Eunice Boeve

Ride a Shadowed Trail won the 2009 J. Donald Coffin Award given yearly at the Kansas Authors Club convention. One of the judges, Marlys Cervantes who holds a masters degree from Oklahoma State and is the chairman of the Humanities at Cowley College at Arkansas City said of the novel. The winner was, frankly, unexpected to me because it really isn't my type novel, a western story. However I found it captivating in both plot and character. The novel does not take expected turns nor have easy endings. The characters grow and evolve and we see what has happened in their lives that leads to these changes that the author has foreshadowed so they are realitistic and believable changes. A sequel titled Crossed Trails will be available this next winter or early spring.
************************************************************************************************************************************************************ Reader's comments: 10/7/11---Eunice, I really did enjoy Ride a Shadowed Trail. It's been a while since I've read a traditional western but you certainly lived up to the best of those expectations. I also want to mention your understanding of an eight year old boy, ready to take on the management of his own life. Thank you, Jo
Amazon Reviews:
February 13, 2009 By N. Oswald
In this book, the character, Josh Ryder, unwinds the secrets of his past with twists and turns as fluid as the movements of a desert sidewinder. This story brings Texas and the west alive with accurate details and believable events that portray life during the days of wide-open spaces and long cattle drives. Life and death, love and heartbreak, mark Josh's journey to find his father and to avenge the death of his mother. The conclusion lassos and ties Josh's experiences. As he reflects on his past he makes conscious choices about his future and leads us to reflect on our own. The words of the character, Rosita, echo a main theme in this book: "Life, she gives and takes away and in both ways she changes our journey." Excellent Fiction.
October 6, 2008 By Tina Pool
Ride a Shadowed Trail is a fast-paced story of a young boy growing into manhood and the challenges he faces in frontier Texas. Ms. Boeve's characters are well-developed and you immediately feel a connection to them. Each turn of the page leaves the reader wanting more. Readers of western and non-western novels will love Ride a Shadowed Trail. It's universally appealing!