Winds of Morning — Harold L. Davis

The classic novel of Oregon, set against the majestic Northwestern frontier during the early twentieth century, this is Pulitzer Prize winner H. L. Davis at his storytelling best

Looking back on his days as a young sheriff's assistant on the Columbia River, Amos Clarke recalls an experience thirty years earlier. Stumbling upon a shooting that at first appeared to be accidental, Amos takes a ranch hand into custody for killing a man. The charges don't stick due to shady backroom dealings, so Amos is dispatched to take the guilty man's horses and herd them north with the help of an old man, Hendricks.

As they make their way north, they run afoul of another crime a wealthy rancher shot dead. Amos finds himself on the hunt for a murderer, with the help of Hendricks's knowledge of the area, and their search for a killer proves to be an epiphany for both men and for Amos, this fascinating journey will forever change him.

Not only a crime story, Winds of Morning is an evocative tale of a changing frontier, where the rugged homesteaders have given way to big ranchers, businessmen, and struggling farmers but the land remains wild, beautiful, and dangerous.