Commendable Discretion

Charles Wolfe Collins is an Irish immigrant, ex-spy, Pinkerton operative, and a veteran of the Civil War. Collins is being sent on a hazardous assignment by President Grant in 1876, the nation's centennial. President Grant has recently received intelligence in military dispatches that there had been white men fighting alongside the Indians at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. He wants Collins to investigate and report back regarding the identity of these men. Collins embarks on a long journey into remote regions of Montana Territory, picking up clues along the way, and is eventually accompanied by a Native American woman guide, whose motives for taking Collins deep into Indian country are inscrutable. As the two proceed into the middle of a deadly conflict between vengeful soldiers and embittered Lakota warriors, they must cross an expansive cultural gap and learn to trust each other. At great risk, they seek to solve a mystery, documented in forgotten historical and military records, which could pose serious ramifications for American politics and the course of Federal Indian Policy in the territories of the United States. 

Reader Reviews

“Juliana Clayton is as accurate as a .50 Caliber Sharps rifle at 500 yards with her knowledge of the history, geography, weapons, equipment and culture of the Old West. Anyone interested in Western novels or in just great storytelling will love this book. The story is compelling, the characters colorful, the language is powerful. Clayton has blended history with a mystery in a book that is hard to put down. I recommend this book to all readers who are interested in historical facts and a thrilling story line. I look forward with great anticipation to the next book in the series and many more to follow.”

- Caryn Reardon, Amazon reader review

“Juliana Hoolihan Clayton has spun a deliberately paced yarn revolving around the Custer battle at Little Big Horn. One delightful thing is that the dialog is written in the vernacular of 1876. The complicated characters draw you in to horrific situations that lay bare the prejudices of the times toward Irish and Native American peoples. You are left with a combination of despair and hope. Clayton has really done her research well.”

- Steven H Williams, Amazon reader review