Guy Vanderhaeghe, The Last Crossing. Their imperious father sends Charles and Addington Gaunt off to the wilds of the American West in search of their brother, Simon. Beguiled by a crackpot cultic preacher, Simon has followed him to America in high hopes of converted the heathen. But Simon has disappeared.

The tale is told by alternating voices: Addington, domineering, Charles, sympathetic and moralistic, Lucy Stoveall, a lovely woman seeking revenge for the murder of her sister, Simon, idealitic and naive, Custis Straw, tormented civil war veteran, Jerry Potts, half Blackfoot, half Scottish guide. Other colourful, well-written characters come and go through the story.

Each of the characters in the story search for something different taking them from St. Louis to the borders of British Canada, on to Fort Edmonton then For Whoop-up on the Alberta border. Throughout we gain amazing insights into the customs of the Indian tribes, the metis, the traders, etc plus glimpses of the topography of the land at that time.

At first I was annoyed to see the tale told by differing voices, but not far into the book began to enjoy the differing perspectives. Love, murder, savagery, mingle with English manners and Indian customs.