The Two Wolves (A Dying Truth Exposed) by Marcus Abston is the third in a series of stories set deep in Native American territory in Oklahoma in the 1850s, before the Civil War. The Lightning-Strongman family is made up of a mixture of Cherokee and African-American blood and they farm a subsistence property in the town of Tahlequah. When George, the family patriarch discovers his daughter Lisa is in love with and about to marry an African-American from a nearby farm, he is determined to do whatever it takes to stop the marriage and to ensure the purity of the Cherokee blood continues in his family. His actions will have major ramifications not just for Lisa but for the entire family. While Lisa’s beau Jacob has been spirited away and sold into slavery, Lisa finds herself the center of attention from one of the ruthless and violent Indian Agents appointed by the U.S. Government to oversee the Native American settlements and to keep order amongst its population. While the family searches for Jacob far and wide, things are rapidly coming to a head for the other members of the family. Will their unshakable faith be enough to guide this family through the tough times on the horizon?

The Two Wolves was an immensely satisfying read. Well-written, with wonderful characterizations and a sense of the old west plus the futility and desolation felt by the Native American people following the infamous Trail of Tears, author Marcus Abston brings this family to life for readers. What surprised me the most, and perhaps I was naive in this, was the amount of racism inherent in the Native Americans of the time. I was fascinated to read of the many Cherokee who, while they were frequently reminded they were on a level lower than the white man on the civilized scale, felt they were infinitely higher on that scale than the black man. I was appreciative of the author using the dominant theme of Christianity to show the sheer hypocrisy of both the white men and many of the Native Americans. For me, this was the thrust of this story and it resonated through every page. I also enjoyed the banter and repartee between the various female characters in the Lightning-Strongman family, who all possessed some dominant traits and were the true leaders of the family. It is not necessary to have read the previous two books to enjoy this book, as it stands alone well, but I will be looking out for book four when it arrives, so I can continue the saga. This is an excellent read that I can highly recommend.