SHADOW OF THE WIND
Synopsis
Shadow Of The Wind, while a fictional novel by definition, is based on true-to-life individuals. It is the long anticipated installment to Mac Hedges' award winning Western novel, Last Buckaroo. In Shadow, Mac brings important generational back-ground to the colorful characters created in the earlier novel while providing readers with rich and authentic descriptions of Western culture and heritage.
Dean McCuen is a young man fresh out of the Army. The son of a widowed father who owns a large and long established cattle ranch in Nevada. Dean tells in "first person" of his family's' rags to riches heritage; being brought up by wealthy "Eastern" relatives, and the life experiences that have shaped his character. After being
discharged from the Military, Dean decides to go out on his own and gain some first hand experience before seeking his place in the family business.
Tap McCoy, a 60 year old who is a cowboy for life, is recovering from a very debauched and regretful week. On the outskirts of town, Dean picks up a very dazed Tap with only his most important possessions - his bedroll and saddle. And so, the destinies of Dean and Tap become entwined. For Dean, it is a chance to learn from "experience;" for Tap, it is a quick "getaway" out of town.
Readers are introduced to many characters including, a grumpy old ranch owner that hates everyone, an attractive, flirtatious girl that enjoys having men fight over her, alcoholic cowboys that spend all their hard earned money on week long drunks, prejudice that includes Indians, Whites and Blacks and an eccentric desert hermit as well as a host of other interesting characters.
There is nothing fictional about this story other than the plot. The characters are real, the adventures actually happened and the country and ranches exist. Every fight, bucking horse ride and wild wreck actually took place. It is a factual description of the working lives of the Great Basin buckaroos during the mid 1900's. Like
Last Buckaroo, it captures a time period that has all but come to an end.
Each chapter is episodic - a story within itself. Shadow Of the Wind is steeped in history with adventure, friendship, romance and a slight degree of mystery. This "buddy story" is fast moving, written with colorful descriptive language to give the reader an accurate idea of the location and view of the country without distracting from the action.
Shadow of The Wind is a "must read" for anyone interested in the everyday lives of the people that live and work on the ranches of he west.
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