Category: Westerns

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Books & Novels General Non-Fiction History & Biographies (Books) Westerns

BANDIT HEAVEN: THE HOLE-IN-THE-WALL GANGS AND THE FINAL CHAPTER OF THE WILD WEST

Written by Tom Clavin

SUMMARY:

Released by St. Martin’s Press in 2024, this 288-page hardcover explores the nefarious exploits of the Old West’s last desperadoes and the lawmen chasing after them.  The prologue relates a middle-of-the-night train robbery in proximity to Wilcox, Wyoming, on June 2, 1899.  Not only was it another successful raid for Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch, but its notoriety nationwide signaled the end was coming for the Old West’s most elusive desperadoes. 

As an unintended consequence of Western expansion, Clavin elaborates on how the vast frontier spanning from Canada to Mexico supplied three prominent outlaw hideouts: Brown’s Hole, the Hole-In-The-Wall, and Robbers’ Roost along the so-called ‘Outlaw Trail.’  For years before the 19th Century’s close, rival bandits could share these remote locales gloating over why savvy posses wouldn’t dare breach these sparse strongholds.  The likelihood of hidden ambush, exhausted horses, and a scarcity of food and water (if you didn’t know where to find it) frankly provided no incentives to further these pursuits.

Aside from introducing comparatively obscure bandits meeting foul ends (i.e. George Parrott; the Blackjack Ketchum gang; etc.), Wyoming’s infamous Johnson County War and Arizona’s Pleasant Valley War are discussed.  With virtually exclusive control of livestock (i.e. cattle) and, therefore, grazing lands at stake, both range wars would accumulate scores of wanton casualties.  Local police, U.S. Marshals, and even the private-sector Pinkertons already had their hands full with smaller-scale crooks to contend with essentially organized crime, including range assassins. 

Dogged efforts of undercover operatives, such as the Pinkertons’ Charlie Siringo, at least ensured valuable surveillance over time on fugitives would be shared in a growing law enforcement network.  Roving outlaws, in that sense, became hard-pressed to outrace the practicality of telegraphs.    

Among the ‘Wild Bunch,’ Butch Cassidy, “The Sundance Kid” Harry Longabaugh, and their incorrigible cronies (including the psychotic “Kid Curry”) usually managed to evade capture.  Yet, the brazen Wilcox heist signaled that their profitable fun-and-games would soon end. With Cassidy and Longabaugh absconding to South America (along with Longabaugh’s wife, Etta Place), the region’s remaining bandits would be hunted down, one by one, as necessary, into the early 20th Century.  Of the Wild Bunch’s known membership, only ex-convicts Elza Lay and Laura Bullion would live to see past middle age.  

Upon their discreet escape to South America, the final fates of Cassidy, Longabaugh, and Etta Place still remain murky.  As Clavin acknowledges, the trio shares a lingering Old West enigma that present-day forensics has no certain answers for.  

Note: This title is available digitally and as an audiobook.  Presumably, Bandit Heaven will be re-released in paperback form at some later date.

REVIEW:

As an author, Tom Clavin’s narrative style for Bandit Heaven is admirably consistent with his prior Old West works.  Concocting briskly conversational yet still historically accurate text, Clavin delivers all the necessary goods, including welcome sprinkles of humor.  His propensity for extended side stories shouldn’t, otherwise, impact a solid read revisiting The Wild Bunch’s capers and long-befuddled posses in pursuit. 

With the infamous Johnson County War as a prelude, Clavin focuses on the era’s most notorious bandits, their cronies, and really, by extension, more cronies of cronies.  The same applies to his detailed takes on the Pinkertons and local law enforcement, as their successes often proved hard-earned.  Along with his excellent mini-biography of Charlie Siringo, Clavin examines manhunters Tom Horn, Frank Canton, and lesser competition like Joe Lefors, with precision. 

Hence, Clavin would make a stellar professor in the classroom engaging students on his subject matter’s less-than-glamorous realities.  He also knows better than to pitch unprovable theories and sticks to grounded history.  For instance, Clavin doesn’t speculate much on Ethel “Etta” Place’s tantalizingly unknown fate beyond mentioning some possibilities that historians have considered. 

Among them is a quick footnote indicating that Place and fellow Wild Bunch girlfriend, Ann Bassett, weren’t the same person since their conflicting known whereabouts at certain times makes such an intriguing notion impossible.  Still, given their startling physical resemblance (even evidently sharing the same birth year), let alone Place’s seemingly non-existent past, it does make one wonder about strange coincidences possibly linking Place with Bassett. 

As for the unsolved Butch & Sundance mystery dating back to 1908 in San Vincente, Clavin explores it as much as he can – without going overboard.  Clavin mentions that at least other two fellow American bandits the duo knew were working South America at the same time, so misassumptions on shady aliases were common.  His reporting leave open a remote chance that Butch & Sundance’s inexplicable mistakes in San Vicente weren’t made by them.  No matter how slick this dynamite duo (read Clavin’s text on their train heists for this pun) was in its prime: they were either very much off their game that fateful night – or some luckless copycats pretended to be them one last time. 

Considering members of Cassidy’s family claimed he survived under an alias to old age, again one wonders.  Clavin doesn’t even mention it, but a similar claim has also been made before of Sundance – that is, to a far lesser degree.  Unless reliable forensic evidence is excavated from a San Vicente cemetery, it appears the same ‘what-if Butch & Sundance’ scenarios from over a century ago are still on the table.      

Much of what Clavin reports is often found elsewhere, but there are occasionally obscure gems that one wouldn’t expect.  For instance, the unfulfilled prospect of Butch and his pals enlisting as U.S. soldiers in the Spanish-American War in hopes of securing amnesty is a curious notion.  For that matter, having his boys instead hold off from robbing unguarded trains during the war, shows what a patriotic and generous soul the wily Butch Cassidy was (wink-wink).  Or how about The Sundance Kid’s failed efforts at commanding his own spin-off faction?  Such details and anecdotes are Clavin’s forte, so even if one already knows much of this material, you can appreciate these enlightening revelations.  

The only caveat is a heads-up for the squeamish: specifically, Clavin discusses the macabre use of bandit George Parrott’s remains – though true, it’s wincing to read.  The author, otherwise, doesn’t delve much into grisly details (i.e. the brutal demise of ex-Wild Bunch desperado Ben Kilpatrick is mentioned but not elaborated upon).  Instead, as with his other works, Clavin wisely lets the history speak for itself – along with his knack for well-played sarcasm. 

For armchair historians (older teens and up), Bandit Heaven delivers a contemporary Old West history lesson well worth taking for a ride.    

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

After the table of contents, Clavin supplies some helpful maps: 1. A North-to-South map titled ‘The Outlaw Trail;’ 2. A map of the Wild Bunch’s robberies; and 3. Butch & Sundance’s ‘Final Years’ tour of South America.  Midway through, there is an intriguing sixteen-page black-and-white photo section.  Please note, though not graphic, that a few images depict post-mortem glimpses of lesser-known Wild Bunch members.  A ghoulish picture proving bandit George Parrott’s dubious legacy, however, may be cringe-inducing. 

In addition to his detailed footnotes, Clavin provides the following sections: two pages of acknowledgements, a three-page ‘selected bibliography,’ and a very helpful nine-page index.  The last page offers a brief Clavin biography, which is duplicated on the inside back cover jacket.   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                       8 Stars

Note: Also recommended is Clavin’s prior work, The Last Outlaws (his take on The Dalton Gang is really a ‘second-to-last-chapter’ on the Wild West).  Also, from a visual perspective, there is the 2014 PBS ‘American Experience’ episode: Butch Cassiday and the Sundance Kid.  Far grimmer than Clavin’s text, this documentary adds supplemental insights into the real ‘Butch & Sundance’ – further distancing them from their romanticized cinematic counterparts.  

Categories
Books & Novels General Non-Fiction History & Biographies (Books) Westerns

THE LAST OUTLAWS: THE DESPERATE FINAL DAYS OF THE DALTON GANG

Written by Tom Clavin

SUMMARY:

Released in 2023 by St. Martin’s Publishing Group, this Tom Clavin title is available in multiple formats: digital, hardcover, audiobook, large-print hardcover, and, presumably, paperback, at a later date. Per the photo below, the edition reviewed here is the large print edition — it is distributed through Thorndike Press and shares the same cover artwork as the St. Martin’s hardcover. 

The prologue begins in April 1931, as an aging Emmett Dalton briefly returns (with his wife) to Coffeyville nearly forty years after the infamously botched dual bank heist where multiple citizens and four Dalton Gang members were killed.  With mixed emotions, Emmett personally reflects upon the headstone he had purchased to adorn the shared gravesite of his brothers, Bob and Grat Dalton, and associate Bill Power. The somber departure of Emmett and his wife from the cemetery initiates Clavin’s narrative in flashback.

‘Act I: The Daltons’ summarizes the Daltons’ ancestral past and their maternal link as cousins to the Youngers: Cole, Jim, Bob, and John (who was killed years prior to the failed Northfield raid). More so, Clavin describes the Youngers’ criminal activities with brothers Jesse & Frank James dating back to the Civil War. By war’s end, the Youngers and the two James brothers had shifted from Confederate guerillas to professional criminals.  Upon the James/Younger Gang’s bloody failed 1876 bank heist in Northfield, Minnesota, Jesse and Frank James had fled back to Missouri.  The three wounded Youngers, however, were left behind to face capture and then be sent to prison for decades. 

In the years to come, Judge Isaac Parker and a vigilant division of U.S. Marshals would be hard-pressed protecting the Mid-South region from a seemingly unending reign of terror by roving criminals.  After the heinous murder of older brother Frank Dalton, as one of Parker’s deputy marshals, brothers Grat, Bob, and Emmett Dalton all briefly pursued careers as lawmen. 

Corruption and incompetence ended the three younger Daltons’ law-abiding aspirations and precipitated their escape to California.  Bungling their first train heist, Bob and Emmett’s antics implicated Grat, and much to his chagrin, another older brother: Bill.  Simmering with resentment, Bill’s subsequent attitude was that, if he was going to be unfairly branded an outlaw (by his surname), then he might as well become one.

Having fled back to Oklahoma and Kansas, now-professional thieves Bob and Emmett officially assemble their dubious gang in mid-1891, per ‘Act II: The Gang.’  Including Bill Doolin and a fugitive Grat, the gang’s notoriety over a series of train robberies soars – even if they were really more lucky than good making their escapes and evading capture. 

‘Act III: The Lawmen’ examines the U.S. Marshals, an assortment of local posses, and the train industry’s detectives, as they all join the hunt for the elusive Daltons and their cronies.  Among these determined manhunters are U.S. Deputy Marshals Bill Tilghman, Chris Madsen, and Heck Thomas – each of whom is profiled.

By early October 1892, the Daltons intend to make one last profitable score and then flee the region – all the way to South America, if necessary. As Emmett would readily acknowledge decades later, the relentless pursuit by Heck Thomas and his posse had expedited the gang’s decision-making. Specifically, they sensed that Thomas was only mere days away from catching up to them.

Opting to rob their hometown’s two banks simultaneously in broad daylight, the Daltons’ grisly demise in Coffeyville unfolds in ‘Act IV: The Shoot-Out.’  Left out of the Coffeyville disaster, the remaining gang members would soon reassemble under Bill Doolin and Bill Dalton’s shared command.  This spin-off group of desperadoes became known as the Doolin-Dalton Gang — this gang’s other monickers include the original ‘Wild Bunch;’ ‘The Oklahoma Long Riders,’ and, though Clavin doesn’t mention it: ‘the Oklahombres.’ 

Per the concluding ‘Act V: The Desperadoes,’ the two Bills (Doolin and Dalton) lead a more successful and evidently competent crew over the next few years.  Still, due to the persistence of Thomas, Madsen, and Tilghman, virtually all of the Doolin-Dalton contingent and various associates are ultimately killed or nabbed one by one.  Saved for last, Clavin reveals the fates of the surviving players and/or their families.  As far as Clavin is concerned, though long overlooked by history, he considers the wily Bill Doolin the Old West’s ‘last outlaw.’    

Note: Though Clavin makes a logical case for Doolin, two of this desperado’s old associates could make equally valid claims as the Old West’s ‘last outlaw.’ Including stints in prison and then Hollywood (I kid you not), these other two outlaws/killers would Roy Daugherty (aka ‘Arkansas Tom’ Jones) and Belle Starr’s distant nephew, Henry Starr – both of whom Clavin briefly profiles.

After years in prison and a failed try at Hollywood fame, Daugherty/Jones went back to bank robbing. As a fugitive from justice, he was ultimately killed in 1924 in a shootout with a Joplin, MO policeman.

Curiously reminiscent of Emmett Dalton, Starr’s post-prison life including a memoir and even starring in his own bio-pic. Per his own return to bank robbing, Starr updated to the 20th Century by switching to fast cars and automatic weapons for his getaways. He later suffered mortal wounds ‘on the job’ in 1921 during a Harrison, AR bank heist. Hence, Starr was a high-profile predecessor for the likes of John Dillinger, “Baby Face” Nelson, Bonnie & Clyde, and “Pretty Boy” Floyd.

REVIEW:

Aside from a few sporadic typos (which might be limited to the large print edition), Clavin pens another solid and insightful narrative.  That said, The Last Outlaws isn’t Clavin’s best work on the Old West – too often, his conversational style is somewhat languid and excessively constructed to fit his dramatic five-act storyline. 

For instance, the prologue depicting an aged (and semi-remorseful) Emmett Dalton and his wife revisiting Coffeyville comes off as a dialogue-driven sequence meant for historical fiction (or even a film).  Unlike Clavin’s other Old West works, readers will sense that he sometimes overindulges into theatrics vs. sticking to the reporting of historical facts.  Though intentionally hilarious, Clavin’s propensity for jibes (i.e. sarcastically discussing ‘unenviable’ names and nicknames in Act V) may also be a bit distracting to readers.  The flip side is that Clavin’s humor offers some welcome compensation for unavoidable monotony explaining the historical framework.   

It surely isn’t Clavin’s fault that the biographies of his primary subjects (Bob, Emmett, Grat, and Bill Dalton) are more pathetic than compelling in this ‘good brothers gone bad’ account.  Had Clavin instead structured his book around the ‘Three Guardsmen of Oklahoma:’ Heck Thomas, Bill Tilghman, and Chris Madsen (and thereby demoting the Daltons to secondary importance), that concept might have had intriguing possibilities. 

Nonetheless, Clavin’s research is reliable enough in spelling out the complete Dalton/Doolin gang activities and how law enforcement finally brought these cretins to justice.  The Last Outlaws, in that sense, likely presents one of the best contemporary analyses of this subject – especially the underrated efforts of ‘The Three Guardsmen.’

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

A table of contents is provided, where the book’s thirty-five chapters are divvied up within five ‘Acts.’  That’s not counting Emmett Dalton’s prologue and an epilogue further detailing the fates of some survivors and/or their families. 

Next up is a black-and-white map of the American Midwest in the early 1890’s.  Prior to the actual text, the author’s note readily acknowledges that his book’s title isn’t quite accurate – given the notoriety of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’s ‘Wild Bunch’ out West had still yet to come.

Clavin includes an acknowledgments section, a bibliography, and a brief summary of his credits.  Though it would have been helpful, there isn’t an index.     

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                     7 Stars

Categories
Collector's Magazines General Non-Fiction History & Biographies (Books) Reference & Science Westerns

THE WILD WEST: TRUE TALES AND AMAZING LEGENDS – 2017 (by Time Life)

SUMMARY:

Released in 2017 by Time Life Books, this 96-page magazine reflects upon the American West throughout the 19th Century.  Between text and an assortment of photos (mostly black-and-white), along with artwork, the American West’s evolution is encompassed.  After a two-page introduction, five chapters cover the following: 

  1. “An Expanding Nation.” Discussion is focused on ramifications of 1803’s Louisiana Purchase, as to how Lewis & Clark’s expedition became the first step towards a gradual mass migration westward.  Daniel Boone, John Colter, Jedediah Smith, Joseph Walker, Kit Carson and John Charles Frémont are among those explorers highlighted.     
  • “The Great Trek.”  Shifting towards mid-century, initial generations of Western pioneers faced weeks, if not months, of dire reality traveling cross-country.  As much life-ending risk was involved, so, too, were the potential rewards for opportunistic men and women alike.  Case in point: the California Gold Rush, aided in part by the railroad industry, would spike migration numbers enormously. 
  • “Cattle Barons and Cowboys.”  Heralding the Old West’s most famous occupation, fortune awaited this industry’s most successful individuals.  Predictably, those doing the actual labor faced a far more tumultuous daily life.
  • “Law and Disorder.”  Enforcing justice upon outlaws and ruthless killers would prove, at best, an inconsistent, if not hypocritical, terrain for law-abiding citizens.  1881’s ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ in Tombstone, Arizona, is reviewed, along with glimpses of Wyatt Earp, Jesse James, Pat Garrett, and Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch.  Also examined is the illicit creativity involved with gambling.
  • “The Original Americans.”  Native American tribes and their traditional means of survival are confronted with genocide once encroached upon by settlers in search of land and gold.  Skirmishes between Native Americans and U.S. soldiers would climax in June 1876 at the gory Battle of the Little Bighorn.  After this pivotal loss, U.S. forces re-doubled its efforts in forcing Native American compliance with the government’s changing yet self-interested political stance.  It would also signal that the U.S. had at last conquered the West by the end of the century.           

As its postlude, the brief “Taming of the West” explains how, at the 20th Century’s onset, few pockets of the Old West remained.  The ease of cross-country travel and 1901’s oil discovery in Texas would become signs of the country’s imminent industrial revolution.               

REVIEW:

Providing a thorough history lesson in magazine form, Time Life’s production values are stellar.  With gruesome details kept to a minimum, Time Life’s The Wild West lets its vintage photography brings historical truths to life.  The balanced text stays on task and acknowledges that hyperbole often sparked familiar legends. 

As for younger audiences, it’s best to understand that the details Time Life’s text discuss aren’t necessarily exciting, but they are insightful.  More so, the magazine’s text doesn’t play favorites keeping its narrative consistently objective. Intended for both historical buffs and casual readers, this magazine makes a welcome treat.  Highly recommended!    

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

A table of contents and photo credits are included.  

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                     9 Stars

Categories
Books & Novels Collector's Magazines History & Biographies (Books) Westerns

HAUNTED WEST: LEGENDARY TALES FROM THE FRONTIER (2021)

By Centennial Spotlight.  

SUMMARY:

Released by Centennial Media in 2021, this 98-page collectible magazine provides an Old American West history lesson and teases reputed instances of its supernatural legacy.  Though the articles don’t identify their specific authors, the contents consist of the following:

  • Introduction: “Welcome to the Haunted Wild West.”
  • “Going West” sets up a general historical timeline dating back to Lewis & Clark’s 1804 cross-country expedition.
  • Chapter 1: The Good, Bad, & Iconic – profiles on Billy the Kid; Jesse James; Wyatt Earp & “Doc” Holliday; “Wild” Bill Hickok; Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid (including a sidebar on Etta Place); “Buffalo” Bill Cody; Annie Oakley; and the Old West’s answer to “America’s Most Wanted.”
  • Chapter 2: Power Struggle – profiles on Sitting Bull & Crazy Horse; General George Armstrong Custer; Kit Carson; Geronimo; Chief Joseph; Nat Love; Sam Houston; and a summary of the era’s grisliest battlefields.
  • Chapter 3: Good Girls Gone Bad – profiles on Belle Starr; Lottie Deno; Cattle Annie & Little Britches; Charley Parkhurst; Pearl Hart & “Baby Doe” Tabor; Laura Bullion & “Stagecoach Mary;” Guilty by Association profiles: Etta Place; Ann Bassett; & Rose Dunn; and then Madams & Prostitutes: Fannie Porter; Dora DuFran; Madame Moustache; & Mollie Johnson.
  • Chapter 4: Frontier Folklore – supernatural tales re: The Oregon Trail; “Big Nose” Kate; Bat Masterson; Thomas “Black Jack” Ketchum; The Colt Curse; La Llorona; Yellow Jacket Mine; Joaquin Murrieta; Silverheels; Sarah Winchester; The Pony Express; The Headless Horseman (Texas); Hotel Congress’ The Lady in Room 242; Restless Burial Grounds; and Servin’ Up Spirits (haunted saloons).
  • Chapter 5: Rough & Tumble Towns – a supernatural overview of haunted Old West towns includes Lay of the Land; Tombstone, Arizona; Deadwood, South Dakota; Dodge City, Kansas; Virginia City, Nevada; Bodie, California; Big Small Towns; and Spookiest Ghost Towns.
  • Chapter 6: How The West Was Fun – this Old West pop culture-fest has Wild West A-Z; Best Westerns (movies); Which Legend Are You? multiple-choice personality quiz; Blasts from the Past (a quick look at Old West theme parks); and Dead Man Talking (famous last words).

Note: One rare image is of Jesse E. James (the outlaw’s son) as a Hollywood actor.  Among his credits are two silent film performances portraying his father.

REVIEW:

Though this collectible is obviously meant for True West magazine buffs, casual readers may at least enjoy perusing it.  A caveat is that pre-teens should be precluded due to the recurring inferences of nasty frontier violence.  The writing itself is predictably superficial  – including occasionally incorrect historical details (i.e. as far as it’s known, Billy the Kid wasn’t shot by Pat Garrett in the back).  More so, the narrative sporadically implies some unsubstantiated legends or rumors as either facts or simply distinct possibilities. 

Case in point: in part due to geographical reality, Wyatt Earp and “Doc” Holliday are not credible suspects in Johnny Ringo’s odd mid-1882 death in the Arizona desert.  Like writers from past generations, “Haunted West” considers it a more entertaining Old West yarn of old school justice speculating that either Earp or Holliday might well have faced Ringo in a dramatic last showdown.  Providing any actual proof of such an occurrence is deemed otherwise irrelevant.        

The same inevitably applies to claims of purported supernatural hauntings and various claims of ghostly encounters.  The reporting is all deliberately kept vague without citing actual corroboration or specific eyewitness accounts.  Still, for entertainment’s sake, this magazine’s overall vibe is easily readable.  Even better is its enhancement via a wide assortment of historical photos and illustrations – mostly in black-and-white and others in vivid color. 

Ultimately, for adult Old West buffs, 2021’s “Haunted West” is worth exploring.  As to its journalistic credibility, that’s solely up to the judgment of individual readers.                

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

There is a helpful table-of-contents.  The last page provides the photo credits and identifies the magazine’s editorial staff.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                  7 Stars

Categories
Digital Documentaries Digital Movies & TV History & Biographies (Videos) Movies & Television (Videos) Online Videos Westerns

BUFFALO SOLDIERS: AN AMERICAN LEGACY

SUMMARY:        RUNNING TIME: Approx. 43:11 Min.

In 2012, Rusty Spur Productions produced the documentary, Buffalo Soldiers: An American Legacy.  The project’s director is David Carter, who also briefly appears in a non-speaking cameo as ‘General George Armstrong Custer.’  Its host is Judge Joe Brown (in a reenactment soldier’s costume), with actor Barry Corbin as the off-screen narrator. 

Other appearances include Texas State Senator Royce West, Professor B.W. Aston, curator Henry Crawford from Texas Tech University’s History Museum, and Comanche tribal member James Yellowfish.  The sizable cast includes living historians/reenactors Paul Cook; Horace Williams; Cody Mobley; Early B. Teal; Tad Gose; David Carter; and Rosieleetta Reed presenting commentary.  Portraying Comanche warriors are Kevin Browning; Arthur RedCloud, and Cody Jones.  ‘Sgt. Emanuel Stance’ is portrayed by Anthony Reed while Macie Jepsen briefly voices ‘Libby Custer.’   

Designed as an interactive, all-ages history exhibit, Brown and Corbin co-narrate how the presence of African American U.S. soldiers began during the Civil War.  As stated by the film, in post-war 1866, six new U.S. Army regiments would be established utilizing African-American recruits to help safeguard the Western frontier. 

The moniker of “Buffalo Soldiers” would be subsequently bestowed in honor by their Native American adversaries amidst frontier warfare.  The documentary also highlights select members who made historic contributions as members of the U.S. Army, as well as their final fates.

Note: The program openly notes one married couple’s presumed difference of opinion.  While Libby Custer’s expressed admiration for the bravery and competence of African American soldiers is quoted, it is stated that her husband, General George Armstrong Custer, had earlier declined command of one of the new African American regiments.  His reasoning evidently never became public knowledge. 

Still, it is wryly commented that, given his own ultimate fate with the Seventh Cavalry in 1876, maybe he made the wrong choice.     

REVIEW:

Including extensive use of brief reenactments, not to mention some neat special effects, this articulate and friendly documentary offers sufficient depth for middle school and high school history classes.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                         6½ Stars

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Categories
Books & Novels General Fiction History & Biographies (Books) Westerns

GUNMAN’S RHAPSODY

Written by Robert B. Parker

SUMMARY:

Released by G.P. Putnam’s Sons in 2001, this 290-page hardcover is novelist Robert B. Parker’s fictional take on Wyatt Earp and the circumstances relating to the ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.’ 

Specifically, Parker explores Earp’s 1879-1882 stint in Tombstone, Arizona, and his half-century romance with Josephine Marcus.  After staring down notorious Texas hardcase Clay Allison, Dodge City lawman Wyatt Earp’s epiphany has him joining his family’s journey to seek their fortunes in far-off Tombstone.  Coming with him from Kansas is Mattie Blaylock, whom Wyatt deems more as an expendable housemaid rather than his common-law spouse using his surname. 

Soon enchanted by a young actress, Josephine “Josie” Marcus – the fiancée of Tombstone political hustler Johnny Behan, Wyatt (and, by extension, his brothers) encounter the grim local repercussions of pursuing this romance.  Once Wyatt and Josie’s extramarital relationship becomes public knowledge, it appears that, off-screen, a vengeful Sheriff Behan is subtly raising the town’s hot-as-hell temperatures by rallying the local rustlers to his side.  Once push ultimately comes to shoot, the Earp Brothers and John Henry “Doc” Holliday reciprocate with October 1881’s deadly gunfight, in proximity to the O.K. Corral.

After Virgil and Morgan Earp are each targeted for cowardly assassination, the laconic gambler/lawman recruits his own posse to avenge his brother Morgan’s cold-blooded homicide to the very end.  Even Josie, who had once prodded Wyatt into promising that he wouldn’t kill Behan, now urges him to make a definitive, and, if necessary, lethal stand.  With once supposed friends now his sworn enemies, Wyatt Earp relentlessly pursues his personal form of justice.

Note: This title is also available in paperback and digital formats.

REVIEW:

While countless novelists have glamorized or debunked the Wyatt Earp myth, Robert B. Parker imagines Earp’s controversial stint in Tombstone as a deadly love triangle.  Unlike Loren D. Estleman’s gritty sensory overload in 1987’s Bloody Season, Parker spends little time on Tombstone’s rival faction theory: the lawmen/gamblers vs. the local rustlers/frontier mobsters.  Without ever showing Johnny Behan masterminding any criminal schemes from the shadows, Parker’s narrative is built around Wyatt and Behan’s feud over Josephine Marcus.  Everything else essentially becomes collateral damage.   

Short of placing the mythical, long-barreled Buntline Special in Wyatt’s hands, Parker imbues his monosyllabic Earp as an Old West super-vigilante (minus a mask and cape).  Such a clichéd depiction – mirroring both Kevin Costner’s 1994 film and 1993’s Tombstone – is sufficient for Western action fare relying upon minimal character depth and generally superficial adherence to historical reality.  The macho action-romance powering Gunman’s Rhapsody, therefore, is straight from the same genre playbook that Zane Grey, William W. Johnstone, & Louis L’Amour famously utilized. 

Most impressively, Parker conveys perhaps the most plausible explanation (fiction or otherwise) as to Wyatt’s depressing relationship with Mattie Blaylock Earp.  Suffice to say, Wyatt’s cold lack of compassion makes him an unsympathetic husband/protagonist – especially the multiple sex scenes Parker allots to Wyatt & Josie’s developing love story.    

Readers, however, should first be aware of all who’s who, as Parker depicts several subplots (i.e. the pursuit of the Bisbee hold-up thieves) before dropping them, with little or no warning.  Even for those already familiar with peripheral names (i.e. Ben Sippy, Dave Neagle, Billy Claiborne, Louisa Earp, etc.), it may seem odd how some of these historical participants are either briefly mentioned or otherwise ignored.  For instance, Parker oddly omits Billy Claiborne’s cowardly presence at the O.K. Corral.

As to the famous gunfight, Parker spends less than two pages sparsely describing the actual shootout.  Then, the novel’s final third accelerates through Virgil’s crippling injury, Morgan’s homicide, and Wyatt’s final showdowns several months later pitting him vs. “Curly” Bill Brocius and ultimately Johnny Ringo.  Come the end, Parker’s single-page epilogue quickly spells out various historical fates.  Yet, this last page is so lazily added on that it is actually his novel’s worst inclusion.

While Gunman’s Rhapsody concocts an entertaining read, it is by no means a game-changing account fictionalizing Wyatt Earp and his cronies against Tombstone’s conniving forces of evil.  Yet, for those who desiring a spirited successor to Zane Grey & Louis L’Amour, then Parker’s novel hits its target almost dead on.

Note: As a suggestion, playing either the Tombstone or Wyatt Earp film soundtracks in the background adds some worthwhile mood enhancement.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

Along with a dedication to his wife, the author quotes Faust’s Marlowe as a prelude to the novel’s interpretation of the controversial Wyatt Earp/Josephine Marcus romance. 

As sporadic interludes, Parker includes ‘news bulletins’ from the year in question to provide some historical context.  It isn’t specified whether Parker is summarizing actual 19th Century newspaper accounts or even possibly that he quoting them verbatim.  

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                         6 Stars

Categories
Books & Novels General Fiction Mystery & Suspense Romance Westerns

SUNDANCE

Written by David Fuller

SUMMARY:

The historical novel, Sundance, was released by Riverhead Books as a 338-page hardcover in 2014.  In the late spring of 1913, Harry Alonzo Longbaugh (the Sundance Kid, now in his mid-forties) is quietly released from a Wyoming state penitentiary after a twelve-year prison sentence he willingly chose to endure. 

Without his familiar moustache and hiding behind a flimsy alias, Longbaugh has staved off most curiosity seekers while intensely defending his wife’s honor, as necessary. All that has kept him sane surviving prison and perpetual loneliness are his wife’s letters, despite his continued pleas for her to explore a new life without him. At Longbaugh’s behest, she has left the West for a fresh start in New York City.

During his incarceration, the world learned of his violent demise with best friend Robert Leroy Parker (aka Butch Cassidy) in a Bolivian shootout.  Long out of touch with modern society, Longbaugh wisely opts to let the world believe this falsehood.  All he wants to do now is find his beloved wife: Etta Place, whom he has not heard from in two years.

Forced to kill an ex-sheriff’s vengeful son, Longbaugh finds himself on the run again – from both the law and ghosts from his past.  Dodging a posse’s efforts, Longbaugh is told by his estranged sister-in-law that answers most likely await him in New York City.  Moving East, the former outlaw finds how New York embodies modern life in a rapidly-changing 20th Century.  Inevitably, he is now an often-bewildered relic struggling to catch up. 

Clues to Etta’s socially progressive activities bring an ever-savvy Longbaugh into conflict with the New York mob and others associated with his elusive wife.  Worse yet, the Kid’s old nemesis, manhunter Charlie Siringo, is doggedly pursuing his world-weary quarry from the remnants of the Western frontier to the shadowy back alleys of New York.  All Longbaugh wants is Etta back, but his obsession may cost him everything.      

Notes: This title is also available in digital, audiobook, and paperback formats. The cover incorporates an image of Etta Place from her only verified photo – a studio portrait with her fugitive husband taken in New York City, circa 1901. As a matter of trivia, novelist/screenwriter William Goldman (who wrote “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”) once used ‘Harry Longbaugh’ as a pen name.

REVIEW:

Including his own take on the ‘Butch & Sundance’ Bolivian mystery, author David Fuller’s poignant what-if isn’t merely a Western gone East.  For historical fiction enthusiasts, the ambitious Sundance succeeds as both a romantic mystery and an action-thriller.  Readers must sit tight to learn Etta’s enigmatic fate, but the anticipation proves worth it.  Still, Longbaugh’s unrelenting personal quest is counter-balanced by sequences depicting bleak and occasionally violent realism. 

Though some events are totally fictitious and others historically-tinged, such scenes creeping upon readers are well-played, no matter how dark their outcome.  Case in point: the haunting impact upon Longbaugh’s mind imagining the horrific 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire where Etta may have been best spells out his humanity. 

Despite retaining his fearsome fast-draw, Longbaugh’s conscience is similarly felt when he fails to discourage an inept ‘Butch & Sundance’ impersonator duo early on.  Such detail reveals a mostly reformed rogue witnessing the ugly fallout of his legend now romanticized in dime novels.  One can appreciate Longbaugh’s maturity recognizing why he does not just as easily resume his old crime spree.

Further, Fuller capably devises a revisionist Western where redemption is far harder earned than escaping with the loot from any brazen train heist.  Transplanting an aging Sundance Kid (and, by extension, Etta Place) as anachronisms into a complex, pre-World War I metropolis of skyscrapers, motorcars, subways, and turbulent social reforms is a challenge that Fuller impressively lives up to.  

Both poignantly written and faithfully researched, Fuller’s Sundance makes it almost easy to visualize Robert Redford reprising perhaps his most iconic role.  For instance, a catch-me-if-you-can rooftop exchange between Longbaugh (with a gleam in his eye) and the cool-tempered Siringo is one of several scenes worthy of Redford’s cinematic persona.

Though plot contrivances are a given, Fuller takes some excessive gambles that diminish his novel’s momentum.  One is an ultra-convenient reunion that ridiculously comes out of nowhere – twice! Though the first sequence’s banter is wonderfully written, Fuller overplays his storytelling hand, as far as pushing what-if romanticism.  He really should have left the tantalizing fate of Sundance’s favorite buddy solely to the audience’s imagination.

Note: Curiously, one thing that Fuller does not divulge is any post-prison re-assessments his enlightened ‘Longbaugh ‘ has made of his ruthless ex-Wild Bunch cronies, like Harvey “Kid Curry” Logan.  

Far more critical to the climax is a wartime sub-plot that links too many of that era’s historical events.  Unfortunately, Fuller’s war profiteering angle again appears taken from the ‘this only happens in fiction’ playbook.  While neither of these plot angles are a dealbreaker, they are other reasons this reviewer’s rating is not even higher.      

Ultimately, Sundance delivers high-caliber fiction entertainingly rooted in familiar American history.  Clearly, unlike the incorrigible desperado the real Harry Alonzo Longabaugh was, his fictional counterpart risks a far greater endgame.  Regardless whether one is an Old West buff or not, Sundance concocts a satisfying and surprisingly powerful read.    

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

The author briefly notes the real Sundance Kid’s historical fate, even though his Bolivian grave still has not been located.  Fuller’s acknowledgements section confirms he has slightly altered the spelling of Longabaugh to make ‘Harry Longbaugh’ more his own creation.     

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:               8½ Stars

Categories
Books & Novels Children's Books Westerns

ZORRO AND THE DRAGON RIDERS

Written by David Bergantino

Cover Art by Julie Bell

SUMMARY:

Tom Doherty Associates, Inc. released this 217-page paperback in 1999.  In the weeks following the Hidalgo el Cazador’s defeat, a rumor floating in Old California is that a missing Zorro must have since died of his wounds.  Rising out of the shadows once more, the legendary man in black, still not fully recuperated, defends a mysterious Cossack in an Los Angeles  pub from the drunken local police.  While eluding possible suspicion from his weary father, aristocrat Don Diego de la Vega is coping as best he can from his slow-healing injuries.   

Meanwhile, the vengeful Hidalgo el Cazador has recruited four sword-wielding Japanese mercenaries for a bounty targeting Zorro.  Facing imminent death from poisoning, Don Diego and his masked alter ego won’t let this challenge go unanswered. 

The question is: can a weakened Zorro thwart a quartet of formidable samurai by utilizing stealthy ninja tactics?  Further, what pivotal wildcard is the Cossack in the final showdown: is he really Zorro’s ally or another secret foe?   

Note: Utilizing the same villain, this title is evidently a sequel to 1998’s Zorro and the Jaguar Warriors by Jerome Preisler.

REVIEW:

David Bergantino’s good writing ensures that Zorro and The Dragon Riders is a slightly above-average, all-ages read.    He makes sufficient time to develop his cast past one-dimensional mid-19th Century caricatures.  For instance: the exasperation of Don Diego’s long-suffering father over why his self-involved heir won’t commit to their family’s responsibilities is certainly plausible; Don Diego & Bernardo’s fascination with adding exotic ninja weaponry to Zorro’s arsenal makes for an intriguing early scene; or, for that matter, later on, Don Diego’s ongoing concern for young Miko (a female samurai) is a nicely-played twist. 

Still, what’s readily obvious is that Zorro and The Dragon Riders belongs in a middle school library.  Bergantino’s young target audience won’t likely be disappointed exploring such an unique Zorro action-adventure.  

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

The first page preview a scene in Chapter 1. There’s also a page-long list of Tor/Forge titles available by mail.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                     6 Stars

Categories
Books & Novels General Non-Fiction History & Biographies (Books) Westerns

FAMOUS GUNFIGHTERS OF THE WESTERN FRONTIER

Written by W.B. (Bat) Masterson

SUMMARY:

Written by Old West lawman-turned-journalist William Barclay “Bat” Masterson in 1907, these biographical profiles for Human Life Magazine contemplate Luke Short, Ben Thompson, John “Doc” Holliday, Bill Tilghman, and Wyatt Earp.  His articles were subsequently compiled in book form for the first time in 1957.  This 112-page Dover Books reprint was released in 2016.  Half of this book is Masterson’s content. 

Advisory: Quoting Holliday, Masterson repeatedly uses the ‘n-word’ in that particular profile.  In his Earp profile, Masterson casually uses a racial slur dismissing Florentino Cruz (who was killed during Earp’s ‘Vendetta Ride’).

The other half is a black-and-white gallery courtesy of the Noah H. Rose Photograph Collection from the University of Oklahoma Libraries’ Western History Collections.  Including some recreations, photos include:

  • Masterson; Earp; Thompson; the Tom McLaury-Frank McLaury-Billy Clanton coffin display; Tilghman; Holliday; an artistic reproduction of Short; Dodge City (Kansas); John Wesley Hardin; “Wild” Bill Hickok; Jack Harris; Billy Thompson; Billy Breckenridge; King Fisher; Morgan Earp; the building where Jack Harris’ variety theater was located (San Antonio, TX); & a subpoena from a Texas court case against Ben Thompson;
  • James Earp, Virgil Earp; Jim McIntyre; Tombstone (Arizona); Jim Courtright; Shanghai Pierce; Hardin’s revolver that he was carrying at the time of his death; an artistic reproduction of ‘The Dodge City Peace Commission;’ Sheriff John Slaughter; Tilghman & C.F. Celeard; Arizona old-timers; Ed McGivern’s trick shot; Judge Roy Bean’s “court;” Bill Raidler; Shakespeare (New Mexico); and a faded post-mortem image of “Tulsa” Jack Blake’s face.

Advisory: Included are grisly, post-mortem (upper body) close-ups of Hardin and Bill Doolin.    

Historical Note: Both Tilghman and Earp outlived Masterson, who died in 1921.  Tilghman was subsequently killed in the line of duty in 1924.  Earp passed away in early 1929.

REVIEW:

As articulate and witty as Masterson often is, it’s no surprise that Earp, Thompson, and Short receive a wide pass on their historical misdeeds and/or shady behavior.  Case in point: Masterson notes that, yes, Short illegally peddled low-grade whiskey to Native Americans.  Yet, he doesn’t chastise him for swindling his clientele out of their far more valuable buffalo robes.  

Masterson doesn’t even bother criticizing Thompson’s propensity for dangerous bullying antics to later justify ‘self-defense.’ Still, Thompson is his intriguing pick to prevail in hypothetical shootouts with the Old West’s other ‘top guns,’ including Earp, Clay Allison, and “Wild” Bill Hickok.  Staying objective, Masterson contributes welcome insight into the attributes necessary for survival among the best gunmen (beyond getting the drop on one’s adversary).

Note: One name that Masterson doesn’t consider re: how he would have likely matched up against Thompson is the notorious John Wesley Hardin.  As they were supposedly friendly in 1870 Abilene, Kansas, Hardin once declined Thompson’s request to kill Hickok (the town marshal) for him as a personal favor.    

Masterson’s temper rips only when discussing his long-standing dislike of Holliday, in spite of rendering some occasional favors.  For instance, Masterson once finagled a legal ruse, at Earp’s behest, for the fugitive dentist to evade an Arizona murder warrant.  As for his own golden assessment of Earp, Masterson rightly acknowledges that several derogatory stories belittling his long-time friend are spiteful fiction.  Perhaps as a counter-measure, his Earp profile comes off as excessively sanitized, including some inaccurate details describing the O.K. Corral gunfight’s ramifications. 

Re: Bill Tilghman, to some degree, Masterson evidently shared his mutual disdain for Native Americans.  It’s head-shaking that Tilghman’s retaliatory ambush/multiple-homicides of a Native American band for plundering his campsite doesn’t merit even a mild condemnation.  Masterson, in that sense, consistently doesn’t balk at Earp and Tilghman’s lethal use of vigilante tactics, legally justified or not. 

Ultimately, it’s a unique read to explore Masterson’s take on these five Old West legends.  One just has to remember that at least three of them were among Bat’s favorite old cronies. 

The photo section is extensive padding (yes, it’s exactly half this book’s length).  This imagery is worth perusing, though autopsy photos of John Wesley Hardin and Bill Doolin (aside from their grim realism) could have been substituted out for something classier.  Overall, Famous Gunfighters of the Western Frontier isn’t the best go-to source, but it’s an intriguing supplement for more in-depth analysis of Old West gunslinging found elsewhere.       

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

A table-of-contents is included.  There’s a two-page introduction on the author by an unidentified Time-Life editor.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                       5½ Stars

Categories
Books & Novels General Fiction History & Biographies (Books) Westerns

BLOODY SEASON

Written by Loren D. Estleman

SUMMARY:

Bantam Books released the original 231-page hardcover in 1988.  Told partially out of sequence, Bloody Season is a fictionalized retelling of events surrounding the fateful shootout in Tombstone, Arizona the afternoon of October 26, 1881.  Popularly dubbed ‘The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral,’ personal elements from the participants’ lives, their spouses, and relevant associates are threaded into the narrative.

Part 1: “Fly’s Alley” depicts the day of the fatal showdown.  Subsequently, the fallout leads to the Earp Brothers (Wyatt, Virgil, & Morgan) and ‘Doc’ John Holliday facing legal consequences in a Tombstone courtroom.  Part 2 is “The Transaction,” goes back several months to an attempted stagecoach robbery and a double-murder.  Not only are at least three of the Clanton gang’s associates implicated, so is Holliday, in this botched hold-up.  Wyatt’s shady deal with informant Ike Clanton to capture the killers ultimately blows up in both of their faces.  This section comes full circle to the morning of the shootout, as “Fly’s Alley” sequentially occurs next.

Part 3 is “San Pedro,” as the controversial acquittal of Holliday and the Earps sets in motion a deadly game of retribution.  The near-assassination of Virgil and later Morgan’s brutal homicide precipitates the climatic Part Four: “The Pallbearers.”  Despite Sheriff Johnny Behan’s motley posse threatening pursuit, Wyatt leads his ‘vendetta ride’ targeting the Clantons and their outlaw associates, including “Curly” Bill Brocius and enigmatic John Ringo.  The book concludes the saga with historic details about the later lives and fates of the various survivors.              

Notes: This title is available in both hardcover and paperback editions.  As an advisory, Estleman’s raw dialogue includes two recurring racial slurs (the ‘n-word’ is one of them) – suffice to say, these slurs don’t improve his storytelling.

REVIEW:

Make no mistake: Loren D. Estleman pitches this ultra-familiar tale as high-caliber historical fiction rather than rehashed Old West pulp.  Unlike the Hollywood romanticism that films like Tombstone and Wyatt Earp convey, Bloody Season doesn’t glamorize anything — it spells out dirty frontier machismo.  Estleman’s intriguing prose describes various shootouts, ambushes, etc. in near-poetic fashion vs.  mere shoot-em-up recreations.  As with Virgil Earp’s near-murder, readers might pause before realizing what has now just transpired.  Once the author pours on the grisly medical jargon, the imagery becomes cringe-worthy at times. 

Besides the port-mortem sequences, this aspect is best found in Estleman’s talent for conjuring up vivid sensory details – as author Elmore Leonard’s appraisal aptly puts it: “you’re there.  It’s so real that you can even smell the horses!”  Working off a palate of various shades of gray, Estleman’s grittiness surpasses the genre standards of Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour.  Yet, reminiscent of Larry McMurtry’s knack for storytelling depth, he also ensures that correct history meshes well with entertainment value. 

Case in point: there’s seemingly insignificant dialogue about a calico bonnet vs. a lace bonnet from Virgil Earp’s wife, Allie, in the minutes after his near-assassination in December 1881.  Though she likely didn’t make this statement at that exact time, it corresponds with her reminiscences about an argument she once had with Virgil, as quoted in Frank Waters’ The Earp Brothers of Tombstone.  Hence, as acknowledged in his post-script, Estleman makes an effort at plausibly honoring the known speech patterns/statements of these historical figures.  His narrative also wisely sticks to focused plotting vs. delving into too much detail re: local politics and name-dropping too many cronies. 

As he does in Tombstone and Wyatt Earp, ‘Doc’ Holliday’s cantankerous presence predictably steals the show.  It’s no wonder why Estleman saves revealing Holliday’s destiny for last in the finale.  As for Wyatt Earp, Estleman’s semi-generic take isn’t that of a stalwart legend-in-the-making.  Instead, Estleman’s Wyatt comes off, like Virgil and Morgan, as all too believably mortal, in spite of his fearlessly superhuman luck. 

Estleman further incorporates biographical depth for his expansive cast, including ‘Big Nose’ Kate Fisher, Josephine ‘Sadie’ Marcus, and John Ringo, fleshing them out as people vs. shallow-as-cardboard supporting players.  Hence, the Earp wives and Kate Fisher receive their just due as the long-suffering heart and backbone of the Earp-Holliday faction.

Ultimately, the author’s due diligence matters; it’s what really makes Bloody Season a satisfying read.  Aside from some nasty dialogue, it’s an ideal compromise between the history section and Westerns at the bookstore. 

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

Included in Chapter 20 is a glimpse at present-day Tombstone, as if it’s haunted by legend.  It isn’t lost on Estleman how the town, in search of the almighty tourist dollar, shamelessly thrives on its old infamy.  Estleman’s 1986 post-script is insightful, as he acknowledges that his novel is indeed “fiction based on fact.” Further,he makes clear that Bloody Season isn’t meant as hero worship; rather, he calls it an effort to reach the Old West that Wyatt Earp and his contemporaries inhabited.     

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                           8 Stars