Savage Country: A Novel

Set in 1873, Savage Country follows Michael Coughlin, a Civil War veteran with a mysterious past, who arrives in Kansas to settle his dead brother's debts. He joins his widowed sister-in-law, Elizabeth, who has been left bankrupt by her husband's death and failed ventures. Elizabeth and Michael undertake a massive and dangerous buffalo hunt—one her husband had planned as a last attempt to save their land and provide for the hired workers and their families who depend on her. They cross south into Indian Territory, facing numerous hazards: rattlesnakes, rabies, wildfire, lightning, severe winter storms, flash floods, and human treachery. With the Comanche in winter quarters, their time is limited, and the brutal work of the hunt takes a psychological toll. The novel chronicles the infamous hunt that drove buffalo to near extinction, a period when mass animal destruction was pursued as economic salvation. It is also an intimate account of how the hunt transformed Michael and Elizabeth.