Kirby Jonas Books In Order

Publication Order of Gray Eagle Books

Publication Order of Lehi's Dream Books

Publication Order of Legends West Books

Publication Order of Savage Law Books

Publication Order of Season of the Vigilante Books

Publication Order of Town Tamer Books

Publication Order of Badland Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Kirby Jonas is an American author that writes a lot of fiction set in the Old West.

+Biography

Kirby Frank Jonas has been heard saying that people keep telling him his name is made up because it sounds too Western. Jonas thinks it’s destiny that he was given a name which is so reminiscent of the world of cowboys and Indians that he keeps writing about.

The author was born in 1965 in Bozeman Montana. Jonas’s love for the Old West was sparked at a young age, primarily the result of the rumbling mountains and cattle ranges of his home that reminded him of a world that has since faded away.

Jonas’ father loved to tell stories about the Old West. He would also sing catchy Western ballads. Jonas eventually discovered westerns on television and that cemented his love for that particular genre.

Kirby Jonas moved around a lot as a younger man. Most of his schooling was completed in Shelley, Idaho where he migrated to after leaving the farm in the Middle of Civil War Battlefield County in Virginia he had called home.

Jonas wrote a lot as a child. In fact, his first book was completed in the sixth grade. And by the time he was a senior in high school, he had a second novel under his belt. He eventually proceeded to write and publish numerous novels set in the Old West, one of which he produced in collaboration with his brother.

According to Kirby Jonas, most of the traveling he did was designed to help him better understand the North American landscape so that he could better transport readers to the fictional towns of the Old West he sought to write about.

Jonas did get a chance to go to Europe. He visited nine countries and was afforded the opportunity to gain an understanding of the world outside the United States.

Jonas has pursued many careers during his lifetime. He has sold pets, sorted potatoes and moved irrigation pipe. He has had the opportunity to tag deer and act. He has been a horse wrangler and he has driven armored trucks.

His most notable career besides writing has been firefighting. The author had the opportunity to fight wildfires for the authorities in places like New Mexico, Utah and Idaho not to mention Wyoming and Arizona.

Kirby Jonas had it in mind to go to Hawaii and lend his firefighting skills but the opportunity never came his way.

When the author isn’t writing or fighting fires, he is getting immersed in the Old West. He can be found playing and singing Western Songs. He also loves to paint his own book covers because he believes it gives them a unique signature.

The author has had the pleasure of meeting some of his favorite Old Western television stars like James Drury and Clint Walker. Jonas has also met Denny Miller, Richard Farnsworth, Tim Selleck, Harry Carey and a whole host of other celebrated personalities that have allowed him to inject a depth into his own fictional Westerns.

The author speaks fondly of his wife Debbie, referring to her as his best friend. He is also immensely proud of the four children they have.

Jonas loves interacting with his readers. And he is more than happy to reply to emails, even when they are negative. The author is also relatively active on Facebook where he invites fans to engage with him on any relevant subjects.

+Death of an Eagle

Jose Olano is a Basque sheepherder. He learned everything he knows about survival from Robert McAllister, a roguish mountain man also called Gray Eagle. Jose undertakes a long and arduous journey in his efforts to make a name for himself.

He must contend with all kinds of men, women, and animals before finally facing off against his greatest foe

Death of an Eagle is not very typical of the Western genre because it doesn’t emphasize cowboys and ranches quite as much. Rather, the book picks up at a time when ranchers and farmers are looking to the railroad for prosperity as the landscape begins to change and the freedom of the mountains and the plains is slowly but surely eroded away.

Robert McAllister is a grizzled tracker who comes upon the beaten body of Jose Olano, a sheepherder who tangled with a bear and was left for dead. Robert takes Jose under his wing and teaches him how to track, hunt and survive in the world.

Jose begins to appreciate his country for what it is. Robert is looking to make Jose like him. However, Jose has a life beyond the wilderness. He wants a family and a warm homestead. And it isn’t long before the clashing wills of these two great friends place them on different sides of the law.

Death of an Eagle tries to explore the passing of the frontier by introducing parties who are either willing to adapt to the change or determined to push back against it. Kirby Jonas’ characters feel like they walked right out of a standard western setting.

They are all clean and straightforward, though they never get too preachy about any one particular point of view.

+Yaqui Gold

Sam Coffey and Tom Vance are looking for a lucky break. Their last job ended rather unceremoniously. The man they were working for was struck with tragedy when a freak accident ended with the death of his daughter.

Sam and Tom need something new. So they head to Southern Arizona where Sam’s Sweetheart lives and there they encounter an old man who changes their lives. The man claims to have discovered a cache of treasure.

But the treasure is stowed away in the middle of Yaqui Indian country. The old man talks Sam and Tom into retrieving the treasure for him, a task that seems simple enough until the Yaquis catch them.

Tom manages to make it out alive, but only because Sam saved him at the expense of his own life. Now the Yaquis have Sam. The tribe is well known for its brutality and Sam doesn’t know how he will survive the ordeal.

This book was written by Kirby Jonas in collaboration with Clint Walker, one of Jonas’ favorite Western movie stars. According to Jonas, he based the protagonists on Tom Selleck and Sam Elliot.

One Response to “Kirby Jonas”

1. Chuck Bartok: 7 years ago

   All of the books by Kirby Jonas are a delight to read. I understand why some refer to him as the ‘New’ Louis L’Amour

   Reply