A good story of a man going from ranching to gold mining. I kept reading to the last page. Lots of adventure in the West.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a great entry in the Jim Heston series, it had that Western feel that I was looking for and enjoyed about this series. The characters were everything that I was looking for and worked in the time-period and were realistic. It was an engaging story and worked well overall. Carson Mccloud writes a strong story and left me wanting more.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

Lots of action, good guys and very bad guys. Enjoyable read. First time I have read this author and will look for his other books.

3.5☆

This is a classic good versus evil story. The good guy is Jim Heston and the bad one is Cord Bannen. The story begins with a man who is moving from Texas to California along with his family to have a better life. It is in the aftermath of the Civil War and there are lots of hurt feelings in the country. But another golden nugget is found in California, and it just happens to be found by Jim and his father-in-law in a valley where they settled-called Donovan's Valley.

Bannen is a crafty criminal and good with a gun. He wants gold but doesn't want to work for it other than taking it form someone who has worked hard to get it. This criminal enterprise proves to be pretty lucrative, but the man is amoral and thinks nothing of killing whoever gets in his way. He just wants what he wants and that is gold –stolen preferably!

Enter the good guy, Heston, and you have the makings of an intricate dance of good and evil. Wives, children, oldsters, retired military folks, criminals on the run, etc...you get the idea. There is intricate storylines being woven and they all help make for a delightful Western story in the image of the Westerns of the 50s and 60s. If this is what delights you then you will find this book excellent; I did!!

You will learn whether hard work and determination can defeat a thief and equal determination. Not everyone will survive but who will be the last one standing? Enjoy the read and find out.