I'd heard some great things about James Carlos Blake's crime writing, but this was his first book I'd read from a unique, award-winning author who's been dubbed “one of the greatest chroniclers of the mythical American outlaw life” and "one of the bravest" writers in America.

It definitely won't be the last; The Ways of Wolfe is a rip-snorting, action-packed tale full of violence, criminality and philosophy. A true Border Noir, riding hard along the border, heavy on the noir.

Axel Wolfe has spent twenty years in prison for a robbery gone wrong, his promise as a college student and part of a powerful Texas family ground away by years ensconced in a tiny cell. There's a light at the end of the tunnel, but it's still more than a decade away, so against his better judgement Axel teams up with a young prisoner whose drug cartel contacts can provide support for an escape.

Freedom beckons, but at what price?

The Ways of Wolfe is the latest Blake tale centred on branches of the Wolfe family, a fascinating clan whose roots sprawl across both sides of the Texas-Mexico border and whose interests sprawl across both sides of the legal-illegal divide. Axel's promise saw him tapped by some in the family for the legal work, but he'd always found himself more drawn to the family's secretive 'shade trade'.

Reading The Ways of Wolfe certainly made me keen to read Blake's other Wolfe family tales, and in fact pretty much anything Blake has written. He's a superb storyteller. His prose is punchy, full of violence and venom, but it flows beautifully, unfolding at high pace but never feeling rushed or 'thin'.

I was immediately drawn into Axel's world, and his yearning for freedom and to reconnect with his long-lost daughter. As the escape plan is hatched and executed, peril appears at every turn. There's a great tension throughout the book, as Axel faces challenges both human and environmental. You know things are heading down a bad road for many involved, but it's a fascinating ride getting there.

A terrific tale full of grit and style.

THE WAYS OF WOLFE
James Carlos Blake
Mysterious Press
ISBN 978-0-8021-2577-4
Hardcover
Thriller

You have got to be reading James Carlos Blake’s books. I mean, seriously. I do not understand why this gentleman is not monstrously, Godzilla-huge on the literary front. It might have something to do with most of his books being historical fiction but every page, every paragraph, every book is a freaking gem. As is THE WAYS OF WOLFE, his latest offering.

THE WAYS OF WOLFE continues Blake’s multigenerational saga which began in COUNTRY OF THE BAD WOLFES and continued with THE RULES OF WOLFE and THE HOUSE OF WOLFE. The Wolfes, a family operating on both sides of the United States-Mexico border and both sides of the law, are very loosely based upon Blake’s own family, a bit of homage which lends itself to the very heady air of realism which permeates the books in the series. THE WAYS OF WOLFE, for its part, takes place prior to the events in THE HOUSE OF WOLFE, and is focused upon Axel Wolfe. Axel is a promising college student when the book opens in 1984, but as the story unfolds it is clear that he is more interested in moving into the criminal enterprises of his family. His outlaw career is short-lived, however, in part because of his association with what he refers to as “wayward companions,” that being his friend Billy. Billy and Axel are drawn into a robbery scheme with a third loser. The job quickly goes chest-up and in the ensuing chaos Axel is left behind by Billy. Axel does stand-up time, never turning evidence on his friend, even as the decades roll by with Axel losing his wife and daughter. In 2008, with years of his sentence still to serve, Axel is given an opportunity to escape with a young gangbanger. Wolfe hits a new stratosphere with his description of the escape and its aftermath. And if I might, let me stop for a moment here and tell you that it is impossible to predict, from the beginning to the end of THE WAYS OF WOLFE, what is going to happen or how it will take place. Yes, I’m revealing a bit here and there, but I assure you that the journey is every bit as thrilling as the destination. Indeed, Axel effectuates his escape, and enjoys some respect and succor as a result, but two things eat at him. One is whatever happened to Billy, and the small fortune which they acquired during the course of the robbery. The second is Axel’s daughter, Jessie (who plays a prominent part in THE HOUSE OF WOLFE), who has been all but lost to him during his prison term. Axel, makes a fateful decision and decides on one pivotal night to resolve both of the trying issues from his past, with results that will ripple into the future.

I am favorably predisposed to border and desert noir, but Blake is in a class all by himself. His characters are instantly memorable within a few words of introduction, his sceneries perfectly described to their most important nuances, his plots twisting and turning in their unpredictability from beginning to end Indeed,
THE WAYS OF WOLFE did not end in the manner in which I had expected. I had to read the last few pages a couple of times to make sure I understood it correctly. Let me say again and yet again that this was actually true of the entire book as well as the other books in this series. Each of Blake’s novels is laid out in such a manner that one can never correctly predict with consistency what is going to occur next. The result is dark, beautiful slice of border noir which continues James Carlos Blake’s multifaceted exploration of the Wolfe family. I hope that the series goes on forever, or a reasonable facsimile thereof. Strongly recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2017, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley to read and review.

THE WAYS OF WOLFE is the latest book of several by author James Carlo Blake that is centered around the Wolfe family, a powerful and widely known family that has operations on both sides of the U.S./Mexico border, both legal and secretive illegal businesses being long term successful operations.

Axel Wolfe is the young son of a prominent lawyer north of the border who is studying to become a lawyer in his father’s firm; yet secretly harbors an interest in the Wolfe family’s secret “shade-trade” business that his father definitely wouldn’t approve of.

Billy, Axel’s life-long friend is easily able to enlist him to be an accomplice to a jewelry store heist with the target not jewelry, but rather a rumored stash of untraceable bearer bonds stored at the location.

Things go awry in the subsequent getaway, and Axel is wounded and abandoned by his partners in crime who have the bonds. Axel refuses to name the others involved and draws a lengthy sentence as a result.

Several years go by leaving Axel older and resigned to his prison term; that is until a likable young inmate named Chaco convinces him to join him in an escape, and Axel overcomes initial thoughts of refusing when thoughts of dying in prison before having a chance to meet his daughter for the first time haunt him.

Axel also has had a decade to think about his friend Billy, and Duro, (the only name he knows attached to the other participant in the heist), and his thoughts of facing them again are an ever present part of his thoughts.

Great book, and solid action constantly present yet still allowing the interaction between the older Axel and younger Chaco to develop a close bond, along with an ever present window into the thoughts of Axel as a man who has one focus that surpasses any other; which is freedom.

Highly recommended to lovers of border tales, as this is an excellent border story, but it is also much more than that.

5 stars.

Blake does it again. I've read all the Wolfe books and this one is right on par with the other two. While you can jump in with this one, it'd be nice if you had read the other two. I won't rehash the plot, but if you are fan action, violent, narco, chase books then this book is for you. Blake is a stronger writer, his prose are lean and dialogue is on point and realistic. I'd highly recommend. Netgalley, thank you for the book.

I had not read Blake before so I was not familiar with the Wolfe clan but it wasn't a problem for me to quickly leap in and understand the family history and dynamics. I'd not considered the concept of border noir (I've read a lot of Scandinavian noir) but this is clearly it. Alex's ill considered quest to see his daughter Jessie by escaping from prison uncovers all sorts of secrets and dangerous activities. If you're comfortable with language, violence, narcos, and the like, try this one. It's well written and entertaining if, as noted, dark. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Such an exciting mystery novel! After ending up in prison while his accomplices got away, it was easy to invest in this protagonist's journey! James Carlos Blake didn't disappoint!

James Carlos Blake is one of the most underrated authors working today-a hidden gem if there ever was one. He writes historical fiction and crime novels. The Ways of the Wolfei is a crime novel centering on Axel Wolfe, a member of the larcenous Wolfe dynasty. The Wolfe family has been the subject of a number of books by Blake and this is the latest. Fast paced, violent and literate. Read it.