Aces & Eights [Mass Market Paperback]

Loren D. Estleman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2005

Dead Man's Hand

No one paid any mind to Jack McCall as he unloaded a .44 caliber slug into Wild Bill Hickok's brain at point-blank range. Deadwood's legendary gunslinging marshal was dead, holding a poker hand of aces and eights, a dead man's hand.

The question the law wanted to know: was McCall a hired killer or did he kill Hickok to avenge his brother's death?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Quicksilver dialogue, incisive characterizations, and canny interweaving of observations and events. Estleman's eye, ear and hand are in perfect sync."--Washington Post Book World on The Detroit Series

About the Author

Loren D. Estleman was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a BA degree in English Literature and Journalism in 1974. In 2002, the university awarded him an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters for his contribution to American literature.

He is the author of more than fifty novels in the categories of mystery, historical western, and mainstream, and has received four Western Writers of American Golden Spur Awards, three Western Heritage Awards, and three Shamus Awards. He has been nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award, Britain's Silver Dagger, the National Book Award, and the Pulitzer Prize. In 2003, the mammoth Encyclopedia of Detective Fiction named him the most critically acclaimed writer of U.S. detective

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books (April 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812549147
• ISBN-13: 978-0812549140
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,061,872 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Since the appearance of his first novel in 1976, Loren D. Estleman has written more than 65 books and hundreds of short stories and articles. Alone (Dec 2009, Forge Books) is the second in a new series about L.A. film detective Valentino, and features Greta Garbo.

To kick off the new decade, Estleman's The Book of Murdock (eighth in the U.S. Deputy Marshal Page Murdock series) will appear in March and, to celebrate the 30 year anniversary of Private Detective Amos Walker, The Left-Handed Dollar will publish in December. It's the 20th novel in the award-winning series.

An authority on both criminal history and the American West, Estleman has been called the most critically acclaimed author of his generation. He has been nominated for the National Book Award and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Award.

He has received seventeen national writing awards: four Shamuses from the Private Eye Writers of America, five Spurs from the Western Writers of America, two American Mystery Awards from Mystery Scene Magazine, two Outstanding Mystery Writer of the Year awards from Popular Fiction Monthly, two Stirrup Awards for outstanding articles in the Western Writers of America magazine, The Roundup, and three Western Heritage Awards from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. In 1987, the Michigan Foundation of the Arts presented him with its award for literature. In 1997, the Michigan Library Association named him the recipient of the Michigan Author's Award. In 2007, Nicotine Kiss was named a Notable Book by the Library of Michigan.

Estleman graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Journalism. On April 27, 2002, EMU presented him with an honorary doctorate in letters. He left the job market in 1980 to write full time. He lives in Michigan and is married to writer Deborah Morgan. For more information, please visit his website: www.lorenestleman.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good book, in spite of inaccuracies, January 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Aces & Eights (Mass Market Paperback)

I like Loren Estleman, don't get me wrong. He puts things together really well, writes good dialogue, good characters, and a pretty good story. But he really needed in his early books to concentrate more on his facts. I guarantee you this book deserves more than the one star Todd N gave it. But I can't honestly give it any higher than a three. I'm an avid reader of Kirby Jonas westerns because of the fact that he stays so historically accurate with EVERYTHING. I have to say he's the new king of the western novel. But Loren Estleman certainly has his place. If you can pass up a few errors in your history, natural history, and firearms, and a few outstanding contradictions that come from writing too fast, try Estleman out. But make sure to pick up one of those Kirby Jonas books if you want to know the REAL west!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exciting visit into a Wild West Courtroom, May 13, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Aces and Eights (Paperback)

Aces & Eights" is an entertaining novel set in and surrounding the trial of Jack McCall for the murder of Wild Bill Hickok. The main character is Mr. Scout, the prosecuting attorney. The novel contains two, intertwined stories. The courtroom drama is mixed with Scout's romantic liason with a lady in the town. While the courtroom scenes are a bit difficult for the this lawyer to accept, the novel is, overall, entertaining. It's a good blend of character development with action make for a very enjoyable read

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Aces and eights? More like a pair of twos., May 29, 2011

By 

Kenneth Mark Hoover "opinionated book worm" (Allen, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aces & Eights (Mass Market Paperback)

There is little to recommend here, I'm afraid. The writing is serviceable, but we expect more than "serviceable" from someone like Estleman with his noted credentials. Therein lies the heavy disappointment.

The tension in the court room never manifests itself in any believable way. It's like any other courtroom drama you've watched while strung out on Quaaludes. Characterization is murky and ahe obviously phoned-in secondary plot of "the kidnapped girlfriend and her mother who is enamored with Death" is straight out of any B-level script rejected by Hollywood.

One gets the impression Estleman wrote this either as a lark or a dare. Despite the fact this novel was a Spur Award winner (and who dropped the ball on that one? We need names and addresses, please, so we can demand restitution) you will do much better reading some of Estleman's other work which I have reviewed.

Don't waste your time with this novel. Life's too short. It's just not very good. A poor effort from a (usually) good writer leaves the reader with a stale taste in his mouth and a busted flush for a hand.