Calder Brand

Janet Dailey’s iconic Calder Saga, a series revolving around a powerful 19th century Montana ranching family, has become synonymous with romance, adventure, and the epic mystique of the Old West. Now she invites readers on an exciting new spin-off beginning in the late-1800’s, as a cowboy named Joe Dollarhide sets out on one of the first cattle drives from Texas to Montana in hopes of claiming his own piece of the American frontier. With sweeping romance, suspenseful tension, and fascinating historical detail, Janet Dailey honors the true grit and pioneer spirit of the early cowboys and frontier settlers, bringing the open range to vivid life…
Ambition drove Joe Dollarhide across the parched plains from Fort Sam Houston to Dodge City. One day, he was determined to have a spread every bit as vast and impressive as his employer’s. But when a wild stampede separates him from the cattle drive, it is survival that keeps him going when most would have given up. Survival and a burning need to settle the score with Benteen Calder, the cattle boss he used to worship, the man who’d left him for dead.
Hope buoyed Sarah Foxworth when she had just five dollars to her name, traveling the dusty rails where Joe first rescued her from a violent attack, then won her heart as a cowboy in need of redemption. With dreams of becoming a doctor herself one day, she uses all her wits to save her uncle’s medical practice and his reputation. But it’s her own reputation that suffers when she gives birth to an illegitimate baby.
Years later, when Sarah walks into Joe’s world once more, he’s shaken to the core. Her dreams of becoming a doctor are dashed; her only hope is to find a better life for herself and her son—a child there’s no denying is his own. Now a prosperous rancher, Joe yearns to finally make a home with Sarah and their boy. Only Joe’s own road to riches has been strewn with obstacles, some looming even larger than the demons he still struggles against. But life has also shown Joe that nothing worth having ever comes easy. And that Sarah is a woman worth fighting for…

This recommended reading and discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with Kensington.

Book club questions for Calder Brand by Janet Dailey

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

This novel explores the sheer grit of the men and women who settled the West, who competed for a piece of the open range, and the fascinating history of America's westward expansion. Did you learn anything new about life on the American frontier while reading this story? Did any of the historical details surprise you?

Early in this novel, Joe Dollarhide, a young cowboy on his first cattle drive is separated from the group and injured. Has there ever been a time when you lost your way and were separated from someone or something you cared about? How did you find your way back?

Joe has a ruthless work ethic. Do you have a goal you want to accomplish this year? Do you have any special tricks or tips that help keep you motivated and on track? What’s been your favorite accomplishment in your life thus far?

Joe spends years building a rival ranching empire born from his fierce determination to take his enemies down. But when a woman from his past re-appears with a young boy who is the spitting image of himself, Joe is forced to reevaluate his priorities in life. Has there ever been a time when you’ve had to reevaluate your life purpose or priorities? What sparked it and what was the outcome?

Because she is a woman living in the late 19th century, Sarah’s skill with medicine is vastly underestimated. Has there ever been someone who underestimated you? What did you do to prove them wrong?

When Joe Dollarhide and his nemesis, Benteen Calder, find themselves in a situation where they have to work together to survive, they come to an understanding which leads to a truce. Have you or someone close to you ever had someone they considered “the enemy”? What happened in that relationship? Was a ceasefire ultimately the outcome like for Joe and Benteen?

The Calders are a family that seems like they have it all. Have you ever been envious of what you thought someone else had? What’s the craziest thing you’ve do to “Keep Up With the Jones’” so to speak?

Sarah faces extreme stigma in her life due to being a single mother. How has the perception of single motherhood has changed since the 1880s?

The Montana wilderness is a harsh environment, and the characters face many challenges in their relatively isolated community. Have you ever had to battle the elements or had to reckon with being cut-off from civilization?

The idea of the lone cowboy is an iconic American image. Why do you think these figures have been consistently romanticized and maintain fascination in our collective consciousness? Do you have any favorite cowboy figures or heroes? If so, who?

Calder Brand Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the Calder Brand discussion questions

“Dailey highlights the brutal reality of survival in the American West while building a sprawling, emotional love story for Joe and Sarah.” – Publishers Weekly on Calder Brand