OSKAR AWARD: Best Antagonist in Zina Abbott Books

Today on my "Oskar Awards" series of posts, I am featuring my best antagonists in my 2019 books. Who better to make a plot exciting and interesting than a good villain? Here are my top five choices:

Spotted Horse in Charlie's Choice:
          Spotted Horse is my heroine Meadowlark's father. He is not a villain, but he is an antagonist. He is part of the tradition Kansa (Kaw) faction that rejects any interaction and intermarriage with white Americans. He opposes Charlie Gray Cloud's request to marry Meadowlark.

Mortimer Crane in Diantha:
          Mortimer Crane is a villain. He is common to the entire Widows of Wildcat Ridge series. He is mean and self-serving, always trying to get the widows under his control.

Charley Jardine in Escape from Gold Mountain:
          Based on a real person, Charley Jardine had been in trouble with the law for years. He was a mean drunk known to attack anyone who rubbed him the wrong way when inebriated. He rustled cattle, planned the stagecoach abduction, hired Tex to do the abduction, and held Ling Loi for ransom.

Tex Wilson in Escape from Gold Mountain:
          Tex Wilson was known for cattle rustling and stagecoach robberies. Fresno County had a warrant out for his arrest. He carried out the stagecoach abduction. 

Herbert Price in Nathan's Nurse: 
          Herbert was more an antagonist than a villain with evil intent. He drank too much, was self-centered and disrespectful toward women, and resisted following rules. He caused continual trouble for his brother, Nathan.

And my choice for the best antagonist/villain is

Charley Jardine

In real life and in my book, Charley was an outlaw and a trouble-maker with complete disregard for the people around him. Although he worked as a miner, he felt no qualms about making extra money by any means--legal or illegal. He loved power and control. He had run with a rough crowd and terrorized the citizens of Lundy for years before the time this story takes place. Once the mines began to shut down there, he moved to Bodie, another rough and lawless town. In real life, between Charley (sometimes spelled Charlie) Jardine and Tex Wilson, which man took the prize for being the most lawless and violent, I don't know. However, in my book, it was Charley. I wrote it that way because local historians claimed he was the head of the gang that included Tex.

For the full book description and purchase link for Escape from Gold Mountain, 

please CLICK HERE.

If you missed the Oskar Award for Zina Abbott's best 2019 hero post, CLICK HERE. 
If you missed the Oskar Award for Zina Abbott's best 2019 heroine post, CLICK HERE. 
If you missed the Oskar Award for Zina Abbott's best 2019 secondary male character post, CLICK HERE. 
If you missed the Oskar Award for Zina Abbott's best 2019 secondary female character post, CLICK HERE.