Chief of Thieves
In September 1863, Augustyn P. Damours is on the run from the U.S. Army and the Catholic Church after conning them out of millions of dollars. In order to protect his identity, he adopts his wife’s last name, changing his name to Gus Smoot. Living in the Colorado territory, they decide to travel north in 1865 and set up a ranch in Washington Territory, a dream also held by his wife Lily, a former prostitute and con artist herself. They hide their stolen money in Augie the bear, one of the most comical non-characters in the story: a mounted grizzly carried on the back of their wagon. Gus is not cut out for the ranching life and spends the next eleven years scouting for the army. Meanwhile, Lily manages the ranches, both in Washington and then later in Wyoming Territory. On their trail is a bounty hunter who continues to get closer to his prey. Gus, as an Army scout, is headed for the battle of the Little Big Horn.
This novel, based on a factual story, is a sequel to the author’s first novel, Where They Bury You, which was awarded the Best Western of 2014 in the National Indie Excellence Book Awards. This book is an exciting, well-written saga of the Plains Indians War with fictional and non-fictional characters blended together. There is enough drama and action to compel readers to turn the pages. I highly recommend this sequel, which can be read as a stand-alone, and look forward to reading future books by this author.
