History remembers him as Wild Bill, but he was born James Butler Hickok, a young man who forged his future as a scout on the plains, and as a Union Spy during the Civil War. But it was on one afternoon in Springfield, Missouri, that Hickok found his true calling-with a revolver in his hand.
Max McCoy is an award-winning novelist and journalist. He is best known for his westerns (which have been described as "western noir") and his original Indiana Jones adventures.
He won the Spur award in 2008 from the Western Writers of America for his novel, "Hellfire Canyon." It's the story of a 13-year-old boy and his mother who walk across Missouri during the Civil War and become part of the gang led by Alf Bolin, the notorious Ozark serial killer. "Hellfire Canyon" was also named a Kansas 2008 Notable Book.
McCoy is the author of sixteen other books, including four original Indiana Jones adventures for LucasFilm and the novelization of Steven Spielberg's epic miniseries, "Into the West."
His fiction debut, "The Sixth Rider," about the 1892 raid on Coffeyville's banks by the Dalton Gang, was published by Doubleday and won the Spur/Medicine Pipe Award for Best First Novel by the Western Writers of America.
USA Today has described his writing as "powerful." In addition to westerns and historical fiction, McCoy also writes contemporary adventures. Publishers Weekly called his novel, "The Moon Pool," an "intelligent thriller... tightly drawn characters, a vile villain and a satisfying, thought-provoking conclusion make this a compelling read."
McCoy grew up in Baxter Springs and most of his books are set in Kansas or Missouri. He began his career in journalism at the Pittsburg Morning Sun and writing for pulp magazines such as True Detective and Front-Page Detective. Most recently, he was the investigative writer for The Joplin Globe. He has won first-place awards in investigative journalism for his stories on serial killers and hate groups.
His latest book is "Canyon Diablo," a sequel to "Hellfire Canyon." McCoy's an assistant professor of journalism at Emporia State University. His newest book, "Damnation Road, will be released in September 2010.
