Lawmen of the Old West: The Bad Guys [Paperback]

Del Cain (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 16, 2001

Some of the law officers who served the West during the last half of the nineteenth century drifted from one side of the law to the other and sold their talents to whichever side offered the most advantage. Others used their positions as cover for their criminal activities. The lawmen in this book were serious offenders against the laws they had at one time sworn to uphold. Their skills were honed in range wars and family feuds and polished along the cattle trails, in the saloons and banks, and on the trains of the West. Some of them did good work enforcing the law when that was their job. Others had equally successful careers on the other side of the law. More than one kicked out their lives at the end of ropes strung up by citizens who were outraged by their abuse of the trust that went along with the badge they wore. These are their stories.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Del Cain is the author of the immensely popular Lawmen of the Old West: The Good Guys. He lives in Saginaw, Texas, with his wife and two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 226 pages
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing (January 16, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556228341
• ISBN-13: 978-1556228346
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,369,796 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Purely anecdotal and not well researched, January 24, 2011

By 

S. Wade - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lawmen of the Old West: The Bad Guys (Paperback)

"Lawmen of the Old West: The Bad Guys" should definitely not be considered a historical work- it might fit better into the historical fiction category. It's written in a rambling, informal style that makes for difficult reading, especially when the author is describing gunfights; you'll have to go back and re-read a scene at least twice before you can keep track of who did what to whom. In addition, the author repeats anecdotes of the "The Wild West" that are mostly myth mixed in with a touch of real history, but it's hard to pick out the myths because of the lack of documentation- there are no references or footnotes for those interested in tracking down primary sources. The author is fuzzy on dates and circumstances. In the sections on the lives of Frank Canton and Bury Alvord, for example, he often uses terms like "around 1905" and "within a couple of years". There is an attempt at a bibliography at the end of the book, but it's a short list of secondary sources, unconnected to the text. I can't recommend this book, even taking "Lawmen..." purely as a work of fiction.