western author of all time by the Western Writers of America and has earned six Spur Awards during his impressive career. In Badger Boy, Kelton effortlessly sweeps listeners back to the post-Civil War Texas frontier, where ranger Rusty Shannon hopes to settle down as a respectable farmer. But trouble brews when Rusty captures Badger Boy, a white child raised by the Comanches who murdered his parents.

In a riveting novel of love and adventure, young Julius Meyer comes to the New World to find himself acting as translator for the famed Indian chief, Standing Bear. Young Jewish immigrant Julius comes of age surrounded by the wild world of 1867 Nebraska. He befriends the mysterious Prophet John, who saves his life when the two are captured by the Ponca Indian tribe. Living as a slave, Julius meets the noble chief Standing Bear and his young daughter, Prairie Flower, with whom he falls in love.

Will Cannon rides to west Texas looking for the Blackman Gang, but as soon as he gets there he finds a Texas Ranger, Duke Wills, being attacked by a group of Comanches. Will helps Duke fight off the Comanches and then he finds out about a gang of outlaws that have been making moonshine and selling the moonshine and rifles to the Comanches. Will has to ride into the No Man's Land known as the Indian Nations to find some of the outlaws. He also finds a beautiful woman in Amarillo that needs help.

The Indian, the Bookbinder & Abby: An Oregon Trail Journey, is a wonderful and emotional love story about one young woman traveling the Oregon Trail with her father. She is engaged to a self-centered, controlling, and very angry young man. When a young bookbinder spots her ancient family bible, which is falling apart, he tells her he'll restore it for her. Her fiancé becomes enraged and when the bible is completed there is an altercation and someone dear to Abby gets critically injured. This love story has a fulfilling and satisfying ending.

A narrative of the unparalleled adventures of Matthew Brayton is compiled for the satisfaction of those who wished to preserve a memorial of his romantic history. Extraordinary as the incidents may appear, there is abundant proof of their entire truth. Living witnesses bear testimony to the circumstances of the mysterious loss of the hero, and his identity is established by incontrovertible proofs. Numerous circumstances also confirm the account given by him of his adventures during the 34 years spent among the Indians.

Life has never been simple for Jennifer McBee. As if being shy and hard of hearing wasn’t enough, now Jennifer is faced with the humiliation of her failed wedding. Desperate to escape, Jennifer decides to leave heartbreak behind her and travels west to be with her brother, the pastor of a small Nebraska town called Daisy Creek. While her brother has hopes for her making some new friendships with the townsfolk of Daisy Creek, Jennifer still feels removed from the community of this close-knit town.

One love-struck businessman; one compassionate Sioux maiden; one heart-wrenching decision. Is the power of love enough to save an entire tribe? Five years ago, when Edward James settled in Bear Creek to manage the mines, he saw a future of business and opportunity. He didn’t plan to fall in love. But since the moment he met Morning Sun, his world has been turned upside down. If only her family would accept him, he could be the devoted husband he longed to be, but how can he convince them that he’s worthy of Morning Sun’s love?

This book takes place in the 1800s when the Native Americans were fighting for their way of life. During this time, many immigrants were arriving in America. This immigrant's name is Sheffy. He, too, had a dream of coming to America, and saved all his money to start a new life in the free world.

16-year-old Charles Dobbs returned from hunting to find the family farm has been attacked by Indians, their home burned to the ground. His father’s tortured body lies tied to a wagon, and his mother is dying. The agony they have suffered makes a deep impression on Charlie’s young mind, one that would haunt him for many years to come. In this adventure, he becomes a man as he interacts with different tribes, builds lasting friendships...and even longer-lasting enemies.