Editorial Content for Bandit Heaven: The Hole-in-the-Wall Gangs and the Final Chapter of the Wild West
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
In BANDIT HEAVEN, bestselling author Tom Clavin explores the backroads and twisted pathways of the American West during the heyday of cowboy wrangling and cattle rustling.
In the 1880s and ’90s, a man could make himself known for ranching and the wealth that implied, as cross-country rail lines created possibilities for fortunes. But because cattle strayed, and some men were not drawn to steady work under harsh conditions, stealing a cow here and there became an attractive possibility. And with that came the lure of dirtier crimes and greater risk-taking.
"Clavin's established readers will gladly take BANDIT HEAVEN as hearty fodder, while those new to his work will want to take a look at his earlier titles. Both will anticipate his future lively explorations of vintage Americana."
The latter pattern was attractive to such well-known characters as Butch Cassidy --- who changed his name from Robert Parker to suit his new persona --- and many who followed in his wild footsteps. Clavin has packed this account with the exploits of untamable men (and a few daring women) who took on the outlaw life and used for safety and temporary respite a region called Bandit Heaven, a haven that would come to be known as Hole-in-the-Wall. Its topography made it easy to patrol, and its location in Wyoming made it a strong starting place for securing cattle on the plains of the northwestern states. These robbers also attacked trains and forced themselves on banks and other establishments.
Eliminating without apparent compunction those who stood in their way to make their scurrilous living, their life was difficult, at times savage in its wild way. Many innocent people were killed by such noted criminals as Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid and Tom “Black Jack” Ketchum. And they were relentlessly, sometimes successfully, hunted down by the newly cohering Pinkerton detective agency that gained its own piece of the legend through those parlous times. Clavin has collected hundreds of tall-and-true tales about these men and their era, arraying them here with provable fact and the subtle sense of humor that enriches such telling.
Clavin, an acclaimed editor, reporter and award-winning journalist, has written previously about the Old West in DODGE CITY, WILD BILL and TOMBSTONE. It seems he is drawn to the outlandish characters who lived through it, offering a multitude of anecdotes to underpin his major themes. One central focus is the enduring friendship of Butch and the Sundance Kid, two bad guys who supported one another and managed to disappear --- almost to conceal, or perhaps continue, their life of crime.
Clavin's established readers will gladly take BANDIT HEAVEN as hearty fodder, while those new to his work will want to take a look at his earlier titles. Both will anticipate his future lively explorations of vintage Americana.
Teaser
Robbers Roost, Brown’s Hole and Hole-in-the-Wall were three hideouts that collectively were known to outlaws as “Bandit Heaven.” During the 1880s and ‘90s, these remote locations in Wyoming and Utah harbored hundreds of train and bank robbers, horse and cattle thieves, the occasional killer, and anyone else with a price on his head. Tom Clavin's BANDIT HEAVEN is the entertaining story of these tumultuous times and the colorful characters who rode the Outlaw Trail through the frigid mountain passes and throat-parching deserts that connected the three hideouts --- well-guarded enclaves that no sensible lawman would enter.
Promo
Robbers Roost, Brown’s Hole and Hole-in-the-Wall were three hideouts that collectively were known to outlaws as “Bandit Heaven.” During the 1880s and ‘90s, these remote locations in Wyoming and Utah harbored hundreds of train and bank robbers, horse and cattle thieves, the occasional killer, and anyone else with a price on his head. Tom Clavin's BANDIT HEAVEN is the entertaining story of these tumultuous times and the colorful characters who rode the Outlaw Trail through the frigid mountain passes and throat-parching deserts that connected the three hideouts --- well-guarded enclaves that no sensible lawman would enter.
About the Book
From multiple New York Times bestselling author Tom Clavin comes the thrilling true story of the most infamous hangout for bandits, thieves and murderers of all time --- and the lawmen tasked with rooting them out.
Robbers Roost, Brown’s Hole and Hole-in-the-Wall were three hideouts that collectively were known to outlaws as “Bandit Heaven.” During the 1880s and ‘90s, these remote locations in Wyoming and Utah harbored hundreds of train and bank robbers, horse and cattle thieves, the occasional killer, and anyone else with a price on his head.
Clavin's BANDIT HEAVEN is the entertaining story of these tumultuous times and the colorful characters who rode the Outlaw Trail through the frigid mountain passes and throat-parching deserts that connected the three hideouts --- well-guarded enclaves no sensible lawman would enter. There are the “star” residents like gregarious Butch Cassidy and his mostly silent sidekick the Sundance Kid, and an array of fascinating supporting players like the cold-blooded Kid Curry, and “Black Jack” Ketchum (who had the dubious distinction of being decapitated during a hanging), among others.
Most of the hard-riding action takes place in the mid- to late-1890s when Bandit Heaven came to be one of the few safe places left as the law closed in on the dwindling number of active outlaws. Most were dead by the beginning of the 20th century, gunned down by a galvanized law-enforcement system seeking rewards and glory. Ultimately, only Cassidy and Sundance escaped...to meet their fate 6,000 miles away, becoming legends when they died in a fusillade of lead.
BANDIT HEAVEN is a thrilling read, filled with action, indelible characters and some poignance for the true end of the Wild West outlaw.
Audiobook available, read by Johnny Heller
