|
 |
 |
Mauled by a grizzly and left to die, sixteen-year
old José Olano's chanes for life were remote. Then, like
a guardian angel, came "Gray Eagle" McAllister.
Brought back from the brink of death and trained
as a mountain man, José must now meet his greatest challenge:
to choose between loyalty...and justice.
On the number one best selling novel,
Death of an Eagle
"Kirby Jonas is one of the best of the young writers
who breathe a new freshness into the traditional Western."
~ Don Goldsmith, author of the Spanish Bit Saga
"Death of an Eagle establishes Kirby Jonas as one of
America's most promising Western writers. He writes with the
passion of a young Jack London. For anyone who likes Westerns,
Jonas is must reading."
~ Lee Nelson, author of The Storm Testament series
"Death of an Eagle is a tour-de-force of poetic description,
sharp period dialogue, and the kind of action that whitens one's
knuckles. Kirby Jonas is one of the best new finds in an American
genre that continues to grow and deepen."
~ Loren D. Estleman, author of Jitterbug
Author's Note
For those of you who wonder-yes, this book is real. At least
in my mind it really took place. José Olano is real. He
is a friend of mine, for which I am grateful. This story would
never have been right without his inspiration. Clint Goss is
real, and also a friend. Sheriff Hess, who was mentioned but
never actually appeared, was my grandfather. He was sheriff of
Bingham County, Idaho, for some twenty years until retiring in
the 1970's. Like José and Clint, I placed him out of his
time. And as for Sheriff Martin Rice, he really was sheriff in
1902, and later he became mayor of Pocatello. Police Chief Barnett
McGarvey, also, was just that, in the year of the Pocatello Land
Run. I took a great liberty in making Lauris José's daughter
in the book, for in real life Lauris is José's lovely
wife.
Not only were these people real, but the country is real.
Perhaps some minor details are out of place, but as far as I
could control it, every piece of country described in the book
is a place I have been. As usual, I employed the modern names
in many cases. But then, many times the origin of a name is lost
to history, and who is to know when it came about, and who did
the naming? As for Lava Hot Springs, of course the town didn't
exist, but the settlement nearby was named Dempsey. Blackfoot
was Grove City, but I chose to use the newer name for clarity.
Some tell me Soda Springs was once called "The Soda Springs"
but if it was it sounded awkward, and I only called it that once,
in the beginning of the book. Bancroft wasn't founded until a
while later, but some of you might have recognized it as the
camping place by the train stop called "Squaw Creek."
To the best of my ability, I either hiked or rode the routes
in the book, and I have camped and hunted in several of them,
too. The weapons the characters used 1 have attempted to use,
or at least their equivalent. For those of you who possess such
fine historical weaponry, I hope the picture was real.
And to all of you who have had input in Death of an Eagle
in any way, whether consciously or not, thank you. This story
is for you.
|
Mauled by a grizzly and left to die, sixteen-year old José Olano's chanes for life were remote. Then, like a guardian angel, came "Gray Eagle" McAllister. Brought back from the brink of death and trained as a mountain man, José must now meet his greatest challenge: to choose between loyalty...and justice.
Death of an Eagle |
For a free preview of this book,
please click below to read chapters 1-3 of Death of an Eagle
Death of an Eagle Preview
|