What do you think?
Rate this book
Cruel Rider
Deadwood’s always a dangerous town, but the worst is yet to come. Bill Pike wasn’t born a bad man. It took years of hardscrabble living and a cruel, violent upbringing to forge Pike into what he is—a savage killer with no mercy for those who get in his way or do him wrong. Now, his wife has up and run off on him, and he’s not about to let her go without a reckoning. When pretty Polly Pike hires mountain man Jordan Gray to guide her to the Black Hills, he has no problem taking the job—but finds nothing but problems when the pair hit the booming gold town of Deadwood. There’s no shortage of sinister men in town who want to get Polly under the sheets for a spell—and put Gray under the ground forever. But the greatest danger is yet to come. Bill Pike has discovered where his errant wife ran off to, and he’s coming to Deadwood to take back what’s his.“This is the West as it really was—savage, heroic, and unforgettable.” —Ralph Compton
- GenresWesterns
285 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 6, 2005
10 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Charles G. West
71 books75 followersCharles G. West first arrived on the western literary scene in March, 1998 with his first novel, Stone Hand, published by Penguin under their Signet imprint. The book was the first of a three-book series, featuring Jason Coles, master tracker. The public response to those first three books called for more western fiction by West, and as of January 2014, Signet has published forty-five.
Inspired in his youth by great adventure authors like A.B. Guthrie and Vardis Fisher, West has always sought to be true to the men and women who braved the dangers of the savage frontier that was ultimately forged to become the American west. Novels by Charles G. West are classified as historical/westerns due to his diligent research in his subject matter, choosing to weave his fiction into the fabric of the actual places and events, being true to the times as well as the people. As a result, his protagonists are usually not heroes, but are often called upon to perform heroic deeds.
Insisting that his protagonists must be instilled with a sense of fairness in addition to courage. West readily admits that many of the characters in his books are patterned after his two sons, both of whom are graduates of the University of Montana, one still lives in Kalispell, Montana - and is the source of much of the author's detail on the ways of the mountain man. Both sons share West's love for the Big Sky Country.
Presently, the author resides in Ocala, Florida with his wife, Ronda, whose name is found on the dedication page of every West novel.
Inspired in his youth by great adventure authors like A.B. Guthrie and Vardis Fisher, West has always sought to be true to the men and women who braved the dangers of the savage frontier that was ultimately forged to become the American west. Novels by Charles G. West are classified as historical/westerns due to his diligent research in his subject matter, choosing to weave his fiction into the fabric of the actual places and events, being true to the times as well as the people. As a result, his protagonists are usually not heroes, but are often called upon to perform heroic deeds.
Insisting that his protagonists must be instilled with a sense of fairness in addition to courage. West readily admits that many of the characters in his books are patterned after his two sons, both of whom are graduates of the University of Montana, one still lives in Kalispell, Montana - and is the source of much of the author's detail on the ways of the mountain man. Both sons share West's love for the Big Sky Country.
Presently, the author resides in Ocala, Florida with his wife, Ronda, whose name is found on the dedication page of every West novel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 3, 2014
Another awesome read, from one of the greatest Western writers of the 21st Century. West never disappoints, puts his readers in his pages and a master at creating believable characters.
This one is Book #3 of the Jordan Gray series and the final volume in the series. Gray lives the life of a loner, wandering around the Black Hills, haunted by the murder of his wife and son and has limited contact with people.
He has friends at Fort Laramie, where he gets approached by Polly Pike to help get to her Aunt in Deadwood and he turns her down. He ultimately comes to her rescue, after hearing that she hired Jim Eagle to take her to Deadwood and ends up killing him, saving her life.
Gray gets Polly safely Deadwood, once he realizes that she's the niece of his good friend Hattie Moon and it unfortunately leads due to arrest due to his past. Which leads Hattie, with her business partner Maggie Hogg help Gray escape jail and escape back to the Black Hills.
Gray ultimately ends up tracking down Bill Pike, a very bad man that beens on a rampage and kills him.
I'll have too finish this up, another day.
This one is Book #3 of the Jordan Gray series and the final volume in the series. Gray lives the life of a loner, wandering around the Black Hills, haunted by the murder of his wife and son and has limited contact with people.
He has friends at Fort Laramie, where he gets approached by Polly Pike to help get to her Aunt in Deadwood and he turns her down. He ultimately comes to her rescue, after hearing that she hired Jim Eagle to take her to Deadwood and ends up killing him, saving her life.
Gray gets Polly safely Deadwood, once he realizes that she's the niece of his good friend Hattie Moon and it unfortunately leads due to arrest due to his past. Which leads Hattie, with her business partner Maggie Hogg help Gray escape jail and escape back to the Black Hills.
Gray ultimately ends up tracking down Bill Pike, a very bad man that beens on a rampage and kills him.
I'll have too finish this up, another day.
June 23, 2015
Cruel Rider
A great read with many interesting characters. Jordan, a loaner and a mountain man, finds himself entwined in many different lives. A no nonsense man, he reluctantly agrees to help those in need. He finds himself in desperate situations that only a gun can solve. I highly recommend this book to all of you western fans. So, "Giddy Up."
A great read with many interesting characters. Jordan, a loaner and a mountain man, finds himself entwined in many different lives. A no nonsense man, he reluctantly agrees to help those in need. He finds himself in desperate situations that only a gun can solve. I highly recommend this book to all of you western fans. So, "Giddy Up."
July 25, 2009
Bill Pike a savage killer, is looking for his wife who has run away. Jordan Gray has agreed to take her to Deadwood to find an aunt.
March 16, 2016
I really enjoyed the Jordan Gray series. Well written adventure, filled tales in a western/mountain setting.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews