Outlaw [Paperback]

Warren Kiefer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1991

A colorful historical saga set along the dangerous American frontier follows the adventures of outlaw Lee Garland--an orphan since an Apache uprising--as he roams the Old West, loving, fighting, and making and losing millions. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An 89-year-old codger's reminiscences make for a zestfully youthful saga in this blend of Western, picaresque adventure and historical novel. Kiefer ( The Lingala Code ) charts the transformation of narrator Lee Garland from cattle smuggler and desperado to deputy sheriff, oil millionaire, banker, soldier with Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders, ambassador to Mexico, and last of the old-time robber barons. Betrayed by his business partner Charlie Bruce, who prevents Garland from marrying his sister Caroline, Lee marries a second choice, takes Caroline as his mistress, suffers tragic losses, but never loses his shrewd frontiersman's spirit. With hindsight our hero, whose story climaxes in 1968 in a symbolic act of protest, implicitly urges common sense, decency and hardy individualism as the best hope for survival in a nuclear world. His crusty, ironic narrative voice, as blunt as a sawed-off shotgun, adds a certain introspective dimension to this long, extroverted yarn of heartbreak, love, murder, Pancho Villa, Mormons, wars, scams and schemes.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Lee Garland is the stuff of which legends are made, and Kiefer boldly weaves fact with fiction in the creation of this larger-than-life character. From the death of his parents at the hands of renegade Apaches to his own death at the age of 89 in a stand-off with U.S. marshalls over an eviction notice, Garland remains a law unto himself. Twice accused of murder, he avoids jail by his own wits and the help of friends. He serves with the Rough Riders in Cuba during the Spanish-American War, fights Pancho Villa on the Texas border, and sees action in France during World War I. He makes several fortunes. Romance with a woman, also larger than life, runs throughout the whole book. In a style reminiscent of Larry McMurtry and Thomas Berger, Kiefer presents a fast-paced panorama of American life from 1890 to 1970, as seen by one of the last legendary (fictional) heroes of the Old West.
- Thomas L. Kilpatrick, Southern Illinois Univ. at Carbondale Lib.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Signet (May 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451169549
• ISBN-13: 978-0451169549
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,121,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Than a Western, June 6, 2000

By 

wink harvey (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Outlaw (Paperback)

If you like stories about the west, you should read Outlaw. The story tells the the tale of the adventures of Lee Garland, a cattle thief turned war hero turned entrepreneur. Throughout, Garland maintains his principles and, refreshingly, his perspective on what matters in life. Yet,Garland does have some demons. I have read it more than once and I have turned on many friends to this book. They have all loved it. I read quite a few westerns. Unlike most, this story actually bridges the 19th and 20th centuries and adds color to an era made black and white by the photography of the era. Outlaw is not cowboys and indians. Garland reinvents himself with every major event of the era yet through his eyes we do not lose the connection between the events of the day and the past. The book gives us a very real cast of characters we would all like to have met and his relationships with women go way beyond those typically found in this type of story. I loved it. It would make a great movie, but with few exceptions, the book is always better.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Underappreciated Gem, October 5, 2007

By 

Art Tirrell - "The Vitaman Effect" (upstate ny) - See all my reviews

Lee Garland is in his nineties now, and he's telling things this one last time - mostly for his grandson - about the only kin who's ever showed interest.

He begins with the massacre of his parents, and with the Mexican family who took him in and raised him at their place at Eagle Nest. They're dirt poor, and at fourteen he sets out to find his way, at first as a thief.
Time passes. He makes friends; pureblood Pawnee Tom Isbell; Mountain Moore; Marshall Ben Butler; and the mentor-like Luna who saves Lee's life and helps set him straight. Ultimately, Lee is able to buy the ranch at Eagle Nest, where he's now come to make his last stand.

He's always stood up for things that were right, and now he's about to do something a heck of a lot more Americans ought to - fight for what he believes. In this case, the enemy is the federal government. They've come to take away his beloved Eagle Nest and make it into a test range. They'll only do it by carrying him out feet first.

From storming San Juan Hill with the Roughriders to an unwanted career as a land owner and banker, Lee's adventures show life at the turn of the century the way it really was. For those who enjoy their history first hand, Lee Garland's story is a fascinating slice of Americana not to be missed.

I've reread this book many times. It's a true keeper.

Art Tirrell is the author of the 2007 adventure novel, "The Secret Ever Keeps", of which reviewer Meg W. said, "...Simply put, the best underwater scenes I've ever read." See the full review at Amazon.com /gp/product/1601640048

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Gotta' Say: This Book's Terrific!, August 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Outlaw (Paperback)

Short and sweet. If you decide to read this book, you won't be disappointed. I've only read a few Westerns in my life and I have to say that I've been pleasantly surprised by all of them. Either I've done a great job in making my selections or the modern Western has become a genre that's attracting some talented artists. And Warren Kiefer is one of the best.