Happy New Year, everyone! Let’s make it awesome!
This book was my first brush with Mr. Estleman’s writing, and it grabbed me by title alone when I saw it on the new release list and only got better as the book went on. You can imagine my surprise and delight when I did a bit of research and found out that Black Bart was a real person (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Bart_(outlaw)), too, rather than just being a fictional outlaw!
I loved that added realism, as well as using actual details from the case to write a novel about the man, including the detective that hunted him for years, details from his stagecoach robberies, and the actual poetry he left behind.
I’ve tried to read westerns before and had trouble with them holding my interest, not so much because I find the history boring, but more because the style of writing from some other authors or the use of slang in the writing that I just couldn’t grasp, despite the possible historical accuracy of the use of it at the time (I really don’t know, I didn’t look into old west slang words personally.) Mr. Estleman’s writing style is right up my alley, and he eliminated the problem of the slang as well, but the characters and settings were believable and it was an enjoyable read and sometimes funny read. I will definitely be reading more of his work in the future.
His name though was Charles Bowles or Bolles or Boles but never Bolton and he was not born in East USA but was born in Norfolk England