Winds of Morning - Paperback

by H. L. Davis (Author)

A stirring, provocative novel of the American Northwest in the 1920s, written with the same buoyant vigor, the sharp characterization, and the pungent wisdom that captivated readers of H.L. Davis' great Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Honey In The Horn

H.L. Davis' captivating novel is narrated by Amos Clarke who recounts back to thirty years when he was barely twenty and was a hot-headed young sheriff's assistant. For Amos, it is one experience that stands out the most for him during his time spent as a sheriff's deputy.

While delivering a summons, Amos stumbles upon a shooting that at first appears to be accidental. Busick, a ranch hand, has killed an old Indian. Amos takes Busick into custody. An open-and-shut case of manslaughter, Busick is tried and gets off. But when Busick decides to give up his rights to a small patch of grazing land, the sheriff instructs Amos to round up Busick's horses and lead them up to public pasture with the help of Hendricks, an old man who was looking after them.

As Amos and Hendricks head north with the horses, they find themselves on the hunt for a murderer when a wealthy rancher who was married to one of Hendricks' daughters is shot dead. Their search for a killer proves to be an epiphany for both men--and for Amos, this fascinating journey will forever change him.

Back Jacket

The classic novel of Oregon, set against the majestic Northwestern frontier during the early twentieth century, this is Pulitzer Prize winner H. L. Davis at his storytelling best

Looking back on his days as a young sheriff's assistant on the Columbia River, Amos Clarke recalls an experience thirty years earlier. Stumbling upon a shooting that at first appeared to be accidental, Amos takes a ranch hand into custody for killing a man. The charges don't stick due to shady backroom dealings, so Amos is dispatched to take the guilty man's horses and herd them north with the help of an old man, Hendricks.

As they make their way north, they run afoul of another crime--a wealthy rancher shot dead. Amos finds himself on the hunt for a murderer, with the help of Hendricks's knowledge of the area, and their search for a killer proves to be an epiphany for both men--and for Amos, this fascinating journey will forever change him.

Not only a crime story, Winds of Morning is an evocative tale of a changing frontier, where the rugged homesteaders have given way to big ranchers, businessmen, and struggling farmers but the land remains wild, beautiful, and dangerous.