Some stories capture the grit and tension of the Old West in a way that feels lived-in rather than legendary. Call in the Dogs brings readers into a rugged frontier world where loyalty, reputation, and survival often ride side by side.
At the heart of the story is a man trying to build something lasting in a place where peace is rarely guaranteed. But in the West, the past has a way of catching up—and sometimes the quiet life you’re building becomes the very thing you must defend. With strong community ties, looming danger, and the promise of an inevitable showdown, this western blends frontier life with the tension of an approaching reckoning.
If you enjoy character-driven westerns, frontier justice, and stories rooted in resilience and friendship, this one might be worth adding to your reading list.
Western/Cowboy, Cherokee, Outlaw
Date Published: 02-26-2026
Publisher: Write the West Press an imprint of Paperback Press, LLC Springfield, Missouri
Many of our posts contain affiliate links.
affiliate partner.
For the first time since leaving Europe three years earlier his has a sense of home. He finds customers in the neighboring Cherokee and travelers. More importantly he finds friends. Unknown to Levi is the whereabouts of the outlaw Kirby. Can Levi rely on his new friends and community? Will Levi be able to hold on to what he has built and face the man who thinks nothing except for the destruction of Levi and all he holds dear?
read an excerpt
Queenie is out in front,” Turon Turtle said, reaching over to put a stick on the fire.
“Stump is close behind,” Ounce Pathkiller grunted.
The two Cherokee had been speaking mostly in English for the benefit of the third man, Levi. Known to most in the area as Little Kansas. A nickname he picked up while cowboying out West where he had met the Cherokee Turon Turtle.
Born and raised in a poor family in Poland, fox hunting was foreign to Levi Kuratowski. Only the rich had hounds. Here he sat with two Cherokee, a hemisphere away from home.
“How can you tell which dog is in the lead?” Levi asked while staring at the night sky.
“Each dog sounds different. Has its own voice,. as people do,” Ounce replied.
“Yeah, Queenie has a sharp tone. She’s the boss. Now, Ounce’s dog Stump has a deeper bark, as if he’s in a well. Also, he sounds as though he’s way behind Queenie,” Turon added while grinning and giving Ounce a sidelong glance.
Ounce spoke in Cherokee, too quick for Levi to understand the words, but he understood the gesture.
“Stump catch that old fox, you’ll see,” Ounce added.
“Better be an old fox if Stump is going to catch it.” Turon pulled a tobacco pouch from a coat pocket and unrolled a small paper between his fingers.
Ounce once again grunted.
“I heard you priced Stump to Ned Foreman for fifty dollars,” Turon said, carefully dumping tobacco on the paper then rolling a cigarette.
“Yeah,” Ounce said while accepting the tobacco pouch and papers from Turon.
Reaching for a burning stick to light his cigarette, Turon asked, “What makes him worth fifty dollars?”
“I traded two twenty-five-dollar fighting roosters for him.” Ounce built his own cigarette.
meet the author
Born and raised on the Ozark Plateau. Charlie Amos grew up in the footsteps of outlaws, cowboys, and woodsmen. He currently lives in Oklahoma with his wife, children, and dog Banjo. When he is not tending cattle and kids he is reading and writing about the American West. Years of working in agriculture, forestry, trucking, and teaching school has laid the foundation of telling our American story through relatable characters. Writing westerns for westerners, and everyone else.
connect with the author
buy the book
enter the giveaway
