LibGuides: Spur Awards: Western Historical Novel (2014- )

SPUR Awards

Best Western Historical Novel
2014 - Present

2020s

WINNER

A Forgotten Evil by Sheldon Russell

FINALISTS:

The Glovemaker by Ann Weisgarber
Cut Nose by Ron Schwab

WINNER

All Things Left Wild by James Wade

All Things Left Wild by James Wade
Call Number: FIC WADE JAM AL (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9781982601058
Publication Date: 2020-06-16
After an attempted horse theft goes tragically wrong, sixteen-year-old Caleb Bentley is on the run with his mean-spirited older brother across the American Southwest at the turn of the twentieth century. Caleb's moral compass and inner courage will be tested as they travel the harsh terrain and encounter those who have carved out a life there, for good or ill. Wealthy and bookish Randall Dawson, out of place in this rugged and violent country, is begrudgingly chasing after the Bentley brothers. With little sense of how to survive, much less how to take his revenge, Randall meets Charlotte, a woman experienced in the deadly ways of life in the West. Together they navigate the murky values of vigilante justice.

FINALISTS:

Follow the Angels Follow the Doves by Sidney Thompson
Stardust Trail by J. R. Sanders

WINNER

Ridgeline by Michael Punke

Ridgeline by Michael Punke
Call Number: FIC PUNKE MIC RI (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9781250310460
Publication Date: 2021-06-01
In December 1866, tensions were rising in Wyoming, between the Native American tribes who had lived on the land for generations and the settlers who would destroy their home. Crazy Horse and his fellow Lakota hunters had been watching for months as Colonel Carrington and his army set up camp on one of the most crucial swaths of hunting ground in hundreds of miles, and began to build forts. More disconcertingly, the settlers had brought women and children, which meant they planned to stay. As the Lakota and neighboring tribes set forth with repeated attacks to discourage the settlers, Captain William J. Fetterman, anxious and arrogant, claimed that he could take offense and rid the area of Native American people with only a small army of 80 men. And he would--unless Crazy Horse could find a way to lure the army to their doom. A story of protection and betrayal, of courage, wit, and perseverance against unfathomable odds, Ridgeline grapples with essential questions about who owns land: those who are born on it, or those who would kill to claim it.

FINALISTS:

The Last Comanche Warrior by James D. Crownover
The Healing of Natalie Curtis by Jane Kirkpatrick

Last Comanche Warrior by James D. Crownover
Call Number: FIC CROWN JAMD LA (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9781432885977
Publication Date: 2021-09-22
Three times, Adam Bain and his twin sister, Eve, escape capture by attacking Indians; once by Adam and his brother, Noah, jumping off a hundred-foot-high bluff into the Llano River. But the day comes when their luck runs out, and Adam and Eve are captured by Mescalero Apaches. Because of Adam's flaming red hair, the Indians name him Rojo Pelo. Eve is named Castaýno Rojizo because of her auburn hair. They are carried to the Guadalupe Mountains of New Mexico Territory where Adam is adopted by the chief, Elkhorn, and enters training to become an Apache warrior with five Apache boys. Comancheros from the Rio Grande valley bring whiskey into the village for trade, and Elkhorn is murdered in the ensuing wild debauchery. Rojo kills the murderer and leaves the village to avoid a feud with the murderer's kin. He carries Elkhorn's body to the family burial cleft in the Guadalupe Mountains and spends several months living alone in the mountains where he determines to join Quanah Parker and the Quahadi Comanches. The Comanches take him on a raid into Mexico to determine if he has the skills to become a Comanche warrior. Rojo gains notoriety as a warrior fighting the hide men who are killing off the buffalo. He participates in the second battle of Adobe Walls and the ensuing war against settlers on the Great Plains. When Quanah and the Quahadi decide to surrender to the army, Rojo joins others who refuse to surrender.
The Healing of Natalie Curtis [Large print] by Jane Kirkpatrick
Call Number: FIC KIRKP JAN HE Large (Large print collection)
ISBN: 9781638080732
Publication Date: 2021-10-01
Classically trained pianist and singer Natalie Curtis isolated herself for five years after a breakdown just before she was to debut with the New York Philharmonic. Guilt-ridden and songless, Natalie can't seem to recapture the joy music once brought her. In 1902, her brother invites her to join him in the West to search for healing. What she finds are songs she'd never before encountered - the haunting melodies, rhythms, and stories of Native Americans. But their music is under attack. The US government's Code of Offenses prohibits America's indigenous people from singing, dancing, or speaking their own languages as the powers that be insist on assimilation. Natalie makes it her mission not only to document these songs before they disappear but to appeal to President Teddy Roosevelt himself, who is the only man with the power to repeal the unjust law. Will she succeed and step into a new song... and a new future?

WINNER: Properties of Thirst by Marianne Wiggins

Properties of Thirst by Marianne Wiggins
Call Number: FIC WIGGI MAR PR (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9781416571261
Publication Date: 2022-08-02
Rockwell "Rocky" Rhodes has spent years fiercely protecting his California ranch from the LA Water Corporation. It is here where he and his beloved wife, Lou, raised their twins, Sunny and Stryker, and it is here where Rocky has mourned Lou in the years since her death. As Sunny and Stryker reach the cusp of adulthood, the country teeters on the brink of war. Stryker decides to join the fight, deploying to Pearl Harbor not long before the bombs strike. Soon, Rocky and his family find themselves facing yet another incomprehensible tragedy. Rocky is determined to protect his remaining family and the land where they've loved and lost so much. But when the government decides to build a Japanese American internment camp next to the ranch, Rocky realizes that the land faces even bigger threats than the LA watermen he's battled for years. Complicating matters is the fact that the idealistic Department of the Interior man assigned to build the camp, who only begins to understand the horror of his task after it may be too late, becomes infatuated with Sunny and entangled with the Rhodes family.
Properties of Thirst [E-Book] by Marianne Wiggins
Call Number: FIC WIGGI MAR PR Ebook (OverDrive)
ISBN: 9781416573456
Publication Date: 2022-08-02

FINALIST:

Pony Boys by Richard Prosch
Justice for All : The Search for Big Poker Tom by Wayne E. Purcell

Pony Boys (Curse of the Niobara trilogy #1) by Richard Prosch
Call Number: FIC PROSC RIC C1 (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9781432899103
Publication Date: 2022-12-21
In 1879, the notorious horse thief Doc Middleton rules the Niobrara rough country west of Holt County, Nebraska, with a loose affiliation of young outlaws, dubbed the Pony Boys. Albert "Kid" Wade, August John, Windy Barnes, Boots Harper, and a dozen other amoral roughnecks spent their days stealing horses, raising hell, and generally having the time of their lives. But nothing lasts forever, and the unorganized territories west are succumbing to complaints from settlers and the Indian agencies alike. What happens to the Pony Boys when law and order lands hard-and ruthless-at the end of a rope? As Doc struggles with change, and Kid Wade fights white-knuckled against it, young Augustus "Gus" John faces the most important challenge of his life. A challenge sure to tear at the fabrics of loyalty and friendship, rending the Pony Boys apart forever. A fictionalized account of Doc Middleton and the Pony Boys' decline during the historical summer of 1879, Richard Prosch weaves a tapestry of rough and tumble adventure laced with sentiment and introspection.
Justice for all : the search for Big Poker Tom by Wayne E. Purcell
Call Number: FIC PURCE WAY JU (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9798846849761
Publication Date: 2022
In the spring of 1891, Big Poker Tom, a Paiute Indian from Nevada, leaves the reservation to find a high-stakes poker game in Bridgeport, California. Only his horse returns. Paiute search party investigates. Their discoveries escalate into an intense, explosive situation that pits Paiutes, Whites, Chinese, and their justice systems against one another. Sheriff Michael J. Cody is caught in the middle. Cody tries to keep the peace, his sworn duty, however… While the story may seem unbelievable, it is based on true events from the pages of history.

WINNER: Death in the Tallgrass : a Young Man's Journey Through the Western Frontier by Donald Willerton

Death in the Tallgrass : a young man's journey through the western frontier by Donald Willerton
Call Number: FIC WILLE DON DE
ISBN: 9798988525301
Publication Date: 2023-07-09
Sometimes you have to become what you hate to protect what you love. Danny Ryan is rich. Beyond his wildest dreams rich. The former dock worker, Irish mob soldier, and fugitive from the law is now a respected businessman - a Las Vegas casino mogul and billionaire silent partner in a group that owns two lavish hotels. Finally, Danny has it all: a beautiful house, a child he adores, a woman he might even fall in love with. Life is good. But then Danny reaches too far. When he tries to buy an old hotel on a prime piece of real estate with plans to build his dream resort, he triggers a war against Las Vegas power brokers, a powerful FBI agent bent on revenge, and a rival casino owner with dark connections of his own. Danny thought he had buried his past, but now it reaches up to him from the grave to pull him down. Old enemies surface, and when they come for Danny they vow to take everything - not only his empire, not just his life, but all that he holds dear, including his son. To save his life and everything he loves, Danny must become the ruthless fighter he once was - and never wanted to be again.

FINALISTS:

The Redemption of Mattie Silks by Kimberly Burns
Golddigger : the Legendary Nellie Cashman by Kathleen Morris

The Redemption of Mattie Silks by Burns Kimberly
Call Number: FIC BURNS KIM RE
ISBN: 9781736816912
Publication Date: 2023-10-25
Redemption and revenge are two sides of the same coin. In 1892, running one of the West's fanciest brothels it's a tough game. In a town filled with corrupt police, righteous politicians, and morality committees, Madam Mattie Silks caters to Colorado's gold and silver millionaires. Notorious crime boss 'Soapy' Smith is at the top of the Denver underworld. There are no rules for Smith's gang. They solve problems with bribes and bullets. Charismatic and dangerous, Smith threatens to destroy Mattie's world. She can't escape his sinister dealings. When gold is discovered in the Yukon, Mattie seizes the opportunity for adventure and profit. But Skagway, Alaska is even more lawless than Denver. Mattie must use all her business sense and street smarts to protect those she cares about. Will it be enough? Or will Lady Justice again turn a blind eye? Based on a true story, "The Redemption of Mattie Silks" is an action-packed tale of a woman succeeding in a man's world even when the cards are stacked against her.
Golddigger : the legendary Nellie Cashman by Kathleen Morris
Call Number: FIC MORRI KAT GO
ISBN: 9798987456309
Publication Date: 2023
Nellie Cashman was a woman ahead of her time - independent, resourceful and adventurous, flinging away the restricting conventions of her day. Still, all who met her became intrigued by this determined petite Irishwoman who became known as the Angel of the Cassiar, the Miner's Angel, the Saint of the Klondike, and few ever forgot their encounters with her. Fueled by gold fever, she traveled the West, and her reputation grew with every restaurant, boardinghouse and store she established to support herself while she hunted the elusive yellow mineral, all while raising her beloved sister's five children. From San Francisco to Tombstone, Mexico and British Columbia, her notoriety grew, finally taking her to the place she loved best - the farthest reaches of Alaska Territory. She never grew rich from her endeavors, because she gave most of her money away to build hospitals, schools and churches everywhere she went, always taking care of anyone who needed a helping hand. "Golddigger" is a testament to Nellie - bringing to life this woman who gave life and hope to so many others. Including never before seen photographs and documents from Nellie's family, Kathleen Morris paints a definitive and honest portrait of Nellie Cashman - philanthropist, adventurer, and a woman of substance like no other.

2010s

WINNER

Silent We Stood by Henry Chappell

FINALISTS:

The Promise by Ann Weisgarber
Greasy Grass: a story of the Little Big Horn by Johnny D. Boggs

The Promise [Kindle] by Ann Weisgarber
Call Number: FIC WEISG ANN PR Kindle (Request at Circulation Desk)
ISBN: 9781629142364
Publication Date: 2014-04-01
1900. Young pianist Catherine Wainwright flees the fashionable town of Dayton, Ohio in the wake of a terrible scandal. Heartbroken and facing destitution, she finds herself striking up correspondence with a childhood admirer, the recently widowed Oscar Williams. In desperation she agrees to marry him. But when Catherine travels to Oscar's farm on Galveston Island, Texas - a thousand miles from home - she finds she is little prepared for the life that awaits her.

WINNER

Wild Ran the Rivers by James D. Crownover

Wild Ran the Rivers : on e family's Western odyssey (Five Trails West #1) by James D. Crownover
Call Number: FIC CROWN JAMD F1 (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9781645402978
Publication Date: 2020-09-15
In the Spring of 1806, Hiram Harris and his Cherokee wife Sarah left the east Tennessee hills, headed for New Madrid, a town on the Mississippi. Their encounter with a gang of river pirates left Hiram and Sarah dead on the banks of the Ohio River, their oldest son Samuel Vanished and their other children, Ruth, Jerry and baby Joseph, sold into slavery. It seems the very earth has turned against them in the floods and earthquakes of 1811-1812. But the Harris children miraculously escape to continue their extraordinary journey west.

FINALISTS:

A Light in the Wilderness by Jane Kirkpatrick
Backlands by Michael McGarrity

A Light in the Wilderness [E-Book] by Jane Kirkpatrick
Call Number: FIC KIRKP JAN LI Ebook (OverDrive)
ISBN: 9781441219565
Publication Date: 2014-08-26
Letitia holds nothing more dear than the papers that prove she is no longer a slave. They may not cause white folks to treat her like a human being, but at least they show she is free. She trusts in those words she cannot read--as she is beginning to trust in Davey Carson, an Irish immigrant cattleman who wants her to come west with him. Nancy Hawkins is loathe to leave her settled life for the treacherous journey by wagon train, but she is so deeply in love with her husband that she knows she will follow him anywhere--even when the trek exacts a terrible cost. Betsy is a Kalapuya Indian, the last remnant of a once proud tribe in the Willamette Valley in Oregon territory. She spends her time trying to impart the wisdom and ways of her people to her grandson. But she will soon have another person to care for. As season turns to season, suspicion turns to friendship, and fear turns to courage, three spirited women will discover what it means to be truly free in a land that makes promises it cannot fulfill. This multilayered story from bestselling author Jane Kirkpatrick will grip readers' hearts and minds as they travel with Letitia on the dusty and dangerous Oregon trail into the boundless American West.
Backlands (Kerney family trilogy #2) by Michael McGarrity
Call Number: FIC MGARR MIC H2 (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9780525953241
Publication Date: 2014-05-06
Backlands advances the story of Patrick Kerney; his ex-wife, Emma; and their young son, Matthew, shortly after the tragic battlefield death of their eldest son, CJ, at the end of World War I. Scarred by the loss of an older brother he idolized, estranged from a father he barely knows, and deeply troubled by the failing health of a mother he adores, eight-year-old Matthew is suddenly and irrevocably forced to set aside his childhood and take on responsibilities far beyond his years. When the world spirals into the Great Depression and drought settles like a plague over the nation, Matt must abandon his own dreams to salvage the Kerney ranch. Plunged into a deep trough of dark family secrets, hidden crimes, broken promises, and lies, Matt must struggle to survive on the unforgiving, sun-blasted, drought-stricken Tularosa Basin.

WINNER

Paradise Sky by Joe R. Lansdale

FINALISTS:

The Memory Weaver: a novel by Jane Kirkatrick
Custer by Gerald Duff

Paradise Sky by Joe R. Lansdale
Call Number: FIC LANSD JOER PA (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9780316329347
Publication Date: 2017-09-26
Young Willie is on the run, having fled his small Texas farm when an infamous local landowner murdered his father. A man named Loving takes him in and trains him in the fine arts of shooting, riding, reading, and gardening. When Loving dies, Willie re-christens himself Nat Love in tribute to his mentor, and heads west. In Deadwood, South Dakota Territory, Nat becomes a Buffalo Soldier and is befriended by Wild Bill Hickok. After winning a famous shooting match, Nat's peerless marksmanship and charm earn him the nickname Deadwood Dick, as well as a beautiful woman. But the hellhounds are still on his trail, and they brutally attack Nat Love's love. Pursuing the men who have driven his wife mad, Nat heads south for a final, deadly showdown against those who would strip him of his home, his love, his freedom, and his life.

No Awards Given

WINNER

The Coming by David Osborne

FINALISTS:

Moon Hunt: people of Cahokia by W. Michael and Kathleen O'Neal Gear
Copper Sky by Milana Marsenich

WINNER

River of Porcupines by G. K. Aalborg

FINALISTS:

This Scorched Earth: a novel of the Civil War by William Gear
Line of Glory: a novel of the Alamo by Thomas D. Clagett
The Long Shadow by Beth Kanell

This Scorched Earth by William Gear
Call Number: FIC GEAR WIL TH (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9780765382368
Publication Date: 2018-04-03
1860s. In rural Arkansas, the Hancocks-- three brothers and their sister-- do not believe in slavery, but believe in their farm, their land, and their family. As the war proceeds-- as the Hancocks are pulled into the conflicts-- they must face down their personal hells. Devastated by a war, having survived the atrocities, these ordinary people must continue to fight carpetbaggers, mental and physical breakdowns, madness and despair as they face the future.
Line of Glory : a novel of the Alamo by Thomas D. Clagett
Call Number: FIC CLAGE THOD LI (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9781432837273
Publication Date: 2018-04-18
The final 13 hours at the Alamo began around 5 o'clock on the afternoon of March 5, 1836. Colonel William Barrett Travis drew a line in the dirt and asked all those who would stay and fight to cross it. Destinies played out that night for four people. Susannah Dickinson, a woman of surprising gumption. Young James Taylor who came to the Alamo to free Texas from the tyrannical rule of General Santa Anna. "Moses" Rose who refused to cross Travis's line because he "wasn't prepared to die." Colonel Juan Morales, ordered to assault Crockett and his men at the south palisade, believed attacking the fort was foolhardy. But his real disgust was for Santa Anna, a man who allowed whims to dictate his decisions.

Spur Awards

2020s

WINNER

A Forgotten Evil by Sheldon Russell

FINALISTS:

The Glovemaker by Ann Weisgarber

Cut Nose by Ron Schwab

WINNER

All Things Left Wild by James Wade

FINALISTS:

Follow the Angels Follow the Doves by Sidney Thompson

Stardust Trail by J. R. Sanders

WINNER

Ridgeline by Michael Punke

FINALISTS:

The Last Comanche Warrior by James D. Crownover

The Healing of Natalie Curtis by Jane Kirkpatrick

WINNER: Properties of Thirst by Marianne Wiggins

FINALIST:

Pony Boys by Richard Prosch

Justice for All : The Search for Big Poker Tom by Wayne E. Purcell

WINNER: Death in the Tallgrass : a Young Man's Journey Through the Western Frontier by Donald Willerton

FINALISTS:

The Redemption of Mattie Silks by Kimberly Burns

Golddigger : the Legendary Nellie Cashman by Kathleen Morris

2010s

WINNER

Silent We Stood by Henry Chappell

FINALISTS:

The Promise by Ann Weisgarber

Greasy Grass: a story of the Little Big Horn by Johnny D. Boggs

WINNER

Wild Ran the Rivers by James D. Crownover

FINALISTS:

A Light in the Wilderness by Jane Kirkpatrick

Backlands by Michael McGarrity

WINNER

Paradise Sky by Joe R. Lansdale

FINALISTS:

The Memory Weaver: a novel by Jane Kirkatrick

Custer by Gerald Duff

No Awards Given

WINNER

The Coming by David Osborne

FINALISTS:

Moon Hunt: people of Cahokia by W. Michael and Kathleen O'Neal Gear

Copper Sky by Milana Marsenich

WINNER

River of Porcupines by G. K. Aalborg

FINALISTS:

This Scorched Earth: a novel of the Civil War by William Gear

Line of Glory: a novel of the Alamo by Thomas D. Clagett

The Long Shadow by Beth Kanell