The Gear’s (husband and wife writing team) have a long list of books under their names, most written together, some separately. This is a new genre for the Gears, from their long series of Native Peoples called: North America's Forgotten Past. Instead of focusing on the historical past we have “A Contemporary Western Mystery” based in Montana and Wyoming, buffalo country.

The book starts with the murder of a very rich man and conservation lawyer Ryman Banks. Ryman runs an organization based on saving the purity of the buffalo. Along the way he’s made several enemies, including his soon to be ex-wife, who gains his estate with his death which she was not getting in the divorce.

This becomes a high-profile case for the state of Montana and the DOJ assigns a new agent Jillian Masterson. What follows is trying to piece out who and why Ryman was killed.

It’s a fast-paced book, as many of the Gear’s books can be. I read this based on my enjoyment of their historic series, but this type of book is not really my usual fare. While it was well written, and I learned about genetics and buffalo, I'm not a fan of police procedurals. For those who do enjoy this genre they will find much to enjoy here.
Book rating: 3.25

I'm a dedicated reader of the Western genre. The writing duo of W. Michael and Kathleen O'Neal Gear has numerous historical fiction titles in their backlist, demonstrating their experience and dedication to accuracy in their books. BUFFALO JUSTICE is a cross-genre story of the battle to control the Yellowstone buffalo herd. The characters are well developed and portray with deadly accuracy the dozens of interested parties ready to stretch the law for their share of the prize. There are enough open threads to lead me to think this could be the first book in a series that I would recommend to everyone in my reading circle. 5 easy stars.

I truly enjoyed the novel, Buffalo Justice. I am a big fan of Western Adventure thrillers in the lines of C.J. box and this novel was a great read. I liked having a female problem solver as the lead character. The story line was interesting and relevant with the Yellowstone bison being front and center. I love the Wyoming and Montana landscape where this novel is set. The authors painted a very clear picture of the action, and although at first the number of characters was a bit overwhelming, it all came together in a believable and satisfying way. I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes a book where justice triumphs and the good guys win.

Thank you to NetGalley & Wolfpack Publishing for the ARC of this novel. Great modern western story! The plot left me guessing until the end. Looking forward to more adventures with Agent Masterson in the future!

I admit to be a fan of what the Gears write, starting with everything in their Earliest Americans series. Buffalo Justice (Wolfpack Publishing 2025) is a huge deviation from their usual focus on history, but they managed it superbly, showing their chops as writers. The star as the title hints is the American buffalo. The plot is first, how to save them and second, if that’s possible given the politics and diverse agendas of those involved in the name of ecology. The characters are a perfect mix of soul and grit, blended with an authentic brush of real life and fiction. Montana Department of Justice Agent Jillian Masterson is a new agent, but assigned this case of a murdered conservation advocate, maybe because it's routine or uninteresting or who knows why. She is  part Shoshone with a deep instinct for seeing truth wherever it hides. The clues lead her to a possible perpetrator, Wyoming buffalo rancher John Cody, a man who would lose everything if the advocate prevails. To her surprise, he is open and even-handed, seemingly as eager as she is to find this murderer. When others involved in the case begin dying, those clues too lead to Cody but in each case he has an alibi. Masterson becomes convinced someone is trying to frame him but who? And why?

This is an excellent story, fast moving with a riveting plot and likeable characters. I can’t wait to read more of their foray into modern times.

--My blog post will publish at a later date

W. Michael Gear is a favorite author for realistic contemporary western fiction. He never fails to deliver with a great plot concerning relevant topics and once again with Buffalo Justice he presents a timely topic with a unique spin. I received an ARC from NetGalley, and the opinions expressed are my own.

Buffalo Justice: A Contemporary Western Mystery
by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O’neal Gear
Michael and Kathleen explore the modern world with this fictional story based on their thirty years of raising buffalo. They approach a modern mystery with complete understanding of motive and operational insight.
The book shows the complex nature of The Buffalo industry, with its controversies, and problems. It's a reminder of the beautiful wild nature of the animals, and the complex relationships that are part of their appeal. With plenty of warnings about their temperament. The reader will learn many of the controversies that surround the industry, from conservation efforts, to animal DNA sequencing. This includes and is not limited to the “woods bison”, cross breeding with cattle, ancient and modern similarities to cattle. The reader will learn about the legal and financial debates, and conflicts that plague the burgeoning industry, and the national parks. The practices of hybridizing like the use of Charolais cattle to attempt the white buffalo hoaxes. The difficulty not only in raising the animals, but adapting to the past mistakes that prior generations caused. The introduction of illness from cattle, like malignant catarrhal fever, mycoplasma bovis, brucellosis, tuberculosis from Europe and Asia.
This book leaves the reader with a deeper understanding of buffalo, and the western mindset of ranching. It will also show how these controversies could cause future problems and the uninformed public buys into propaganda and miss information because of manipulation of various viewpoints on conservation, native rights, species survival.
The characters are well throughout with depth and their own faults.
For the avid fan I am of the series, I appreciated the shout outs in the book to the stories the Gears have presented year after year when you talk to them in person. One of the characters finally shares the harrowing story of driving buffalo in a trailer during a blizzard. Another shows the nature of buffalo, from their insults to their skittish nature. If you're in the know, you will see the cattle shoot incident that broke Mike’s ribs.
Other shout outs were for favorite places like Merlin’s Hideout, . The buffalo that were the emphases of the characters in their books are notable, Sun Dancer, Fire dancer, and Rambler. To other notable authors, and researchers that have interacted with the Gears over the years.

Never read this author, but the cover caught my attention. Going into Buffalo Justice unthinkingly, the first chapter grabbed me. Buffalo Justice was filled with action, the many twists, turns, and suspense throughout the book. What was surprising while reading was how believable the story was.

This is the first book I’ve read by the Gear’s but I will certainly be looking for more. Wow, this one grabbed me in the first chapter, with action galore and the twists, turns and suspense never end until the last page. The best part was that it was all believable, some action stories take it over the top, but this one didn’t.

I especially liked John Cody and Jillian’s characters. Always good when we get a bit serious, a light romance and a bit of humor. This book had it all. I highly recommend.

This was a great book, comes in with high 5 stars.

Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley.