Best known as the Texas Ranger captain who tracked down and killed Bonnie and Clyde, Frank Hamer was designated by Walter Prescott Webb as "one of the three most fearless men in Western history." This reprint of the 1968 edition gives the complete details of the Barrow-Parker rampage and is the only authentic account of the events leading to their deaths. With over 100 pages of illustrations, I'm Frank Hamer tells the amazing story of one of the greatest Texas Rangers of all time.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'm Frank Hamer : The Life of a Texas Peace Officer,
By A Customer
This review is from: I'm Frank Hamer: The Life of a Texas Peace Officer (Paperback)
It has been many years since I first read this book and I found it very informative. I am sure there are bound to be some errors but on the most part it is historically accurate. It is not only about ending Bonnie and Clyde's murderous spree but about the man that did it and how he became a Texas Police Officer and came up through the ranks to become one of the greatest Texas Rangers who ever lived. The review written by anomie@mail.com, is total bull written buy someone who evidently prefers to believe the glamorized version of the Bonnie & Clyde movie. I have been a Texas State Police officer for 23 years and have read some of the actual reports of Bonnie and Clydes exploits and to contradict anomie@mail.com, Bonnie and Clyde deserve no respect as stated by anomie. Anomie needs to be better informed of the facts before making reviews. Sorry for the rant but I hate for anyone to bad mouth a great man and take up for a couple of cold blooded illiterate killers who were glamorized by Hollywood as a cute loving couple out for a Sunday drive.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book on a Great Man,
By
This review is from: I'm Frank Hamer: The Life of a Texas Peace Officer (Hardcover)
This is an excellent biography of one of the greatest lawmen in U.S. history. I've heard a lot of rants from misguided Bonnie and Clyde fans about the book's alleged inaccuracies. Well, there hasn't been a book on Bonnie and Clyde or Depression outlaws published to date (including my own!) that hasn't had some drastic errors in it, one reason being that most of the books, including I'm Frank Hamer, draw heavily from the Fugitives, the ghosted 1934 memoirs of Bonnie's mother and Clyde's sister. I'm not one of these people who presume to know who killed the two highway patrolmen at Grapevine. It may have been Henry Methvin, Clyde Barrow, Bonnie Parker, or all three for that matter (ballistics evidence indicated three guns were fired). Nor am I one of those misguided worshippers of Bonnie and Clyde, who were really nothing more than a pair of two-bit, scatter-brained, trigger-happy psychos. But all that is neither here nor there, as this is not simply a "Bonnie & Clyde book." This is a biography, and a damn good one, of the man who tracked them down--Frank Hamer, who captured or killed dozens of other criminals and carried with him the scars, and much of the lead, from many gunfights with maggots of the Clyde Barrow sort. Hamer came out of retirement to run down the Barrow gang. The ambush of Clyde and Bonnie was the perfect closing of Hamer's career and a great service to America as well. It was the job he was made to do and one that had to be done. Forget Hollywood. The real Bonnie and Clyde were murderous criminals who deserved just what they got. And Frank Hamer was just the man to give it to them.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Take the book for what it is...,
By
This review is from: I'm Frank Hamer: The Life of a Texas Peace Officer (Paperback)
Ill start with I read this book because I have a interest in turn of the century-depression era law enforcement, that I have heard of the legend of CPT. Hamer, and have enormous respect for him. This is the only book I have found dedicated to his career. If only a quarter of the book is true, Ranger Hamer must have been a brave, skilled, and most importantly, smart lawman.
That being said, the book does lead to a bit of "larger than life" description of his exploits. I wouldnt go as far as to use Mr. Sprunks assessment of "hero worship", but a liberal dose of added drama seems to be a better term, to me. I dont doubt that the incidents occurred, and its obvious who won, but the writer does tend to almost glamorizing the engagements. I doubt CPT. Hamer enjoyed or relished the incidents. I would think he, as the true professional he was, did what needed to be done in a manner consistant with his era. He used the force necessary to accomplish the task at hand. I dont feel todays standards of use of force issues can be applied to the times in question. Judging from some of the photos of the stacks of dead Mexican bootleggers, I dont doubt CPT Hamer had to use surprise, stealth and superior firepower just to survive. I defy anyone, in the same set of circumstances, not to use the same tactics...and not just survive, but win. Lets see anyone else face down 30 plus armed, violent criminals, intent only on their goal, with only a handful of men and get them to just surrender. Add in being miles from any friendly assests, medical aid, communications, transport/detention facilities, etc., in an unforgiving, hostile climate. More power to you if you do. I will never understand the obsession our society has with Bonnie and Clyde, but who am I to say? Suffice to say, they were psychotic, cold blooded murderers who dont deserve the underground following they have. What I can say is the right man was picked for the job to take them out. Standard attempts to take them into custody failed, with dead law enforcement officers in the wake. They were dumped exactly as the deserved. Too bad for their victims it didnt happen sooner. The saddest part is if the same situation happened today, the officers would probably be prosecuted themselves. Maybe thats one of the problems this country has today in dealing with violent, degenerate killers. In an era where every public figures dirty laundry, failings and shortcomings are daily news, we may mistake that this is just another attempt to make a hero out of someone who didnt deserve it. This book was written in a time where writers went out of their way to make a hero. I dont feel CPT. Hamers story needs any assistance in telling of his heroic career, but look at almost any other like bio of the times. I feel he was a brave and honest man, a hell of a lawman and a true hero. I think the book is more of a sign of the times it was written in. Did it all happen just like this? Doubtfull, but is everything written about Daniel Boone, George Washington, and other great American heroes always 100% accurate? Enjoy a great read, and a probably fairly accurate story. Just take it with a small grain of salt.
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