Customer Reviews

John Wesley Hardin: Dark Angel of Texas

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having considered myself a sort of amateur historian of Texas figures, I know quite a bit about J.W. Hardin. Leon Metz's biography is the most honest and thoroughly researched one I've come across yet. This along with Metz's engaging writing style made this book a hard one to put down. He doesn't glorify or vilify this Texas gunman, and the reader comes away with a new understanding of the times and tribulations of those who lived on the frontier. I'm a hard sell, and yet I would recommend this book to anyone interested in characters of the American West.

This is a fascinating book that I found very hard to put down. Mr. Metz' writing style is very folksy and engaging, yet quite scholarly. He neither presents Hardin as a hero, nor does he pass judgement: the facts speak for themselves.

Now on to the next Leon Metz book! This reviewer will definitely read them all.

What I like most about the writtings of Mr. Leon Metz is how he tells of what is said to have happened, what may possibly have happened and what probably DID happen. As any old west buff knows, truth was not always a top priority and many stories were blown so out of proportion that the truth may never be known. Mr. Metz uses research along with common sense and comes up with truely believable aspects of this notorious outlaw who was clearly the greatest gunfighter of his time. This is an excellent book by an excellent author about the old west's most dangerous man.

Leon C. Metz has written a wonderful account of the life and crimes of John Wesley Hardin. It is filled with many photo's, maps and illustrations. Metz has recorded all his documentation and resources for writing this book. I would highly recommend reading; "John Wesley Hardin: Dark Angel of Texas." Hardin was the worst killer of the "American West" by far. I have this one in my collection and you should too!

Mike Koch, Author of "The Kimes Gang."

Leon Metz is a meticulous researcher who adds human interest information to his biography of John Wesley Hardin. He writes well and his narrative flows.

I learned much from Mr. Metz's novel and thoroughly enjoyed his writing style. I highly recommed this book.

The most detailed account of Hardin I ever read. A real page turner filled with excellent photos. I have no respect or admiration for Hardin but I like to read about the "bad" guys. Metz is an excellent writer and I highly recomend his other books.

Dark Angel Of Texas is a decent book, very middle-of-the-road, pretty short. The writing is servicable, flows easily, but certainly won't get the adrenaline pumping like Shelby Foote or Robert A. Caro can, following the same pattern as most histories of this nature: early life, romance, the first taste of outlawism, and then death. It's been done before, many times before, and Metz seems content with doing the bare minimum, not putting any flourish or signature to it, making this something you'll bang out in a day or two and never pick up again.

This is a book that doesn't just tell the story of J. W. Hardin, it puts you in the story. Metz vividly describes John's life, deeds, as well as his motivations and even on John's feelings. While some of this is indeed speculation, as nobody can know a man's thoughts, Metz uses known sources and a clear knowledge of human behavior and psychology to put togethor a believable portrait of the man known as Wes. I walked away from this book really feeling like I understood just who Hardin was.

This is a fantastic book that is up to snuff with most of Metz's works. I thoroughly enjoy his writing style, and the rolling body count was nice touch, the type we come to expect from this enjoyable author.

Author Metz, is the best known and most respected author on the old west of El Paso and John W. Hardin was the most celebrated outlaw to meet his maker in that berg, so this book is without a doubt, the best written and most researched book on J.W. Hardin to my knowledge. I certainly enjoyed reading it and will keep it for reference in my western library for many years to come. Mr. Metz, has a smooth, easy going writing style that is jovial and easy to read, and will not bore you to tears. I highly recommend.

Anyone truly interested in the history of the American West is indebted to Leon Metz. This chronicle of the life of John Wesley Hardin is a no-frills biography, displaying the kind of dedicated research and attention to family lineages, old newspaper accounts, recorded verbal histories, etc. that have made Metz my first choice of authors in western history.

A reviewer above points out that Metz' prose is not as dynamic as, say, Shelby Foote's Civil War writings, but Metz makes up for that lack by his plain, readable style that packs a lot of facts and understanding into his work. There are no apologies here for Hardin's bad conduct, no attempts to make him any better or worse than he was. But what we get is a pretty clear picture of the time, when Northern occupation of, and persecution of, Texas made any chance of real justice under the law impossible, and made regular young men (which Hardin was NOT) outlaws in their own home territories. In such a climate, and in the violent years after the Civil War, when men were returning to Texas after being immersed in such an incredible crucible of hatred and killing, a figure like Hardin was perhaps inevitable. But there were very few like him, a young man who simply refused to back up, ever. Who turned the tables on every enemy through sheer ruthlessness and a seeming lack of fear. This is a chronicle of a truly American wildman. Hardin was certainly homicidal, but he was never a maniac. In his times- and they were short- he was a kind of hero. And that kind of murderous hero had no place in peacetime, a fact that everybody except for Hardin seemed to understand. Hardin simply ran out of war, and ran out of frontier, and went to prison. The tragedy of his life in El Paso after his release is well told here, and so is the history of El Paso and the cast of really nefarious characters that were there when Hardin arrived to set up his law practice, drink himself crazy, and try so hard to write his own autobiography. John Selman, Sr. an aging wild man in his own right, did Hardin a favor by killing him.

I have no reservations in recommending this book. I wish someone would make a movie out of it, the real story, as told by Leon Metz.

Hal Herring,

author of:

Famous Firearms of the Old West: From Wild Bill Hickok's Colt Revolvers to Geronimo's Winchester, Twelve Guns That Shaped Our History]]