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.