Billy Gashade: An American Epic [Paperback]

Loren D. Estleman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 1998

Billy Gashade is a wandering musician crossing the young United States in the late 1800s, and introducing us to its most colorful characters along the way. Calamity Jane, Billy the Kid, Chief Crazy Horse, Oscar Wilde, and many many more cross paths with Billy in this sweeping epic of American History.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Young Billy Gashade is just 16 years old when the New York draft riots break out in 1863. In the course of saving a wounded policeman from one of Boss Tweed's boys, Billy ends up on the wrong side of the Boss and is forced to flee the city. As he wanders across the continent, he encounters Quantrill's Confederate guerrillas in Kansas, Frank and Jesse James, Wild Bill Hicock, Billy the Kid and General George Armstrong Custer, to name just a few. What makes Loren D. Estleman's Billy Gashade such a pleasure to read is not the historical luminaries that grace his pages but rather his hero's low-key reactions to them. Estleman combines history and fiction with a lively prose style to fashion a book that readers will be eager to recommend--if not lend--to their friends. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA?In this picaresque novel, a well-to-do Eastern boy of 16 is wrenched from his comfortable New York City home during the Civil War draft riots. Caught up in a mob, he is seen injuring, perhaps killing, a crony of the powerful Boss Tweed. With the approval of his judge father, the teen is provided with an assumed name, Billy Gashade, and propelled into the dubious safety of the 1860s American West. A fairly accomplished pianist, Billy is hired to play in a series of saloons. His adventures offer him a series of encounters with such legendary figures as "Wild Bill" Hickok, Jim Bridger, Billy the Kid, Calamity Jane, Crazy Horse, and a meeting with Oscar Wilde. A fast-paced, lively read.?Frances Reiher, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (May 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812549155
• ISBN-13: 978-0812549157
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,441,897 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

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get to know the work of Loren Estleman, March 19, 1999

By 

Craig Brass (Plymouth, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Billy Gashade: An American Epic (Paperback)

Back in college I took a course called Pop Culture in Society (Hey, it was spring term). Addressing the phenomenon of what he termed 'top 40 mentality' the professor offered the following, "You don't know what you like, you like what you know." Since that day I've always wondered how much is out there that I'm missing. Billy Gashade is something out there that you're missing. As fine a blending of fact and fiction as there is in literature today, Estleman continues to deliver quality work that unfortunately doesn't draw the attention of the masses. Though set primarily in the West, the stroy is far from the classic Western. If you are looking for thoughtful, and engaging story telling, breakout of the top 40 mind set and spend some time with Loren Estleman, someone you don't know, but should.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Journey of America, September 22, 2001

By 

J. Jordan "Editor of Crimespree Magazine" (milwaukee, wi United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Billy Gashade: An American Epic (Paperback)

I bought this book because I love Estleman's mysteries. I thought I would try one of his non-mystery books.
I was amazed. The book takes us from one coast to the other during the time of the cival war. We see it through the eyes of a young musician on the run. Along the way we see Billy meet some famous folk of the old west, including the James Brothers, Custer, and Billy The Kid. It reads so real, that you want to check for the name Billy Gashade in history books. Estleman did his homework and it shows.A history lesson that entertains every step of the way.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Welcome Find in any Genre!, November 1, 2001

By 

kregg P.J. Jorgenson (Burien, Washington United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Billy Gashade: An American Epic (Paperback)

The western genre can usually be found on the bottom rack of the book display in most supermarkets. It seldoms rates more than a thin display at bookstores as well because, well, let's face it! it's snubbed by those who look down on 'cowboy' stories. However Loren Estleman's books and particularly Billy Gashade deserve a more prominent place in book displays and certainly more attention.
This is taleneted writing, skilled craftsmanship, and shucks buckaroos, just fine storytelling! History comes alive in this adventurous run and more than once you're going to catch yourself thumbing to the end of the book and swearing because you're running out of pages!
If you're not hooked yet then give Estleman's books a read. You will be.