Born in Richmond, Indiana,[2] Cook ran away from home at age 16 and joined the U.S. Army cavalry[2] before serving as a pilot in the Pacific during World War II.
[2] After the war Cook worked as a salvage worker, judo instructor, a bush pilot in Alaska, and as a deputy sheriff in California.
[4] In 1959, Cook used the penname Wade Everett for a series of paperbacks released by Ballantine Books, with these novels being reprinted numerous times over the following decades.
[4] Most of his books deal with traditional western themes of reformed outlaws, range wars and fights with Native Americans, but some also focused on romance.
[9][10][11] In addition, Cook's stories and novels were also adapted into a number of other Hollywood westerns including episodes of the TV shows Cheyenne, Bronco, and Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre.