this was an excellent biography of James Butler Hickok, an actual exploration of the life of the man without the wild forays into yellow journalism we are more familiar with. I found very interesting the effects of the Pottawatomie Massacre had on the decisions made by the Hickok family concerning their move from Homer, Oklahoma, westward to where land was cheaper and more productive. I liked that many of the facts about the man and his family were garnered from the letters that passed between them, rather than rumor and legend.

I have not seen a better picture of this man's life and contributions to the growth of the west. I can highly recommend to friends and family. This was a very good read.

I received a free electronic copy of this biography from Netgalley, Tom Clavin, and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

A well researched account of the life of the western legend. The author spends a great deal of time debunking myths about Wild Bill Hickok. At times the book seems a bit academic, but it moves quickly and is a captivating read.
The book takes many side paths into the lives of characters that came into Hickok’s life. At first this was distracting, but I came to appreciate the depth of the book. The writer went to great lengths to accurately portray the life and times of the often mythical character known as Wild Bill.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a prerelease copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Old West generated many tall tales about legendary characters...Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Kit Carson...all larger than life. Their stories are a mix of truth and exaggeration...and I love every single tale! But my favorite by far is Wild Bill Hickok.

Lawman. Gunfighter. Gambler. Showman. He did it all. And his legendary death at a card-table just made his story more spectacular.

I read Tom Clavin's bestselling book on Dodge City when it came out. And loved it. When I saw he was writing a book on Wild Bill, I knew I had to read it. The true story....the real Wild Bill....James Butler Hickok. Yay!

I read this book a little bit at time, not only to savor the experience but to give myself time to let the facts and information settle into my brain. I can binge read fiction....but non fiction about people I find interesting I have to slow down and mosey my way through it. I'm glad I took my time. This book has a lot of information in it...some that I already knew and a lot that was new to me. Clavin separates fact from legend...and presents Hickok as a person, not an exaggerated Old West character. A man...not a tale bigger than life.

Awesome read! As soon as I finished my review copy, I preordered the physical book for my husband. He loves the Old West with a capital L. LOVES it. He has Clavin's earlier book on Dodge City on his western bookshelf...along with Louis L'amour books and framed photos of Marshall Dillon and Festus Haggen. Old West fiction and truth side-by-side, as it has always been.

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from St Martin's Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

I learned so much from this book. I thought that I knew the story of Wild Bill Hickok....I did not. The author was very descriptive, honest (would tell the reader whether or not a fact was true or maybe fabricated), and I just enjoyed the story.
It was a refreshing look at the time period right after the Civil War. The dying breed of man killers, justices, and marshalls in the wild west.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in the Wild West, American History, or just to know more about Wild Bill.

This is an interesting and entertaining look at the life of Wild Bill Hickok. Well researched and documented, Will Bill is written in a very engaging manner, and includes much history of the American West in general. Hickok was friends or compatriots with many legends of the west, so you see some of their stories as well. Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-arc. I found it fascinating - highly recommend! 4.5 stars - rounded up because I laughed out loud several times, even though parts of this story are tragic.

This book is well researched and written. The author has a writing style that makes the subject engaging and read less like a history rescitation and more like a story. While covering the life of Wild Bill Hickcock the author has a tendency to drift off to side stories, while interesting, they add little to the main subject. That aside, it is a very good biography.

I recommend this book for anyone who has an interest in the life of Wild Bill Hickcock.

I received a free Kindle copy of Wild Bill by Tom Clavin courtesy of Net Galley  and St. Martins Press, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as I have read a great deal about the West, but not about Wild Bill Hickcock in particular. This is the second book by the author that I have read.

Not since Prairie Fires by Caroline Fraser have I read a book on the Old West that grips me as much as Wild Bill by Tom Clavin. Wild Bill (whose real name was James) is a historical character whose story is fascinating and ultimately tragic in much the same way as Princess Diana's. For one thing, it is impossible not to like Bill Hickok. He was too chivalrous not to like, even love, as so many men and women seem to have, both close-up and at a distance. Hickok favored justice and the underdog. He cared about those in need of help. Hickok was astonishing for his courage and God's grace upon him during the Civil War. (Advice: Read slowly. Your jaw will drop.)

Clavin's measured and analytical (without being negative) approach to this biography makes reading it a joy. It seems he wisely wants to avoid the fate of Nichols, the journalist who wrote the 1867 piece in Harper's New Monthly on Wild Bill Hickok that made the young sharpshooter an overnight national hero. (Writers and cowboys share the experience of the rough ride, even if one is more psychological.) Clavin tells how that one story changed the lives of both writer and subject.

Another element that makes Clavin's book valuable is his sensitive descriptions of people whom Hickok knew or who impacted the change of the West for good or ill. Clavin has a great sense of the right touch. He fuels the reader's interest with sensitively drawn depictions (starting with the prologue) of people like Davis Tutt (friend turned foe of Hickok), James Chisholm, half Scottish and half Cherokee, a kind man who spoke 14 native American dialects, Calamity Jane (whom Old West TV fans will remember from the phenomenal series Deadwood created by David Milch)--there is a great story of Jane and a loan--General Custer, Buffalo Bill Cody and an assortment of unsavory newcomers. The reader will be glad to know about them all. Setting the stage and explaining the co-players is so important. We want to grasp Hickok by the place and people of his, after all.

The way towns are described gives great pause. The ones we live in today are no way what they once were. Clavin pulls the reader back to a past full of drama and tragedy today hidden by malls and modern streets. Kansas readers of this biography may appear downtown with startled expressions.

I appreciated learning from Clavin that although Hickok tried to live up to the image created (perhaps disastrously) by Nichols, he was true to himself in ways that helped shape society--in my opinion, for the better. (How do we continue to tolerate, or for that matter, produce, creatures like McCall?) I really do not want to give too much away.

I got the sense that Hickok did what he did because of his values. As I was reading, I could not get the comparison with Princess Diana out of my head: both she and Hickok were beautiful, talented, graceful human beings with flaws because they were human. They were daring, loved and hunted. They touched the people of their time and they paid the price for their gifts. Thank you, Tom Clavin. You have done a marvelous job in painting a haunting and moving picture of Wild Bill Hickok and the America he lived in. Thank you, as well #NetGalley and #St. Martin's Press. This will not be the first book I purchase hardback after reading the ebook version.

Wild Bill: The True Story of the American Frontier’s First Gunfighter by Tom Clavin was received direct from the publisher. The American frontier and Wild Bill Hickock just go together in the American psyche, at least in many of our generations. I have seen movies and TV shows which included Wild Bill but I am not sure if I saw or read anything about the man specifically, until now. Wild Bill was much more multi faceted than the man I saw on the TV series Dead Wood and if you or someone you buy books for likes the American West, cowboys, Indians, the Civil War or anyt8ing close to those topics, give this one a try.

5 Stars

Growing up in a town where James Butler Hickock had been sheriff, I grew up with his legend. His legend, as well as Bill Cody who slaughtered the buffalo for the expansion of the railroads and General George Custer who was in charge of the fort just south of town. Around the same period, my grandmother and her family traveled in a wagon train to homestead just north of town. It was fascinating to read the history of the establishment of the town and to get a glimpse of what life must have been like. I cringed with some of the treatment of the native Americans, and the bloodshed over slavery. Life was certainly cheap in those days and guns in ready supply. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and thought the author brought the period to life. Many thanks to netgalley and St Martin’s for an ARC. All opinions are my own. Recommend.

Great book with lots of interesting info provided. Will be buying this for my high school library in the future.

Clavin's book is a great biography of Wild Bill from his New England roots to his last days in Deadwood. Each segment of his life accompanied with a portrait shows how life in the West transformed him. The book was easy to read, quick, filled with connections to other books and sources on Wild Bill, and more importantly, entertaining to read. This is a great book for anyone interested in Wild Bill or life in the Old West.

Armed with contributing facts and figures based on countless hours of research, the author helped clearly debunk many of the outrageous myths that surrounded the larger-than-life figure, James Butler Hickok, the notorious, Wild Bill. Easy-to-follow, the main character became well-drawn as the storyline moved, chronologically, through his daring adventures. Springing more to life with every passing page, engrossing details were presented that added luster to his already admired persona.

One fact, however, that certainly carried a general consensus by all was the eagle-eyed, expertise that Wild Bill demonstrated time and again with his six shooters; he was in a class all to himself. According to all reliable witnesses, he was lightning fast on the draw with either hand and an extraordinary shot. A lawman of the Wild West, it was a deadly combination that any would-be criminal would not want to find themselves in front of the business end of one of his pistols. A legend in his own time, he was renowned for being a gunslinger, scout, spy, showman and gambler.

The inherent power of the mind and its direct influence over the body was a contributing factor for the turning point in Wild Bill's life. It arrived with an unfortunate day when he mistakenly gunned down fellow peace officer and friend, Mike Williams. From that day forward, he was never the same. Every waking moment, he was haunted with that troubling memory. It was only shortly thereafter; his general health and well-being began to rapidly decline. In about a year hence, by age thirty-nine, he was a mere shell of his former self.

Based on documented history, it could therefore be concluded that the killing of the Marshal produced a life-altering impact on Hickok's state of health both physically and mentally. In defiance to his dynamic personality, it was the kryptonite responsible for his ultimate demise - self-doubt.

From beginning to end, this well-written narrative held me captive. For anyone in need of wanting to satisfy their curiosity about one of America's leading frontiersman, this absorbing novel would be the one of choice.

I offer my thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I enjoyed this book on Wild Bill Hickok very much as an updated biography. Tom Clavin does a great job of sorting between hype and facts to get to what is more likely in the real story of James Butler Hickok and his exploits. Apparently, there had been a sibling named Bill that hadn’t survived, and James and his brother Lorenzo both were fond of calling themselves ‘Bill’ at times. When James went out on his own away from the family, the name stuck, along with various descriptors like Wild Bill or Shanghai Bill.

The book does a good job of telling about his short but exciting and event-filled life as a farmer, gunslinger, and lawman. After serving in the Civil War, Hickok made his way to Springfield, Missouri and was enjoying a spell of gambling. He’d met and become friends for a time with Davis Tutt another gambler, but the friendship soured. .Hickok was in a duel where he shot and killed Tutt in July 1865, displaying his lightning-fast quick-draw set his reputation. Unfortunately, it also made him a target for every wannabe gunslinger in the West who thought he was faster and wanted to prove it My thanks for the advance electronic copy that was provided by NetGalley, author Tom Clavin, and the publisher for my fair review.

Wild Bill was a great book. It was not quite what I was expecting, but that just made it all the more fun to read. I'll definitely recommend this one.