Saving Tom Black

 A Jake Silver Adventure

by Jere D. James
Moonlight Mesa Associates, 2009

Escaping from an Orphan Train, teenager Elizabeth DuBonnet sets out to find her mother and sister. With only a little stolen money her determination to succeed is her only strength. As the hopelessness of her task starts to take it’s toll, Elizabeth, with the help of Thomas Jefferson, becomes Tom Black, hoping that disguised as a young man she’ll attract less attention as she continues her search.

Jake Silver is the new U.S. Deputy Marshal whose path keeps crossing that of Tom Black, and like most everyone else who meets Black, sees straight through Elizabeth’s disguise which leads to some very humorous exchanges of dialogue and situations. Silver takes Elizabeth under his wing and promises to help her in her quest. Of course Silver has his own business to attend to and cannot stay with Elizabeth all the time and she once more sets out alone to find her mother.

Elizabeth soon discovers that life on the trail is full of dangers, heartbreak and the confusing emotions of chasing dreams and falling in love. Jake Silver attempts to ward off those feelings of attraction and love, whilst taking on a group of land-grabbers and murderers whilst investigating missing girls that may, or may not, be linked to a local Mormon community.

Jere D. James has written a book that grabs the readers’ attention from the opening paragraph and doesn’t let go until the final word. His smooth flowing prose is easy to read and he paces the story beautifully. There are many heart-warming scenes and others that sadden. There’s plenty of action as both Elizabeth and Silver find themselves fighting for their lives. The book is filled with memorable characters that are portrayed expertly, making it easy for the reader to share their pain and joy.

And does Elizabeth find her mother and sister? Does she find love and happiness with Jake? Sorry that’s not for me to reveal here, you’ll just have to buy the book to find out for yourselves, and hopefully enjoy the journey to those answers as much as I did.

Saving Tom Black will be officially released in late October and will "debut" at Mesa's Old West Days Festival, November 7th and 8th, in Mesa, Arizona. To find out more, and to order the book go here.

A second Jake Silver novel, Apache, is scheduled to appear in 2010.

Westerns read in 2009

For my final post of 2009 I thought I’d post a list of the 100 westerns I’ve read during the year. Most of them have been reviewed here, and the rest will be soon.

I’d also like to wish all visitors to this blog a Happy New Year.

JANUARY READS – 6 books

01. The Trailsman #326: Silver Mountain Slaughter by Jon Sharpe
02. The Badge #4: Powder River by Bill Reno
03. The Warhunter #1: Killers’ Council by Scott Siegel
04. Cherokee Justice by William Kennedy
05. The Pirooters by Mark Mellon
06. The Trailsman #327: Idaho Gold Fever by John Sharpe


FEBRUARY READS – 8 books

07. The Stone Garden: The Epic Life of Billy the Kid by Bill Brooks
08. Longhorns and Outlaws by Linda Aksomitis
09. Abilene #4: The Night Riders by Justin Ladd
10. The Trailsman #328: Texas Triggers by Jon Sharpe
11. Lanigan and the Silent Mourner by Ronald Martin Wade

12. The Shadow Riders by Owen G. Irons

13. Crow #1: The Red Hills by James W. Marvin
14. Wilderness #59: Only the Strong by David Thompson

MARCH READS – 8 books
15. The Texians #1: The Texians by Zach Wyatt
16. The Trailsman #329: Bayou Trackdown by Jon Sharpe
17. The Gunsmith (Giant Edition #13) The Marshal from Paris by J.R. Roberts
18. Slocum #107: Sixguns at Silverado by Jake Logan
19. Die this Day by Dempsey Clay

20. Guns of Virtue by Peter Wilson

21. Joe Blade by Matt Chisholm
22. The Judge #6: Lawless Land by Hank Edwards

APRIL READS – 6 books
23. Ruff Justice #2: Night of the Apache by Warren T. Longtree
24. The Derby Man #4: The Pony Express War by Gary McCarthy
25. Longarm #26: Longarm and the Dragon Hunters by Tabor Evans
26. On the Great Plains by Logan Winters

27. Rawhide Ransom by Tyler Hatch

28. The Trailsman #331: Northwoods Nightmare by Jon Sharpe

MAY READS – 8 books

29. The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark
30. .45-Caliber Deathtrap by Peter Brandvold
31. On the Wrong Track by Steve Hockensmith
32. Street and Smith’s Western Adventure – Vol. 2 #5 British Edition
33. Long Shadows by Terry James

34. Wilderness #60: The Outcast by David Thompson
35. The $300 Man by Ross Morton

36. Time to Kill by Lee Lejeune


JUNE READS – 6 books

37. Bad Day in Babylon by Clayton Nash

38. The Trailsman #332: Beartooth Incident by Jon Sharpe
39. The Tarnished Star by Jack Martin
40. The .45 Goodbye by Dempsey Clay
41. The Outpost by Owen G. Irons

42. Lanigan and the She-Wolf by Ronald Martin Wade


JULY READS – 8 books
43. Riders from Long Pines by Ralph Cotton
44. Claw #1: Day of Fury by Matthew Kirk
45. Portrait of an Outlaw by J.D. Kincaid

46. Riders of the Barren Plains by I.J. Parnham

47. The Trailsman #333: Black Hills Badman by Jon Sharpe
48. Gunman’s Walk by Clint Ryker

49. Rio Bonito by Abe Dancer

50. The Short Creek Rustlers by J.D. Ryder


AUGUST READS – 9 books
51. Partners by D.M. McGowan
52. The Third Rider by Barry Cord
53. The Trailsman #334: Colorado Clash by Jon Sharpe
54. Gannon’s Law by Peter Wilson
55. Gun Fury by Walt Keene

56. Wilderness #61: The Scalp Hunters by David Thompson
57. Gunhawk by John Long
58. Dragonfire Trail by Hank J. Kirby
59. Arizona Pay-Off by Duke Patterson


SEPTEMBER READS – 14 books

60. The Trailsman #335: Riverboat Rampage by Jon Sharpe
61. Nickajack by Robert J. Conley
62. Cord by Owen Rountree
63. Pony Soldiers #1: Slaughter at Buffalo Creek by Chet Cunningham
64. Saving Tom Black by Jere D. James
65. The Gunsmith #330: The Dead Town by J.R. Roberts
66. Misfit Lil Cheats the Hangrope by Chap O’Keefe
67. Death Comes Riding by Terrell L. Bowers

68. Shoot-Out at San Lorenzo by Henry Remington

69. Gunsmoke by T.T. Flynn
70. Misfit Lil Robs the Bank by Chap O’Keefe

71. Dead Man’s Range by Paul Durst
72. The Plains of Laramie by Lauran Paine
73. Beyond the Crimson Skies by Owen G. Irons


OCTOBER READS – 10 books

74. Barjack and the Unwelcome Ghost by Robert J. Conley
75. Longarm and the Lone Star Trackdown (Giant Edition #27) by Tabor Evans
76. The Guns of Sapinero by Frank Leslie
77. Hangtown by Logan Winters

78. Harlan by Frank Roderus
79. Iron Eyes Makes War by Rory Black

80. Death Ground by Ed Gorman
81. The Staked Plains by Billy Moore
82. The Battle for Skillern Tract by Matt Laidlaw
83. The Trailsman #336: Utah Outlaws by Jon Sharpe

NOVEMBER READS – 8 books
84. Sweep of Fury by Dempsey Clay

85. The Loner by J.A. Johnstone
86. The Trailsman #337: Silver Showdown by Jon Sharpe
87. Trail of the Burned Man by Thomas McNulty

88. Always the Guns by Matt James

89. Wilderness #62: The Tears of God by David Thompson
90. Rustler’s Range by Billy Hall
91. Revenge by Fire by Bill Williams

DECEMBER READS – 9 books

92. Fatal Justice – A Ralph Compton novel – by David Robbins
93. The Branded Man by J.D. Ryder

94. The Trailsman #338: Texas Trackdown by Jon Sharpe
95. Dalton’s Mission by Ed Law
96. Gun Law by Lee Walker
97. Medicine Hat by David Walks-As-Bear
98. Ryder of the Hills by Robert J. Horton
99. Six For Laramie by Rick Dalmas

100. The Trailsman #87: Brothel Bullets by Jon Sharpe

Apache

by Jere D. James

Moonlight Mesa Associates, 2010

The second book to feature Jake Silver has had its publishing date brought forward due to demand, and like the first book, Saving Tom Black, this proves to be an excellent read too.

Jere D. James has a wonderful talent of making the reader care about the people he writes about, even those who could be seen as the bad guys. The story’s main character is a woman, Sophy. A woman with a heartbreaking past that sees her living with an evil man, a man she is saved from by an Apache.

It is the relationship between Sophy and Nantan Lupan, the growing love between them, that brings forth the books main message of racial prejudice and hypocrisy, the latter something Jake Silver will battle with as he fights to end this relationship before it goes too far, and if that means having to kill the Apache to do so then so be it, even if this also risks destroying his own bond with his sister Sophy.

Having Jake Silver’s sister in the story allows Jere D. James to fill in more about Silver’s past, tell a little about his childhood and parents.

As Silver attempts to return his sister to civilization he will find himself struggling with doubts about his own relationship with Betsy, his growing feelings of being trapped giving rise to an anger that will see him picking fights. When the Apache kidnaps Sophy – the only way Natan Lupan belives he can be with the woman – Silver finds himself on a deadly hunt in the desert.

Jere D. James packs this tale with exciting and gripping situations that grab the readers attention from the word go, making the book very difficult to put down before the end. And even as the tale comes to a close Jere D. James has one more surprise to spring, one that will have the reader very eager for the next book in the series, Canyon of Death, to be published, something that in my opinion can’t come fast enough!

Incident at Confederate Gulch

By Ethan Harker

Hale, June 2014

When 17-year old Tom Hogan’s sister is offered a job at a theatre in the mining town of Diamond City, Montana, he little realizes that his twin is in danger of being drawn into a life of prostitution. When he discovers the truth, the young man sets off to rescue her.

But his journey leads him into the underground world of gambling dens and hurdy-gurdy houses. His plans go awry and unwittingly he becomes involved in the break-up of a gang of opium smugglers. He also learns that being a real man means a good deal more than just carrying a gun or winning at a Faro table.

Ethan Harker is a pseudonym, one of a fistful used by Simon Webb, and is the second tale I’ve read by him. Like the previous book I found he has a style all of his own that took a little getting used to, for instance it’s like there is someone watching over the storyteller who will jump in and explain something every now and again.

The plot is straight-forward and has regular bursts of violence. What I enjoyed the most was seeing how Tom Hogan’s visions for his future changed due to the different situations he has to deal with and the conflict this creates within himself, and whether destiny will give him the option of choosing one path or the other after saving his sister – if the latter is possible.

The author inserts a lot of interesting information about the opium trade and the law’s attempts to close it down, a battle that continues until this day, so this part of the plot is something that today’s readers can all too easily relate to.

Once used to the author’s style the book is a fast, easy read that has a neat twist at the end which brings the story to a satisfying close.

Incident at Confederate Gulch has an official release date of June 30th but is already available from the usual Internet bookstores.

*Please note that if searching for this book at Amazon they've spelt the title wrongly (see below).

Incident at Gonfederate Gulch At Amazon.com

Incident at Gonfederate Gulch (Black Horse Western) At Amazon.co.uk