THE BALLAD OF BLACK BART
By Loren D. Estleman
Forge Books
231 pgs
This being a fictionalized tale
based on historical personages by one of the most enjoyable writers in the
western field. But before launching into the review, let me confess that Mr. Estleman
is one of those treasures we only discovered a few years ago much to our
consternation as he as quickly become one of our favorite writers. With over
eighty novels to his credit, ranging from mysteries, both historical and
modern, to westerns, for which he has often been times recognized with numerous
awards, the man just naturally knows how to spin a good yarn. And this latest
is no exception.
The plot revolves around two men,
one a daring and resourceful outlaw and the other the manhunter who was tasked
with bringing him to justice. From 1875 to 1883, the poetry writing criminal
known as Black Bart held up 28 Wells, Fargo stagecoaches. What is more
remarkable is that he did these crimes on foot and armed only with an empty
shotgun. All of which became a personal affront to company agent James B. Hume
who became obsessed with catching the road agent no matter how long it took or
how much he had to spend to do so.
It is the irony of the tale itself
that Wells, Fargo, via Hume, ended up expending much more money in capturing
Bart than he ever actually got away with. In the end, the book reads like a
marvelous comedy as Estleman skillfully explores each man’s character and seeks
to discover what motivated them in their chosen professions. That he finds
similarities in their natures and world views is fascinating and by the time
we’d reached the book’s middle there was no way we could possibly put it down.
Estleman richly deserves every award
he has ever been given and “The Ballad of Black Bart” is a fitting example of
why he is so well admired and loved. We’re still sorry we came to the party
late, but we’re doing our best to make up for lost time. You might want to join
the club with this truly wonderful title.
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