|Los Angeles Times
“A taut, leathery, masterful tale.”—Los Angeles Times
Wall Street Journal
"Many cowboys suffer prostate problems after years spent in the saddle, and aging gunfighter J.B. Books, the hero of this novel, is among them—a man with a fatal cancer. Determined to die in a way that would give meaning to his life, he plans a suicidal shootout against El Paso's three bad guys, to take place in the town’s best saloon. The crystalline descriptions of the bar violence are memorable—as are the details of death—and delivered in unflinching prose. But there is more to Books than killing. He is also a man given to sitting in his bedroom poring over newspaper ads, social items and excerpts that describe the recent death of Queen Victoria and the plans for her death mask—rich additions to this arresting portrait of an old gunslinger in his final days and at the end of an era."—Wall Street Journal
Times of London
“Chilling . . . grisly . . . extremely exciting to the very end.”—Times of London
Arizona Republic - Robert Shotwell
“A classic—an incredible tale about an incredible man by an incredible author. . . . It’s a fascinating tale, and once started, is difficult to leave until the final sentence has been absorbed.”—Arizona Republic
Ronald Reagan
“A treasured addition to my library.”—Ronald Reagan
Los Angeles Times
“A taut, leathery, masterful tale.”—Los Angeles Times
Wall Street Journal
"Many cowboys suffer prostate problems after years spent in the saddle, and aging gunfighter J.B. Books, the hero of this novel, is among them—a man with a fatal cancer. Determined to die in a way that would give meaning to his life, he plans a suicidal shootout against El Paso's three bad guys, to take place in the town’s best saloon. The crystalline descriptions of the bar violence are memorable—as are the details of death—and delivered in unflinching prose. But there is more to Books than killing. He is also a man given to sitting in his bedroom poring over newspaper ads, social items and excerpts that describe the recent death of Queen Victoria and the plans for her death mask—rich additions to this arresting portrait of an old gunslinger in his final days and at the end of an era."—Wall Street Journal
Arizona Republic
“A classic—an incredible tale about an incredible man by an incredible author. . . . It’s a fascinating tale, and once started, is difficult to leave until the final sentence has been absorbed.”—Arizona Republic
Robert Shotwell