2021 Western Fictioneers Peace Maker Award for Best First Novel
2021 Spur Award finalist Original Mass-Market Paperback.
"A wild and thrilling, offbeat ride through a rough Texas and New Mexico landscape ...Bigfoot Wallace, Bass Reeves, Britt Johnson, and all the legendary characters of the West are here. This tale of adventure, bloodshed, violence, and unlikely friendships in the old West should win Gaston plenty of fans." Booksiren rates it: Amazing
" A captivating, frequently philosophical page-turner that delivers a visceral portrait of the Wild West" Kirkus Reviews
"The world building is wonderful ....in a setting that is not just rough but lawless. Beyond the Goodnight Trail is captivating and written in elegant prose." Rating: 5 Stars Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite
"This action-packed Western is a gift that keeps on giving...It's been years since I read a traditional Western, and this one surpasses all expectations." Rating: 5 Stars Joelene Pynnonen The Independent Book Review
When former Texas Ranger scout Pete Horse agrees to join his old friend Charlie Goodnight's first trail drive across Texas to the New Mexico Bosque Redondo Navajo reservation, he knows the way will be fraught with danger. He expects to encounter bandits, hostile Comanche, bad weather and stampedes, and he's not disappointed. He hadn't been expecting the treacherous Comancheros, renegade Apache, and night riding gangs of unreconstructed Rebels seething with resentment, and all of them fighting over a thousand stolen Army rifles. When he's forced to kill two men who are stealing his prized horse Pete incurs the wrath of an ex-communicated religious zealot and his sect of trigger-happy disciples. The entire Texas Panhandle is about to erupt in a shooting war that could spread across the West. Riding up with old friends Bigfoot Wallace, Bass Reeves, Britt Johnson and more legendary men of the west, Pete still faces the longest odds of a long, turbulent life on the violent frontier.
"Very atmospheric.... an exciting storyline about trust, honor, and valiance in this classic western. Beyond the Goodnight Trail reminds us of the adventure a good cowboy story can bring...this western novel will please readers looking for tension, adventure, and, of course, cowboys." Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars The Book Review Directory
"I would certainly recommend Beyond the Goodnight Trail to fans of classic westerns...plenty of action-packed events to keep you on the edge of your seat." Rating: 5 Stars K.C. Finn Editorial Book Review for Reader's Favorite
