5 comments about Little Man: Meyer Lansky and the Gangster Life.

1. I can only assume the applauding professional and amateur reviewers were swept away by Lacey's evocative descriptions of Lansky's surroundings and cultural background. Lacey's detailed study is, I will readily admit, finely wrought, but this book should have been sold as fiction. Besides totally whitewashing Lansky, "Little Man" is peppered with countless factual errors (e.g. Joe the Boss Masseria was not waiting for a late lunch when he got hit in 1931-- he'd already eaten a huge lunch), many of which bolster the author's fantastic characterization of his subject. Where is there any discussion of Lansky's operation in Covington, Kentucky? Why is Murder, Inc. mentioned only three times in this book when Lansky was crucial to Siegel and Lepke's killing-for-hire enterprise? I certainly understand a biographer's decision to lionize his/her subject, but this exoneration of a well-documented monster is criminal.



2. The book is well written and is full of interesting personal facts about Lansky, but comes up shorthanded in details about the man's enterprise.There is little mention of his role in the
   rampant bootlegging in the 1920's and the violence that went along with it.This is a good book if you are already familar with Lansky and want more information on his personal character.Much of the details are provided by his son Buddy and numerous others that were close to him, but not in a "business" sense.



3. Lacey's biography is an interesting, relatively faced-paced read; although the sub-title for this book is a bit misleading. Little Man provides an interesting perspective on Meyer Lansky as a man and as a "family man." However, the book is pretty thin on describing Lansky's exploits as a gangster and about the "gangster life." This perhaps isn't too surprising since a major source for the information Lacey provides was Lansky's family members, and particularly his son Buddy, who worshipped him. Overall, I found the family perspective on Meyer Lansky provided me with a lot of new insight into the character of the man. This book served to comlement what I learned from reading other bios on Lansky that delved much more deeply into Lansky, the gangster. One big point of difference between this book and others about Lansky pertains to the amount of money he was worth at the time of his death. While according to Lacey, Lansky had lost almost all of his money in his later years and had to live quite frugally, other books claim that Lansky left a fortune of about $300 million. Whatever he was worth really isn't important to me. What I hope will be important to you is that Little Man is a worthwhile book to read.



4. This is a very misleading book about a man who was so much more then what Lacey actually claims. His sources are very questionable, especially Lansky's crippled son Buddy. It was well known that Lansky's family had caused him much heartache and his son Buddy especially. He made some bad business decisions and his health kept declining each year. Lansky decided early to keep his family far away from the criminal world so if you wanna know about Lansky Mr. Lacey, investigate criminals, FBI bugs, trial transcripts etc. etc.
   
   All of Lansky's friends died wealthy and you know why? because that was Lansky's own damn money. Robert Lacey doesn't get it. Avoid this book.



5. The life of Meyer Lansky (little Man), who became a Big Man in developing the casinos and all the entertainment in Free Cuba. Buy it!

5 comments about Jack the Ripper: First American Serial Killer.

1. Contrary to what Reviewer #2 has to say with his low rating, having read MANY "Studies" of the Ripper over the years, I find the case brought against "Dr." Tumblety to be by FAR the MOST likely; there is just TOO much coincidence for it NOT to be this man. Of particular interest are a SIMILAR rash of murder/mutilations performed AFTER the Whitechapel murders in another locale where Tumblety was proven to have been in at the same time as THAT series occured. PLUS Tumblety's collection of fetuses, etc. HIGHLY recommended, to me one of the MOST compelling books yet written on the topic, with more than enough proof provided to prove Tumblety's guilt.



2. I enjoyed this book. Admittedly, it has sat on my shelf for three years, waiting until I was in a suitably dark mood to be tempted by it. The authors present a lot of evidence and show very thorough research. The killer they suggest seems entirely plausible, much more so than in the other Ripper book I read and enjoyed (at the end of which, the author's conclusion was that the man had simply stopped killing. Serial killers don't just stop. So that was implausible). Good book.



3. I was impressed with this book.The best Ripper book yet.Gives the facts ,and no newspaper biases. Timewise,it fits Dr.Tumblity.
   Socially,it fits Dr.Tumblity.The O'tumblity's were Irish immigrants ,of the 1830s potatoe famine.He had a poor childhood and few prospects for social acceptance,in the WASP society,of the 19th century.Tumblity was a good medic,during the Civil War.He was even a gate-crasher at the Lincoln White-House.Yet,after the war,he was persona non grata. He had plucked medals off the dead solider's chests and boasted an impressive military service,all Munchhausen quitoxic fabrications. Like a social peacock, trying to impress the local fauna.Yet,it was faux plummage.Tumblity's wife was unfaithful and left him a embittered misogynist.The Tumblity quack sold peppered cure-alls,and performed abortions ,in the backroom,of his foot-to-the-ground office.When Tumblity passed on ,at a St.Louis catholic hospital,on South Euclid ,he donated all the jewlery he had to the unknowing sisters.The rings were from prostitutes and poor women that had no ready-cash for Tumblity's questionable abortion services. No worthy doctor sullied their hands in this dark business of "Angel-making".But,Tumblity did.This Tumblity deemed himself a "respectable gentelman".He had to be frustrated by being restricted to the nether-world of Victorian society.I believe Tumblity met Monty Druitt at a college pub.Tumblity lavished on young artsy college boys,such as Patricia Cornwall's suspect.The chaulked "Juwes" comment ,was atributed to Monty Druitt ,yet probably written by the old fox Tumblity.Tumblity had a falling out with Druitt,dumping his body in the still-water.The corpse was found some weeks later and Tumblity was long gone,having taken a steamer,back to Rochester,New York.Jack is slang for a "puerile boy" and a "ripper" rips things open.The young Tumblity was an saucy erotica porn reader and aware of the street-whores of the lower eastside.The elder Tumblity was an avid theatre goer,watching the performances of the Booth family.(Yet,i do not know if Tumblity having been ejected by the Lincoln beef-eaters,then help hatch the assassination plot with John Wilkes Booth.) Tumblity was also a fan of Gilbert&Sullivan.Tumblity visited his sister(1875) ,from Vallejo,CA and watched the "Mikado" ,in near-by Frisco. Amazing!Did the Zodiac know this?? -- Mr.Lusk was a Mason,yet Tumblity was rejected as a Mason. You do the addition and go figure here.The best evidence provided here is proven and sound. A great book!



4. The Littlechild letter was an exciting find, but I remained unconvinced Tumblety was a viable JTR suspect. Unlike other JTR books though, I feel the authors present their story in an honest and well researched manner and I didn't get the feeling facts were fudged or glossed over altogether.
   
   While Tumblety probably didn't commit the crimes (he didn't fit the description very well and I cannot believe JTR was that organized and competent to amass a small fortune), I wouldn't rule out he murdered others and I would still recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the Whitechapel murders.



5. This is a good text, but I found myself wanting more. Several reviewers have spoken about how the authors did a good job of providing a new Ripper suspect, but I didn't feel they tied up the loose ends. There is mention of murders in Jamaica and Nicaragua late in the book, but no evident that Dr T. was ever in those countries at the time of the murders. There was a brief mention of an American `ripper event' in New York City, but no details surrounding this event. The evidence surrounding the Batty Street Lodger was very interesting, but the authors should have flushed that line of reasoning out further.
   
   However the largest weakness of the text surrounds Mary Kelly. In the second appendix the authors decide that Mary is not a Ripper victim, apparently because Dr. T. might have been in police custody at the time of her murder. This might in fact be accurate, but this sort of material needs to be a chapter within the body of their text. This is a HUGE point within their theory and it's added in at the end. The authors spent significant time talking about Mary Kelly, only to discount the murder at the very end of the book because it didn't agree with their theory. This is a major flaw in their argument.
   
   Additionally, early sections of the book spend a good deal of time talking about the Lincoln Assassination and Dr. T's arrest as a suspect in that affair. Unfortunately, these events are never tied back to the Whitechapel affair. Finally, very little information is provided regarding what happened to Dr. T. after he left London. Perhaps this information is not available, but one of the leading reasons to suspect Dr T. is he left London in 1888 (under suspicion). Additionally, if ripper-like murders happened in other parts of the world, this would be a big indicator that he was the Ripper, but only if you can show he was in those locals at the time of the murders.
   
   Having read many Ripper texts, this one is more entertaining than most; however, it left me feeling the authors could have done more with their suspect. They did not convince me they had found Jack, only that Jack the Ripper and the Batty Street Lodger were probably one and the same person.

5 comments about The Truth About Wyatt Earp.

1. Mr. Erwin's book becomes almost tedious when one tries to plow through all the documentation and disparities surrounding the many versions of the story. But, with patience and attention, the true story comes to light, blowing most of the others out of the water.



2. I checked out Mr Erwin's book, (You can't tell a book by its cover!) and planned an evening of enjoyable reading.

   I first want to thank Mr. Erwin for his great effort and research. Saying that ...

   Richard E. Erwin has apparently set forth what he believes are the true facts. However unless you're a lawyer or one of those college professors whose writings are unreadable except to one of their own kind you will NOT enjoy this.

   Without studying his book as you would one of your old history books just before a test, you likely will not be able to figure out what facts Mr. Erwin sees as true and false. They may be found within his book, but you better start a blank truth table as well as a flow chart and begin completing it as you read each sentence.

   Perhaps, Mr Richare E. Erwin can pursuade someone such as Steven Ambrose or Kenneth Davis to put his trurh into their words.

   Perhaps Mr. Erwin can do so himself without the lawyerese. I would likely enjoy such a book. And it would probably sell well at museums and tourist areas in the Western United States.




3. This is one of the best books on Earp that has been writen. It is easy to read and is hard to put down. The facts are there and are well documented.



4. I looked forward to reading this book, and like one reviewer, looked forward to a pleasant evening of reading. This book is painfully researched and definitely not an enjoyable read. I have no doubt the author knows what he is writing about, but unless you are really an Earp fanatic, you will not enjoy a pleasant read about a colorful western persona. The book would have been much more enjoyable if the author had presented his version of the history of Wyatt Earp first. It was very distracting with the constant reporting of descrepancies he found in other texts in every chapter, and at least for novices, would have been appreciated at the end of the book as a summary of research.



5. Any bright High School kid could have compiled this book as Richard Erwin obviously did, by taking snippets of everything previously written on his subject (unless it didn't prove his pre-selected conclusions) and pasting them onto the page with his own, not too well-informed opinions, added. Nothing new. Much erroneous. A typographical nightmare of misspellings and erroneous words. Save your money.

5 comments about Story of Cole Younger: By Himself (Borealis Books).

1. Cole was a cousin of my grandfather and I remember him talking of Cole visiting them after he was released from prison. Therefore, this was a very interesting insite into the person that was Cole Younger. It also gave some information of his background that I did not know before. An interesting look in to the thinking of a person who most people know as a name but not as a person.



2. I must recommend this first hand account of Cole's own story. It is not the only story but must always be the most important source and story of someone's life. I would have given this book a 5 as I would have several other books of this time period were it not for the "out-of-place" intro. Someone must have decided that it was important to censor and disclaim Cole's first hand account at the very front of the book. As I have done in the past, I taped these pages of attempted censorship together and noted to subsequent readers my advice on just skipping this questionable intro. Since my books usually get passed around a great deal I felt this was necessary to preserve the great and rare first hand account that Cole provided us of his life.



3. Inside the mind of a Missouri guerrilla, that alone is reason to pick up and read this wonderful first-hand account of a sad and violent time on the Missouri-Kansas border. The events are real and the tempers do not quickly disappear. Both sides considered themselves in the right and some Confederates never truly surrendered though the cause was clearly lost. What happened to those men and women when the fighting was ended by officials? Read and find yourself drawn in to relate to those you may have previously despised.



4. interesting -- although need to keep in mind that Cole Younger was as big a liar as he was an outlaw.



5. THIS IS A MUST READ FOR HISTORIANS. ALTHOUGH COLE OMITS SOME OF THE UNLAWFUL EVENTS. IT'S A GREAT AND EASY READ.

5 comments about Mob Nemesis: How the FBI Crippled Organized Crime.

1. This book detailed the FBI's fight against the mob and was very informative with regard to the psychological makeup of the so-called "Godfathers". In contrast to the constant portrayal of these characters as "upfront" and "honorable", Griffin shows their true colors in vivid detail. It was a quick, interesting read and a must for Mafia "aficionados". This book would make a great movie someday.



2. I guess this book was kinda interesting. It just seemd to drag on and go deep into FBI procedures and not so much into the everyday life of a gangster. Compared to other Mafia books I've read this is by far the worst. But it is still a mafia book, so I found it to be at least somewhat interesting. I would not recommend this book unless you are more interested in how the FBI fought organized crime, and not the everday operations of a mafia family.



3. Griffin did a great and long overdue job of shedding an honest look into the lives and character of real mobsters. His book was facsinating and gives the reader a glimpse of what went on behind the scenes, both for the mob, and the FBI. I am an avid reader of mob related books, and this book is by far one of the best I've read, I'm sure it's going to make a great movie someday.



4. The author describes his life in the FBI and how he fought against the mob. The first part of the book is about him trying to become an FBI agent and does not discuss many details about the Mafia. The author comes off very conceded but at the same time describes details of the mob that contradict numerous other books. The biggest example is when he describes Agent Joseph Pistone aka Donnie Brascoe. He describes Pistone as a good friend yet says he infiltrated the Colombo family for 8 years. Any mob enthusiast knows Pistone was involved with the Bonanno Family. It's hard to trust the other facts he lists when getting major facts like Donnie Brasco wrong.



5. Satisfactorily written but unless you really need to know the day-to-day activities of the mafia and the FBI this will be a tough read. If you've read one chapter, you've read the entire book: bad guys sell drugs, gamble illegally, kill each other, then, when caught by the good guys, do whatever they can to cut deals to avoid jail time. Kudos for not romanticizing La Cosa Nostra, though. These people are crude, dull-witted, morally challenged, and, perhaps the worse crime of all, boring as heck.

1 comments about Carlo Gambino - Crime Boss Don Carlo (Biography).

1. How ironic...a book about a mafia Don that's a complete rip off. A 35 page joke of a book with large print and writing that a junior high student would be ashamed of. You would learn more about the subject reading pizza boxes in the Bronx. Amazon....I didn't think you would sink so low as to actually charge $9 for this mess....frankly I didn't think you would charge at all. Don Carlos would be proud....

5 comments about The Story of Chicago May.

1. I agree with the previous reviewer that this book is "unfocused, disjointed, unstructured, incoherent, and rambling." It was difficult reading and difficult to keep up with what is fact and what is the author's interjections.
   Also, I did not care for the personal family information from Ms. O'Faolain. In my opinion, it only added to the adjectives mentioned above and to the book's boring length that could have been more interesting if it were not so lenghtly.



2. Like some of the previous reviewers, I was annoyed and bewildered after the initial reading of this book. Not because it wasn't well-written. It is. But the intermingling of the author's experiences and what she perceives May Duignan-Churchill to have felt/experienced was disorienting because I thought I was buying a biography of Chicago May. Most historical biographies are devoid of personal observations unless the author happened to be there along with his / her subject, which certainly wasn't true in Nuala O'Faolain's case.
   
   It didn't take me long, however, to appreciate "The Story of Chicago May" for the unique literary effort that it is. O'Faolain is using May Duignan's story to depict one woman's struggle for independence AND show how similar struggles go on today despite increased earning power and educational opportunity. The author is an accomplished memoirist, and in this book she uses her brilliant capacity for insight to help make sense out of a cheerfully unrepentant female crook's career.
   
   By the end of the second reading, I loved the book. That said, I understand why other readers who expected a no-nonsense historical biography, packed with facts and no fancy, were disappointed.



3. Nuala O'Faolain does a remarkable job of humanizing a woman who otherwise would've remained just another fallen woman. This book is a captivating tale of survival, as well as a wonderful source of history. Anyone interested in what it was like to literally survive in the U.S. at the turn of the 20th century will enjoy this tale. O'Faolain has a gentle, hypnotic writing style that really works here to evoke empathy for a woman who would otherwise be regarded as a common prostitute and petty thief. I loved it.



4. I first heard of Irish writer Nuala O'Faolain when I picked up one of her books in the WH Smith at Heathrow as I ran to catch a flight back to the States. Sometimes we are drawn to certain authors in mysterious ways, as if the moments were meant to be. Thereafter, I was led to her two memoirs, breathtaking in their candor about moving through stages of life as a young Irish girl, a writer, and mature woman coming to terms with her past.
   
   Knowing this writer's work, I didn't expect "The Story of Chicago May" to be a traditional biography, and it most certainly was not. May Duignan, born in post-famine Ireland, nicked her family's savings and ran away to America. There, she achieved legendary status as "Chicago May," working as a thief, outlaw, showgirl and prostitute.
   
   What I find remarkable is how the writer weaves in her own process of discovery and personal experience in researching and writing the book. This approach won't work for all readers. Some prefer the conventional biography, but others will find this book refreshing. No matter how a writer strives for objectivity, biography writing will never truly elude the subjectivity of the writer's own experience. O'Faolain did it her way, though she painstakingly researched her elusive subject. She literally traced the steps of May through city after city on two different continents.
   
   Years of May's life were spent in prisons on both sides of the Atlantic, but she managed to survive a life on the edge. Exhausted and sick at heart, she later met police reformer August Vollmer, who convinced her to write her autobiography as a way toward the light. O'Faolain refuses to sugarcoat the "Queen of Crook's" struggle to make ends meet, her experiences in and out of prison, or her poor choices in men, several notorious crooks in their own right.
   
   "Hope kept me up," May wrote in her last, desperate note to Vollner before her death as "a tired old prostitute" in an unmarked grave in Philadelphia. But the book is not about a character who tried to save her own soul, whatever that may be interpreted to be. It ends with just as many questions about the seeming lack of meaning in May's life, yet assures us that even such a life as hers is worth examining: "Out there, people are waiting in the dark. Shine the beam of attention out there. The dark recoils."



5. An interesting account of a bad woman written by another woman who tried very hard to like that bad woman and make excuses for her. A pretty all around depressing book with a bit of social engineering thrown into the mess... and some of the author's reflections on herself as an Irish woman. If you are looking for a historical account of the bad woman's life, you may be disappointed as the author keeps injecting her editorial comments - which are annoying at first. I had to figure out that the book is about two people: May and the author. A pretty depressing book all the way around as the author leads the reader down a wide path of faulty - but interesting - reasoning. If you believe that people are not responsible for their own behavior because we are so influenced by our environment, then you may love this book. For me, I've got to get into a book that is on another subject that is less depressing so I can wash out the morose after-taste of this book.
   
   Mind you! It was not a waste of time to plod through this book! I'm glad that I did.

5 comments about Baby Face Nelson: Portrait of a Public Enemy.

1. This was a long overdue book, which describes the life and crimes of one of the most infamous outlaws to come out of the Dillinger gang. After Dillinger's death, "Baby Face" Nelson exploded into the public's eye and his crimes were the focus of most newspapers and Detective magazines across the country. Helmer and Nickel have done an excellent job of bringing this bandit's life to light, as well as some surprises never before published on the gangster from Chicago. This is a highly researched volume of work and should be in everyone's library.
   
   Mike Koch, author of "The Kimes Gang"



2. This is a difficult book to review because it's truly head and shoulders above most books I've read in this genre and if that sounds like a knock against the others - it's not ... this is just a well written book. The subject matter makes it difficult to distinguish fact from fiction and to substantiate identities, locations and time lines. So my hat's off to anyone who tries to make some sense of the sensational headlines, first person accounts and "alibis" of the time. Writing such a book, though exciting, must be a nightmare sifting through all this info. "Baby Face" does an admirable job in bringing all this into a coherent focus. In addition, this book chronicles and brings into focus someone who has been on the periphery in the other books I've read on this time period, (specifically Dillinger, Chicago crime and Depression bank robbers). The book also gives the reader insight into the early workings of J. Edgar Hoover's (F)BI and its personnel and contains the most detailed description of "The Little Bohemia" debacle I've read. Very entertaining and interesting book.



3. Unquestionably one of the best biographies I've read of a Depression era criminal in a long, long time. Over the years every published work about Baby Face Nelson has portrayed him as essentially nothing more than a homicidal, trigger-happy, blood-thirsty psychopath to whom killing was barely an incident in a busy criminal career. Finally, a book has hit the shelves which explores beyond the public image and into the complex character of the man himself. Baby Face was violent, tough, and possessed by an explosive temper, to be sure, but he was also street-smart, respected, and held in high esteem by many of his associates - not just a Dillinger follower, as many historians suggest. By no means do the authors attempt to whitewash Nelson's way of life or validate his terrible crimes. They do, however, provide what I believe is an honest appraisal of a man who, in addition to robbing banks and killing people, was a son, brother, husband, and father. Read this, I doubt very much you'll be disappointed.



4. This is a very well written book that will not allow you to set it down. Very detailed and descriptive with strong evidence of a very well researched book.
   Really the best book I have read in many years.



5. This is the one and only Baby Face book you need to read to know the truth. Do not bother with the many stereotype Nelson books-buy this and your collection is complete.

1 comments about The Devil's Right-Hand Man: The True Story of Serial Killer Robert Charles Browne.

1. When will writers of true crime realize that most cops usually are not very interesting people to read about?
   I said it. It's the psycho, the crook, the killer, bank robber, who makes for interesting reading. Just the way
   it is.
   Cops in these books very often come across as incompetent and not very bright, or just plain disinterested in solving anything. Why? Jaded. Bored. Figure it wouldn't make much difference anyway, etc.
   
   To be fair, the cops (most of them retired) do give a damn and simply wish to solve the murders covered here (about half a dozen) in order to bring peace of mind to the loved ones left behind. Understandable. Commendable, even.
   
   Problem here is the killer, Browne, is miserly with his information and keeps the task force stringing along, stretching the thing out (just like the writers of this book) that before long, you just might be willing to give up on this tome in sheer frustration.
   
   The real, entire, and complete story of this killer is not told here (who, by the way, claims to have killed fifty or more). What the reader gets is what the cops got: enough info to solve three or four of the murders Browne
   committed--and he gave those up in exchange for a favor or two from said task force.
   
   Did Browne kill as many as he claimed? Who the hell knows? Bottom line: don't expect a serial killer to tell you the truth about anything.
   
   It seems to me, these guys (serial killing losers) have one thing in common (besides murder) a craving for infamy, attention--and then, for some inexplicable reason (some of them, like Browne, once incarcerated)
   clam up.
   
   You figure it out. Better yet, why bother?

3 comments about Deadly Dozen: Twelve Forgotten Gunfighters of the Old West.

1. Because of the movies and television shows, when it comes to gunslingers on either side of the law, we all know of the "headline stars" of the American frontier such as Wyatt Earp, Bill the Kid, and Doc Holliday. What western history expert Robert K. DeArment has done in Deadly Dozen: Twelve Forgotten Gunfighters Of The Old West is to present the lives and deeds of twelve gunman who were important in their day, but never had the enduring notoriety of their more famous colleagues, competitors, and contemporaries. Here are the stories of John Bull, Pat Desmond, Mart Duggan, Milt Yarberry, Dan Tucker, George Goodell, Bill Standifer, Charley Perry, Barney Riggs, Dan Bogan, Dave Kemp, and Jeff Kidder. DeArment's informed and informative text is enhanced with illustrations, and an "Afterword", along with notes, a bibliography, and an index. Deadly Dozen is a real treat for American frontier history buffs and a very highly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library American Western History reference collections.



2. Deadly Dozen provides 12 mini-biographies of "forgotten gunfighters of the old west." While the writing style is rather bland and the prose a bit tedious, it provides the reader insight into 12 rather interesting characters and insight into gunfighters in the old west.
   
   Several themes emerge through these biographies. First is the borderline morality of all these men. Some were clearly evil criminals, a few of which would be considered serial killers in modern times. Others, even those working as marshals or in law enforcement, often straddled or even cross the line into criminality. There are plenty of gray areas in the lives these men lived. A second theme is the extreme violence of these men. They were often considered gunfighters because of their proclivity to resort to extreme violence to settle disputes, disputes for which most rational people may have used other means to resolve. Third is alcoholism. Many of the most violent episodes in these men's lives were often fueled by copious amounts of booze, which of course makes one lose their inhibitions and fear. Fourth, these men did not seem to fear death. Whether one wants to consider it bravery or stupidity, these men had the nerve to face ultimate violence, where others would shirk. Finally, it didn't take being a great shooter or being the quickest on the draw to be considered a deadly gunfighter. It was more the willingness to resort to gunplay and lack of fear more so than proficiency with a gun that made these men so deadly.
   
   Overall this book really is rather a tedious read in some ways, but the fascinating subject matter and insights it gives into what it might have been like to live in the untamed American West saves the rather tedious prose and leaves the reader with a lot of think about.



3. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am pleased to add it to my bookshelves, along with Dearment's books on Bat Masterson and George Scarborough. Dearment's writing is scholarly, fully footnoted, and draws upon a variety of sources, some of which must have been astonishingly difficult to unearth. The focus on gunfighters keeps the story lively, and the action is put in a historical context that provides a vivid picture of life in the Old West.
   
   I am taken aback that the first reviewer of the book describes it as "tedious," while otherwise praising it. I consider it a good read and appreciate Dearment's meticulous scholarship.