Here is a story that opens with a wagon train traveling only to be attacked and a five-year-old boy Cody Hunter being shot but living and then being raised by an Indian chief as one of his sons. His name becomes Crazy Wolf. later he and his brother become scots for the Army and as the adventures go he is given a mission along with two other soldiers only he finds the daughter of the officer and brings her back to the Fort. It is not that easy and it causes problems between him and one of the other soldiers, to the point of him leaving to track down that soldier. He will later find his father and two brothers still alive when he thought that they were dead. There is a lot going on in this book but everything is done in a way that it all makes sense and works. Plenty of action and a very good book with good characters.

When Cody was five his Pa and two brothers set out for the Rockies but they would be stopped in the tracks by the Blackfoot and five euro Cody would be found shot in the back laying under a bush being guarded by a wolf. This is where he was when Spotted Pony found him. He would be raised as a crow and given the name Crazy Wolf. When we see him again him and his brother Bloody Axe are scouting for the US Army. Crazy wolf dissent on a patrol with Lieutenant Ben Walker and a Corpol to meet those guarding the captains daughter Amy it is immediately apparent that Lieutenant Walker dislikes crazy wolf or any version of an Indian. This does not stop crazy wolf from doing his duty and being cordial at the same time but when they arrive and see the guards were murdered and Amy is missing Lieutenant Walker tells the carpral and Crazy Wolf there is no need to go after her because she is probably dead and if she’s not she probably wishes she was. Crazy wolf disregard Lieutenant Walker and goes after Amy anyway and he will find her and take care of the seven Indians in the war party after he arrived back at Fort Keo he learns about all the lies Lieutenant Walker putting his report in with the hearing is called it will make another enemy for crazy wolf although it seems I have told the whole story trust me when I say this is just the beginning of crazy wolf‘s adventure I love this book and think it is the first and a new series in OMG I hope it is because crazy wolf is the nicest most lovable hero I have read about in a long time. He’s so innocent and sweet but can take care of business at the same time but never does it out of malice but justice and or revenge. I want to think NetGalley and Kensington books for my free ARC copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

It was the late author Bill Crider, with his 'Outrage at Blanco' novel that made me love revenge stories so much and in away revenge stories for me will always be a tribute to him.

Another awesome read, from the 2018 Spur Award winning author, from one of the greatest Western writers of the 21st Century. West never disappoints, puts his readers right into the pages, not afraid to get a little blood on his hands, as far as being a clean read, and a master with creating believable characters.

With To Hell and Gone, author Charles G. West created a masterpiece with a scout raised by the Crow tribe, called Crazy Wolf, that has multiple intertwining storylines, has every elements you'd want in a Western, good very evil and is the first book in the Cody Hunter Series.

He rescues an Officer's daughter from the Blackfeet, hunts down an adversary who tried to destroy his
reputation as an Army Scout and kills him for killing his blood brother. Cody desirers after getting closure from the Crow Indian couple who raised him to embrace and live his life as a White man verse Indian. He sets out to explore the Mountains, where his dad and brothers where killed or so he thought. Along the way he visits an old Officer friend, ends up rescuing two children Sister and Brother stolen by the Blackfeet, finds them a hew home, along the way he kills several criminals and ends with his shocking discover regarding his family.

In all it's another really good Charles G. West novel, another likable character in Cody Hunter, has you turning pages, allows you to escapism from all the bad things in the World, the perfect author to start with if your trying the Western genre for the first time and has a legend smilin' down on him.

Best I’ve read in 2023 for this genre! What an amazing, well written book is: “To Hell and Gone” by Charles G. West! The first in an epic new series about the making of an American legend, Set in 19th century Yellowstone, this is the story of Crazy Wolf. Sole survivor of a brutal attack by a Blackfoot war party on the wagon he was in riding in as his family was heading to start a new life west, Cody Hunter, a young 5 yr old boy shot in the back was found under a clump of bushes curled up against and being guarded by a wolf. “Spotted Pony”, a Crow Indian chief, nurses him back to health, gives him his Crow name “Crazy Wolf” and raises him as his own son, teaching him all the ways of the Crow. He becomes a highly talented scout, and he and his Crow brother Bloody Axe, eventually are hired by the US Army as skilled Indian scouts needed for Army operations.

Jam packed with action, rescue operations, revenge, avengment, with having to fight prejudice and ignorance, Crazy Wolf can never forget the father who raised him to be Crow as he moves and hunts like a ghost delivering a swift kill one never thought coming, but nor can he forget he looks (save for the braids) and talks like a white man being born of while parents.

There comes a time in his life when so much of his Crow world (as he knew it) is gone, and living on a reservation is an unacceptable and unappealing option to him. Thus he decides in order to remain a free man, he is going to have to learn to live as a white man. But he discovers a mind blowing twist as he is just about to embark on this new chapter in his life!

The characters and scenes are so well written, so believable and really come to life; I was completely engrossed from first to last page wanting more. Highly recommended.

5 Bright Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My thanks to NetGalley, Charles G. West, and the publisher for an ARC. All opinions are voluntary and are my own.z

Dreams don't always come true. This is what happened to the family of Duncan Hunter, who along with his three young sons were traveling to the West. In the journey, the very small wagon train comes under attack from a group of natives called Blackfeet.

In the aftermath of the attack, only one young boy, Cody Hunter, was found by another group of natives called Crow. The boy was found injured and under some bushes where he crawled during the attack. He was being watched over by a wolf, or so it seemed. He was only 5 or so and remembers little.

The Crow adopt him into the tribe and gave him the name of Crazy Wolf after the wolf who seemed crazy to protect him. He became, for all practical purposes, Crow. As such he and his adoptive brother became Army scouts.

He had not forgotten his English but also remembered his American name. But other than those things, he was for all practical purposes one of the Crow. He and his brother became legend both with the Crow but also the US Army. This book is Crazy Wolf/Hunter's story. As might be expected there are twists and turns as well as sorrow and joy.

Cody/Crazy Wolf is a good human and is determined to do good. His adoptive Crow father expected nothing less of both his sons, and they do not disappoint to old man in that regard.

A great, fast read of a story concerning how Native Americans were treated and regarded by some of the White people of the time and how Cody/Crazy Wolf adapts to having a foot in both worlds.

I always look forward to reading a Western book from Charles G. West, this had what I enjoyed from other Western books from the author. The characters had what I enjoyed and appreciated that they belonged in the Western world. It was written well and I enjoyed getting to know the characters.

"After they had taken a couple of drinks, he got up from his table in the corner and walked over to their table, pulled the vacant chair back and sat down. “Well, ain’t this lucky? I was hopin’ some of the boys from my old company might show up here tonight. I don’t know nobody in F Company yet, not like I knew my old comrades I soldiered with in B Company.” He grabbed their bottle and poured himself a drink. “Now B Company, that’s a company of men you can count on. Ain’t that right, Castle?”