West of Fort Laramie

BALL CREEK ZACH #1

By Steve Ritchie

September 2017

Zach Fugate came home from the war to the mountains of Kentucky, only to be greeted with hostility, because he had fought for the North. So, to avoid drawing his family into a shooting feud, he loaded a canoe with trade-goods and his few belongings and headed west for the Black Hills of the Dakotas.

He left Ball Creek to avoid difficulties, but no matter where his travels take him or how hard he tries to avoid it, trouble seems to always be waiting for Ball Creek Zach. Nevertheless, romance blooms and new friendships are made as gunsmoke hangs in the air and blood covers the ground from St. Joseph to Fort Laramie and back.

A book of adventure and discovery. A tale that tells of Ball Creek Zach finding a place to set up a new home that also contains riches of more than one kind. Steve Ritchie’s descriptions of this hidden valley paint vivid imagery that place the reader right there, experiencing the wonders and grandeur of nature as if you were standing right beside Fugate.

Ritchie also has the ability to create believable characters and many of these will become new friends for Zach, one he hopes to settle down with.

Along the way Zach comes across those who want what he has, those who just like to push others around, and these are dealt with expertly and swiftly. Ritchie’s action sequences being well told and filled with tension.

I’ve purposely been a bit vague in revealing too much about the story as I don’t want to give anything away to those intending to read this book. 

The author also plants the seeds for storylines that could be developed in the sequel, plots of not just hope and happiness but also of confrontation that could threaten Zach’s new life in the worst way possible. Hopefully I will get around to finding out soon as the sequel to this story Return to the Sweetwater, was also published in 2017.

Sabinas Kid

By Steve Ritchie

Hale, February 2012

After receiving a four-month-old letter from his mother, in which she asks for his help, Caleb McConnell (the Sabinas Kid) leaves Old Mexico, heading home to Colorado. But along the trail, an attempt is made on his life and The Kid begins to understand something of his parents’ troubles.

His challenge is to discover why someone is after his folks’ ranch, the Rafter MC, and who is behind it all. When Caleb finally reaches Del Norte, he encounters one surprise after another. Childhood friendship are renewed, old grudges are re-energized, and guns blaze across the Rio Grande Valley as the mystery unfolds.

I’d long been looking forward to this, Steve Ritchie’s second Black Horse Western, after really enjoying his first, The Black Mountain Dutchman, so very much. Would it match, or even surpass that excellent debut novel?

Steve Ritchie certainly has the knack for creating memorable characters that soon have the reader caring about them, hoping they succeed with their ambitions, even though he puts all kinds of obstacles in their path. With so much mystery surrounding the seemingly pointless land grab for his parents ranch and no leads to follow the reader has to wonder how the Sabinas Kid will find out just what is going on. In fact The Kid seriously considers giving up and settling down for the easy life but others aren’t about to let this happen.

Another mystery surrounds his fathers’ activities, trained and respected in the fields of geology and archaeology, he has been searching in the mountains for something. Now murdered, along with his wife, he can’t be asked either. When Caleb does discover the answer he is still none the wiser and he hits another dead end.

Steve Ritchie’s tale grabs the readers’ attention from the opening sentence and his prose then refuses to let the reader go until the final word has been read. His plot is well thought out and offers plenty of surprises along the way and includes well-described bursts of action.

So, to answer my own question, yes this book definitely matches the quality of his first novel, which means I recommend it to all western fans.

Sabinas Kid is officially released on February 29th, but is available now from the usual Internet bookstores.

The Black Mountain Dutchman

by Steve Ritchie

A Black Horse Western from Hale, October 2010

When Maggie Buckner is captured by a gang of outlaws an unlikely old man known as ‘The Dutchman’ is the only one who can set her free. Outnumbered eight to one, the Dutchman perches on a bench near Savage Peak, watching the fugitives as they ride out onto the open prairie. He adjusts the sights of his Remington No. 1 Rifle and waits as the first rider comes into range. When he stops shooting, three of the captors lay dead.

After striking the first deadly blows, the Dutchman trails the group across South Pass through the unpredictable Wyoming springtime weather, like the fourth horseman of the apocalypse…and surely Hell follows him.

Steve Ritchie begins his tale in the middle of the manhunt. He hints at what has gone before and this technique certainly kept this reader glued to the pages as I soon became hooked with the need to know why the old man was tracking, and killing, the outlaws, what the girl meant to him, and how the story would end.

The second chapter begins nine months before the first and for a large portion of the book Steve Ritchie tells the back-story of his characters. He really fleshes them out well and soon had me caring about their fate. Once the story catches up to the opening chapter I felt myself sharing the urgency and fears of the Dutchman and his companion, Tim, as they track the outlaws. Steve Ritchie’s descriptions of the land and adverse weather conditions being as well told as the rest of the story.

Having read many Black Horse Westerns in the past I was soon thinking I knew how this book would end. The Dutchman would kill the outlaws, free Maggie and Tim would end up romantically involved with her and all would live happily ever after. Damn, was I in for a surprise. Nothing turned out as I expected making the ending of the book hit home hard, leaving me with an ending I’m going to remember for a long time.

According to the dedication The Black Mountain Dutchman is Steve Ritchie’s first published novel, and I’m certain we’ll see many more.

The Black Mountain Dutchman is officially released at the end of the month but is available now from a number of Internet booksellers. I’m sure this one will sell-out fast so, if you’d like a copy, I’d suggest getting your order in now to avoid disappointment.