Blood and Gold

by Joseph A. West, Ralph Compton (Series Creator)

Hired to transport $30,000 of his boss's gold through Indian territory, cowpuncher Dusty Hannah must elude the moneyhungry bandits who are after him, while protecting the lives of a father and daughter. Original.

Genres: Westerns

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 3, 2004

About the author

Joe West was born and raised in the seaside town of Saltcoats in Scotland. At 19 he became a police officer, but soon turned his love of writing into a career as a journalist, working for the Daily Mirror in London among others. In 1972 West was recruited as a reporter for the National Enquirer, and began working in the United States. Traveling the world in search of stories, West almost froze to death on an Alaska mountain, and a spider bite nearly killed him in the Amazon rainforest. 'I swelled up like a balloon and turned a real pretty violet color,' he recalls.

Now a full-time novelist, West and his wife Emily reside in sunny Lake Worth, Florida, where he enjoys tamer pursuits like canoeing the alligator-infested swamps of the Everglades. His daughter Alexandria attends a local college where she studies forensic technology. She will have absolutely nothing to do with canoes and alligators.

West researches the settings of his novels by exploring the terrain in person, usually with little more than a sleeping bag and a can of coffee.

Recently he and Emily celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary at the Lodge in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, a gift from the students at Rio Rancho High School who use West's first novel as a textbook. They then spent a month in the mountains and deserts of New Mexico, often pitching their tent where the air is thin at 9,000 feet above the flat.

Reviews

[Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story, although the author makes the main character, Dusty Hannah do some stupid things. Interesting little story brought in about Bass Reeves.

Bass Reeves was a black deputy U.S. marshal. He worked mostly in Arkansas and the Oklahoma Territory. He had more than 3,000 arrests of dangerous criminals and shot and killed 14 of them in alleged self-defense.

[Jay Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dusty Hannah is 18 years old and has already driven three hearts north. Having delivered the herd, his boss is bed ridden due to a condition and his boss asks him to take the $30,000 to Texas. He is immediately robbed and left for dead. He seeks the money from a bad crew and also while Apaches are raiding the ranches. He will grow up on this trail facing many hurdles. Good character development and a moving plot. A good quick read.

[Larry Embling · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Compton book. Looks like I’m in for a lengthy time reading the rest of his books if they’re as good as Blood and Gold. Lots of action. Great story line. If your into westerns here’s a great author!!!

[Jaco Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

First two chapters

Didn’t get any further as almost unbelievable.
Surely a little more gumption would have produced a more believable start and a less naive protagonist. Or keep the naive cowboy, but don’t expect us to believe someone would trust him with a fortune!

[Emilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tomaione de viajes en el tiempo

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had a very sinister character. We both liked the story.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a nice easy book with lots of action.