Synopses & Reviews
Across Canada's wild west of the 1800s, brothers Allan, Charlie, Archie and sidekick Alex Hare were known as the McLean gang. They were also known as "breeds" outcasts caught between the cultures Alex Hare, a Metis, and Allan, Charlie and Archie, brothers of mixed Salish and Scottish blood. They roamed the high Chilcotin ranch country of British Columbia in the 1870s, cattle rustling, stealing and creating high-spirited mayhem.
Until one frozen, crystalline morning in 1879, when they crossed the line and shot two men in cold blood, one of them, Johnny Ussher, the local sheriff. Tracked down by a posse of over 100 men, the McLean Gang were eventually trapped and besieged.
Review
"With powerful imagery and crisp narration, Bowering delivers a stinging commentary on the desperation of racism in the harsh environment of the Canadian West." Publisher's Weekly
Review
"Bowering satirizes cowboy tales with great elegance and wit while at the same time tipping his Stetson to the forgotten virtues of Canada's own West." Maclean's
Review
"Bowering has demonstrated yet again that he's one of Canada's most original writers." Calgary Herald
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"Mr. Bowering packs it all in a great North American saga." The New York Times
Review
"Refreshing and entertaining." The Toronto Star
Review
"One of Canada's most original writers." Calgary Herald
About the Author
George Bowering was born in British Columbia. He has authored over forty books, and, in addition to numerous other awards, has won two Governor General's Awards: one for poetry, and one for his novel Burning Water. He lives in Vancouver, B.C.