REVIEWS of COYOTE’S PEOPLE

I’m very happy to announce my seventh novel – and seventh western novel – COYOTE’S PEOPLE has been published by prestigious, award-winning publishers Five Star Publishing.

The cover (designed by Kathy Heming) reflects the novel’s setting – southern Arizona.

UPDATE!

COYOTE’S PEOPLE IS NOW ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN E.BOOK!

As of April 2022, COYOTE’S PEOPLE, previously only available as a hardback and in hardback large print, is now also available as an e.book. The kindle version has been published by Andride Press.

The cover photograph is by YUKO U. SMITH. The cover design is by RICHARD HEARN.

COYOTE’S PEOPLE has been piling up reviews on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Goodreads – ALL FIVE STAR! I’m flattered and humbled that my novel has been getting such a positive response. Accordingly I’ve created this blog as an ongoing scrapbook of my reviews as they accumulate.

Here’s a quick sample:

LUCIA ROBSON: (Winner of the Owen Wister and Spur awards and ‘New York Times’ best-selling author)

‘An outstanding novel!’

ROBERT VAUGHAN: (Winner of the Spur Award and Pulitzer-Prize nominated author)

‘McBride’s wonderful book’

KATHLEEN MORRIS: (Winner of the 2020 Peacemaker Award for best first Western novel)
'McBride does a masterful job of... illustrating that justice and truth make uneasy bedfellows with blind hatred, blood lust and revenge...Very well done.'

RICHARD PROSCH: (Winner of the Spur Award) 
'Five stars. Highly recommended!'

WAYNE D. DUNDEE: (Peacemaker Award-winning novelist)

‘Western fiction at its best!’

W. MICHAEL FARMER: (Winner of Will Rogers Medallion Awards, the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award and Best New Mexico Book Award)
'Coyote’s People is a page-turner, entertaining and insightful, filled with the truth only fiction can provide.'

PETER BRANDVOLD: (Acclaimed and best-selling western author)

‘Tough, Gritty glimpse into Apacheria... I give this book and its writer, Andrew McBride, my highest recommendation!' 

OTHER REVIEWERS:

‘A stunning book… We're clearly in the hands of a master… I would go so far as to say that if Andrew had written this book fifty or sixty years ago in the heyday of western fiction it would be an acknowledged classic. And hopefully, if there's any justice in the world, it will still achieve that status.'

‘A breath-taking, page-turning, wrenchingly heart-breaking tale.’ 

‘Andrew McBride has crafted another gripping saga in his continuing series on the adventures of Calvin "Choctaw" Taylor.’

'A superb western adventure'

'A thrilling, atmospheric, action-filled story'

I've written a blog about COYOTE'S PEOPLE where you can read more about the novel and also read THE FIRST CHAPTER: https://andrewmcbrideauthor.blogspot.com/2019/12/coyotes-people-by-andrew-mcbride.html

Before we get to the reviews, here’s the TAG LINE and BLURB describing the novel:

TAG LINE:

The Apache chief seeking peace in a time of war... and the 17-year-old white boy caught in the middle.

BLURB:

‘Arizona Territory, the 1870s. Savage war rages between the white man and the Apache. And three people are caught in the middle: COYOTE, an Apache chief seeking peace, trying to find a refuge for his small band of wanderers; LIEUTENANT AUSTIN HAMILTON, commander of remote Camp Walsh, a man sympathetic to the Indians' plight; and CALVIN TAYLOR (nicknamed CHOCTAW), a 17-year old white boy. Choctaw has been taught to hate Apaches, something reinforced by his own bloody experiences. But his loyalties are torn when he unexpectedly falls in love with an Apache girl. Each finds himself at the center of this bitter conflict, enmeshed in treachery and violence, with their own lives, and the peace they're striving for, threatened by enemies on all sides…’

ISBN number: 978-1432867256 

The Arizona setting of the novel

FULL REVIEWS

LUCIA ROBSON: (Winner of the Owen Wister and Spur awards and ‘New York Times’ best-selling author)

‘In Coyote's People Andrew McBride brings the people, places, and events of the Apacheria into clear focus.  With authentic detail, realistic dialogue and a fluid style he has created an outstanding novel!’

ROBERT VAUGHAN: (Winner of the Spur Award and Pulitzer-Prize nominated author)

‘Choctaw’s real name was Calvin Taylor, but he was so universally called Choctaw, or just “Choc” that he could almost forget his Anglo name. At first glance one might think the young teamster was an Indian, or perhaps a Mexican, because of his name, and the sun-toned bronze of his skin, though both of his parents are white. Calvin Taylor was born at Ft. Towson where his father was a civilian contractor for the army. Ft. Towson is in the Choctaw Nation of Indian Territory and is from there, that he got his name.

All good books must be interesting enough to grab the reader from the very beginning. COYOTE’S PEOPLE does so from the very first chapter as Choc and his friends find themselves under attack by a band of Chiricahua Apache Indians. Choc is a seventeen-year-old mule herder for a freight wagon outfit under the leadership of Choc’s personal hero, wagon master John Shadler. This is a story of the Indian wars in Arizona, and there is enough action to satisfy anyone’s taste for adventure, but there is much than that to the story. In the book, COYOTE’S PEOPLE, Andrew McBride’s skilful words take the reader onto the grand vista of Arizona desert, the White Mountains, and a remote army fort where the soldiers are looking out for Coyote, from who the book gets its name, and his people, who are in a settlement of friendly Indians, just outside the army camp. Coyote has a beautiful young sister-in-law, Alope, who catches Choc’s eye.

Although this is a book of war, romance, moments of fear, cowardice, and acts of courage, perhaps the most fascinating aspect of McBride’s wonderful book, is its character development. Everyone evolves from the way we first see them, perhaps Choc, most of all. He matures beyond his years and learns to see redeeming qualities in men for whom he once had nothing but contempt, as well as the crumbling pedestals of some of the men he had most revered.’

WAYNE D. DUNDEE: (Peacemaker Award-winning novelist)

‘Andrew McBride writes tough, gritty Westerns that are as authentic and entertaining as any you'll find. His characters and the yarns spun around them are richly layered, presented in a straightforward style that makes the time, setting, and events come excitingly to life. COYOTE'S PEOPLE is Western fiction at its best!’

KATHLEEN MORRIS: (Winner of the 2020 Peacemaker Award for best first Western novel)

'A realistic window into a troubled time'

Andrew McBride has given us a realistic window into 1871 Arizona, through the eyes of Choctaw Taylor, a rootless 17-year-old who finds himself a job with a supply train headed to Tucson. Choctaw has a lot to learn about just about everything, but he adapts quickly, a necessary trait because this is dangerous territory. The threat of renegade Apache attack is an everyday concern. While Choctaw’s learning the ropes of staying alive, he’s also given quite a tutelage from his rough colleagues about the depravities and evils of Indians in general, and Apaches in particular. The hard men he’s riding with hold no compassion nor regard for them and follow the general theme of the times: the only good Indian is a dead Indian. This ultimatum follows into a large percentage of the civilian population in Tucson, and most of the Army.

A band of Aravaipa Apaches arrives at Camp Walsh, under the command of Lt. Hamilton, who is not as opposed to conciliation as most of his ilk. He gives them permission to stay nearby, and their leader, one Coyote, swears to Hamilton his people are done with war and want nothing but a safe haven in which to live. Choctaw Taylor, meanwhile finds work as a post hunter for the fort, and comes to know and respect Coyote and many of his people, in particular an Aravaipa girl, Alope. Indoctrinated by the hatred of most of his fellow white men, Choctaw finds that prejudice is a poison that need not be swallowed by reasonable people, and causes nothing but damage. He learns to judge people, red and white, by their actions and his own experiences with them and as he rapidly matures, to appreciate those he previously only feared, and to fear those he thought he could trust.

As the story builds to its climax, McBride does a masterful job of delineating the arguments on both sides, and illustrating that justice and truth make uneasy bedfellows with blind hatred, bloodlust and revenge. His depictions of the differing groups – Americans, Mexicans and the different tribes – and the needs and actions that drive each of them, is the solid glue that holds the story together. Very well done.'

DOUG HOCKING: (Novelist and Spur-award winning authority on Arizona history and the Apache Wars)

‘McBride captures the gritty feel of the late 1860s. The Civil War is over but another war is in full swing and brave men are fighting and dying on both sides. Apaches were formidable warriors but their chief ardently sought peace. Apache anger focused on those who attacked them especially those who slew their women and children for scalps. Against this background a young man comes of age seeking a role model who is both wise and tough enough to withstand the rigors of a harsh Arizona frontier.’

RICHARD PROSCH: (Spur-award winning author)

‘I was lucky enough to snag an advanced reader copy of COYOTE’S PEOPLE from Five Star Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Written by Andrew McBride, this is the newest entry in his series featuring Calvin “Choctaw” Taylor.  

Though it is part of a series, the book works just fine as a stand-alone novel, and In this instalment, we meet our hero moving cattle when — trouble ensues! Though he carries the name Choctaw, Calvin Taylor is a 17-year-old white boy caught up in the middle of the conflict between the Apache chief Coyote and Lt. Austin Hamilton, the man who commands Camp Walsh and is sympathetic to the plight of Coyote and his people.  Choctaw has been taught to distrust and despise the Apache until he meets a beautiful young Apache girl and romance blossoms.

Choctaw, Coyote, and Hamilton find themselves in the middle of an ugly conflict with their lives on the line. There’s plenty of gun-play and shoot’em up moments, in this novel that’s based on actual events that occurred during the 1870s.

Highly recommended!’

THOMAS CLAGETT: (Winner of the Will Rogers Medallion and the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award)

‘A terrific Western tale! Set in Arizona Territory circa 1870, COYOTE’S PEOPLE finds young Calvin Taylor, nicknamed Choctaw, caught in the middle of a fight between an Apache leader named Coyote, tough wagon master John Shadler who hates the Apache, and U.S. Army Lieutenant Hamilton who’s trying to keep the peace. Author Andrew McBride’s novel is filled with characters well drawn and believable. There are good men and bad, cowards and drunks, ferocious fighters and deplorable killers. You can taste the gritty dust and feel the searing heat. The writing is visual, almost cinematic. This one is hard to put down because you’re in the thick of things from the start and McBride never lets up.’

W. MICHAEL FARMER: (Winner of Will Rogers Medallion Awards, the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award and Best New Mexico Book Award)

'Andrew McBride is that rare author who can capture the essence of history, the times, places, and people, with a fictional story filled with complex, believable characters, and pulse pounding events. Arizona territory in the early 1870s was a hard land filled with hard men–– angry Apaches, expatriate Mexicans, and land-hungry Americans–– who struggled to survive fiery deserts, barren mountains, rugged llanos, and fights and wars with each other. McBride’s Coyote’s People, a tale of seventeen-year-old Calvin Taylor, aka “Choctaw”, becoming a man and a survivor during the Aravaipa Apache wars, is a time machine that carries its reader through the dust and heat, sweat, labor and danger, and the courage needed to cross the country or to stay in army camps facing the Apaches in their homeland. Through Calvin Taylor’s eyes we see an accurate portrayal of the good, the bad, and an overdose of ugly in southern Arizona. An army camp commander stretches his limits to provide Aravaipa Apaches, under a chief named Coyote, sanctuary. Choctaw experiences first love with a young Apache woman and betrayal from those he trusted and admired. Power and land-hungry Americans are unable to distinguish between peaceful and warring Apaches. Coyote’s People is a page-turner, entertaining and insightful, filled with the truth only fiction can provide. Highly recommended.' 

PETER BRANDVOLD (Acclaimed and best-selling western author)

'Tough, Gritty Glimpse into Apacheria of 1871

If you're hankering for a good traditional western set in Apache land, then look no further. While this is (mostly) told through the eyes of a 17 year old boy who works for a freighting company, this is a good, gritty, fluid tale of men and violence and the potpourri of cultures that made Arizona in the late 1800s such a powder keg. The prose is not only smooth but vivid. I give this book and its writer, Andrew McBride, my highest recommendation!'

BILL BROOKS (Author of many acclaimed western and historical novels; Booklist compares his work with classics like ‘The Virginian,’ ‘Shane’ and ‘Hombre’.)

'A writer can't do better than taking the reader and plunking them down, shoulder to shoulder, with the participants of the novel, having them stand or ride shoulder to shoulder as in this case with the teenaged Choctaw, the white son of an army contractor who signs on as a teamster bound to Tucson and the heart of Apache territory. His only companions are a Henry Yellow Boy repeater and a Starr revolver - steel and gunpowder. But Choctaw is quick to learn. And as he learns the men he travels with are no less compassionate than the renegade Apaches they will go against. As the boy comes to learn there are more than one side to every story. From the white men he learns their tales of human outrage set upon them by the Apache. And from the Apache he learns that what they want most of all is to be left alone by the invading hordes. Then too, there comes the story of love between young Choctaw and the lovely Apache girl, Alope. And finally will this love for her bring him great happiness or great tragedy? A fine bit of work once again by Andrew McBride, a growing voice in the Western genre.'

 

Apache Indians, (GERONIMO 2nd left, NACHAY - son of COCHISE - 3rd left) Arizona 1886

OTHER REVIEWERS:

‘Andrew had written a stunning book here. We're clearly in the hands of a master. The writing is great - there are moments (many of them) when a simple line, just a few words, conjures up great images that sear into one's mind's eye. Only really good writers can do this so often and so consistently.

The attention to detail is second to none, I mean that literally. How does Andrew know all this stuff? Where did he find it all out? As you read the book you have absolute faith that all the detail is true and (aside from all the wonderful learning you're getting as a by-product of the story) it really draws you in. The setting, too, the heat and the dust and the relentless sun... It really is super stuff.

Then there are the characters - they are brilliantly drawn - Choctaw, our hero, is wonderful, and his development as the story progresses is marvellous. The rest of the cast, too. Cowards and humanists, haters and lovers, soldiers and scouts, people just trying to get by out on the wild frontier - and the Native Americans... all drawn beautifully, all on their own journeys.

It's a sad and tragic tale, and there's a certain historical inevitability to it all, but it still keeps you entranced and hooked.

I can't recommend COYOTE'S PEOPLE highly enough. I would go so far as to say that if Andrew had written this book fifty or sixty years ago in the heyday of western fiction it would be an acknowledged classic. And hopefully, if there's any justice in the world, it will still achieve that status.’

*****

'A great western novel' (Amazon review heading)

'A superb western adventure' (Barnes and Noble review heading)

Western novels seem to be few and far between, these days and great western novels are an even rarer beast: so the release of a new book by Andrew McBride is always something to celebrate. COYOTE'S PEOPLE is set in Arizona Territory, some time in the 1870s and once again, features Calvin ‘Choctaw’ Taylor, a brash seventeen year old trying to make his way in an unforgiving world. We are soon introduced to new characters. Lieutenant Austin Hamilton is the commander of Camp Walsh, a seasoned veteran who is sympathetic to the plight of the local Apache tribes whose way of life is systematically being destroyed - and to Coyote, an aging chief desperately trying to forge a truce between his tribe and the white settlers.

McBride brings all of his weapons to bear on this poignant tale - his almost cinematic descriptions of the landscape, a flair for hard-bitten dialogue and an uncanny gift for depicting action scenes that plunge the reader right into the thick of it. Characterisation is also a crucial part of his storytelling. These are believable characters who talk and act like living, breathing people and who linger in the mind, long after the final page has been turned. If you’ve already discovered Andrew McBride this new novel will not disappoint. If you’re new to him, here’s an excellent place to start.

*****

‘Southern Arizona Territory in the early 1870s – a harsh, unforgiving desert terrain of stark and desolate beauty, where White American, Mexican and Indian cultures clash in relentless, tragic violence, and a few courageous men risk their lives to hang on to a fragile hope of peace.

17-year-old Calvin Taylor, nicknamed “Choctaw” for his childhood in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma’s Indian Territory where his father was an army contractor, has signed on as a teamster with a freight company en route to Tucson. Though cautious by nature, Choctaw is new to this territory and has much more to learn than he realizes. Despite his independence, he is still a boy, hero-worshipping the wagon master and longing for nothing more than a Starr double-action pistol, a brass-faced Yellow Boy Winchester rifle, and a pair of Chiricahua Apache moccasins, all like the heroic wagon master sports. In the course of a few desperate months, however, Choctaw will face vicious battles, bitter treachery from all sides, and life-changing challenges to his heart, mind and soul. Caught up in desperate battles and ambushes, struggling to reconcile his conflicting loyalties and to protect the native girl he loves, Choctaw will become a man. That is, if he can somehow stay alive.  

In these desperate months, Choctaw’s understanding of true heroism changes and matures. He cannot help but admire Coyote, the steadfast leader of the Aravaipa Apache, and the cavalry officer to whom Coyote turns in hopes of saving his people, U.S. Army Lieutenant Austin Hamilton, the conscientious commander of beleaguered, under manned Camp Walsh. Though Choctaw’s upbringing and experiences have given him cause to hate the Apaches, he finds his loyalties shifting as enemies become friends and friends become enemies, all the while with certain death closing in on all sides.

Author Andrew McBride has written a breath-taking, page-turning, wrenchingly heart-breaking tale of the Apache Wars, one of the last terrible conflicts of the American western frontier. Within twenty years, many traditional native ways of life would disappear by destruction or assimilation, and the Wild West would finally come to an end. McBride chronicles this land and these tragic events with both compassion and unflinching honesty. His vivid writing all but stings your eyes with red dust and burns your skin with the blazing desert sun. His ability to evoke time and place is absolutely compelling. The reader is kept on knife’s edge as danger, uncertainty, betrayal, violence and even brief stolen moments of passion and desperate hope move at a gallop through the pages. It’s nearly impossible to stop reading.

The author’s impeccable historical research, including vivid details gleaned from newspapers, letters and official reports, lends immediacy and truth to the story. Historical events and individuals are woven seamlessly into the story, which is, first and foremost, a story of people in crisis – their hopes, fears, loves, hatreds, grief, courage or cravenness, and their determination to survive. McBride’s writing is vivid and fluid, his language completely evocative of the 19^th Century while compelling to modern readers. COYOTE’S PEOPLE is a rip-roaring adventure that gets to the heart of the human tragedies and triumphs of the last years on the Western frontier. ‘

*****

U. S. Army (and Apache scouts) Arizona Territory

A McBride Masterpiece

Andrew McBride is a master at 'spinning a good yarn' and ‘COYOTE'S PEOPLE’ will only serve to cement his growing reputation. This beautifully portrayed tale of savage war between the white man and the Apache in 1870’s Arizona Territory leaves the reader wanting more.

The three main protagonists are not only expertly drawn, they occupy the imagination entirely and consistently keep the reader engaged and excited. But so too do the supporting cast of characters in this powerful story of torn loyalties, bitter conflict and bloody treachery.

From the spare, bold narrative to the breath-taking descriptions of the landscape, this book will give fans of the Western genre something to treasure, but perhaps even more importantly, give non-Western readers the opportunity to become converts. 

*****

Poignant story of the Apache Wars

Andrew McBride's superb detail and story-telling landed me slap bang in the middle of the Wild West. A meaningful tribute to the Native American struggle. Seen through the eyes of a young white boy whose love for an Apache girl challenges the troubled legacy of racism.
Loved it. 

*****

‘Calvin 'Choctaw' Taylor, a 17-year-old boy, is on a quest to find himself. Engaged as a mule herder for a freight outfit, the young man is in awe of John Shadler, the wagon master, who reminds him of a heroic character out of a dime novel.

En route to Tucson, the freighters are attacked by Chiricahua Apache. Choctaw, Shadler and some others are injured in the skirmish. The injured take refuge for treatment at Camp Walsh, a remote Army post.

Several times--partially based on his nickname--Taylor is mistaken for an Indian. He explains his father was an army contractor on the Choctaw reserve in Indian Territory.
Tired of war and its impact on his people, Coyote, leader of a band of Aravaipa Apache, seeks sanctuary on the fringe of an Army outpost. Lieutenant Austin Hamilton, post commander, is sympathetic and grants approval, a move destined to have tragic consequences.

At first, Choctaw is leery of Coyote and his people. But through his friendship with Angus Robertson, an Army scout, and gets to know Coyote and his people, his attitude changes. His opinion of the Apache is even more altered as he meets and falls in love with Alope, Coyote's young sister-in-law. It also makes him see his former hero Shadler in a new light.

Continuing raids in the area of Tucson are blamed on Coyote and the Arizona Volunteers, a vigilante group, is unwilling to recognize differences between the various bands of Apache. The treachery and violence which follows is the inevitable outcome.
Self-knowledge is the ultimate reason for every quest. Choctaw's experiences in this novel make him the man found in THE PEACEMAKER and other novels in the series.

Andrew McBride has crafted another gripping saga in his continuing series on the adventures of Calvin "Choctaw" Taylor. The story combines sympathetic characters, a suspenseful plot and a secure sense of time and place. This is a well-researched, gripping tale of the old west. Recommended to all who enjoy a good story.’

*****

A thrilling, atmospheric, action-filled story

In COYOTE’S PEOPLE, Andrew McBride tells a hugely compelling story which builds to a powerful climax which will stay in the mind for some time. McBride’s first strength is conveying atmosphere; you get a real feel for both the scale of the landscape, but also for the small details which really pin you in the story. You can taste the dirt and feel the heat of the sun, and you get the idea he really knows his stuff. This level of description is not for its own sake though, rather it immerses and sucks you into the story.

A range of characters are richly drawn by McBride, playing off against each other to draw out themes of treachery and trust. With twists along the way, and convincing characterisation, it’s an ideal introduction to the Western for non-believers. A thrilling, atmospheric, action-filled story not afraid to tackle big ideas. Highly recommended. 

****

A refreshing read, where excitement sits alongside good writing

The story of Choctaw's journey from boy to man is a hard one but this tale is informative as well as exciting. It is well written, often tender yet spares us no details of the hard life of 1870s Arizona. I recommend it wholeheartedly. For me, it succeeded both as a 'Western' and as a book of first-class literary fiction.

****

You can BUY COYOTE’S PEOPLE here:

Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Coyotes-People-Andrew-McBride-ebook/dp/B09XBJJDCB/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Amazon.co.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Coyotes-People-Andrew-McBride-ebook/dp/B09XBJJDCB/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/coyotes-people-andrew-mcbride/1134863747