This Scorched Earth

A sweeping historical fiction epic that portrays a family’s long, vivid journey from devastation in the American Civil War to their rebirth in the West, written by a USA Today bestselling author and expert in historical detail.

This Scorched Earth: A Novel of the Civil War and the American West follows the Hancock family as the Civil War tears apart not only the nation but their own lives. In rural Arkansas, siblings Doc, Sarah, Butler, and Billy are devastated by war’s destruction. Through unimaginable loss, they struggle to heal, choosing paths of redemption, survival, and reinvention on the American frontier. Their personal odyssey — shaped by violence, grief, love, and the harsh promise of the West — becomes a powerful testament to resilience, human endurance, and the enduring bonds of family against the backdrop of America’s most brutal conflict.

“Gear’s *This Scorched Earth* is a sprawling but thoroughly engaging journey of a family from the Civil War to the opening of the American West — the word “epic” fits.” — C. J. Box, #1 *New York Times* bestselling author. “The novel that Gear has always been meant to write … a page turner you can’t put down.” — Craig Johnson, *New York Times* bestselling author.