I read an ARC Netgalley copy of this book.

I've read a fair amount about the Texas Rangers, the Indian Wars, and the western frontier in general. I found Red Sky Morning to be one of the more difficult reads.

I enjoyed the detail and Pappalardo's style, especially as he gives the Rangers a fair shake for the time between 1870s and 1920s. I found the narrative, however, to be somewhat convoluted and difficult to follow at times. It could be hard to keep the personalities straight, and despite the book's subtitle, it wasn't clear to me exactly what the book was supposed to be about. It seemed much more about a specific case, and the killers, families, and lawmen involved, rather than a dive into more than 40 years of Ranger history.

Still, there were some powerful takeaways, and I'll be looking into his other works.

I DNF"d 50 pages in. The writing for me was all over the place and hard to follow. Very disappointed as I was excited to learn about the Texas Rangers.

3.5 rounded to four
When I was a kid in the fifties, the radio waves were full of ballads about the Old West, and many of them mentioned the Texas Rangers, who brought law and order to the chaos of the Old West. As time went on, the name cropped up from time to time in American History courses and reading, and not always with approbation, such as wholesale slaughters against people whose only crime seems to have been speaking Spanish.

This looked like a good book to get a sense of the history of the rangers, and in a sense, it is. The author clearly did mountains of research about individual rangers, and the people they encountered, and so delves not only into the Rangers' exploits but into vital aspects of Texas history, such as cattle rustling, fencing vs free range, barb wire cutting, law, politics--and politics means not only politicians, but the community's attitudes, such as those who willingly or for money served as snitches.

That makes for a mosaic of a book, bouncing from historical figure to situation, sometimes ranging back and forth in time. Central seems to be F Company's battle against the Conner family, who appear to have lived on the margins, hot tempered and ready to shoot anything and anyone. Many of them died young, and took neighbors and rivals with them.

At best, one gets a sense of the painfully evolving control of chaos in those times, when waves of white people pushed westward, claiming vast tracts of land from those who had lived there for centuries, and building towns to serve themselves. Where it falls down is on the Rangers' treatment of people other than those white settlers; it also fails to take a hard look at the character of the Rangers, and of men who like to pick up guns and shoot other people. Sort of a timely topic.

I received a free electronic ARC of this western historical history from Netgalley, Joe Pappalardo, and publisher St Martin's Press. I found this history heavy weather. Even after living 30 years in coastal Texas, it was difficult to follow the action, and the timeline jumps were very confusing.

I enjoyed some of the personal information in the lives of some of the Rangers, but the best thing about this story was it reminded me that it was time to re-read Big Sky AT Morning by Richard

A Detailed History of Texas Ranger Company F

In the 1800s the West was a lawless place. The Texas Rangers were charged with bringing the outlaws to justice, but they did more than that being involved in Indian problems, family feuds, and cattle and land disputes. Sergeant James Brooks from Company F is one of the more colorful characters of the era. He was involved in numerous gun fights, and was convicted of second-degree murder.

The book also tells the story of the other members of the company led by Captain William Scott. It even dips into the families of the men. The author uses diaries and news articles to bring the stories to life.

This book dispels the picture of the Rangers as just hunting outlaws. They did much more including becoming involved in the Conner family feud. I found the book well-researched and interesting, but often hard to follow. It felt as though the author had a large quantity of information and wanted to put it all in the book.

If you’re interested in American history, particularly the history of the West, this is well done, but if you’re looking for an adventure tale about the Rangers, it’s not your book.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

Red Sky Morning reads like a good western should, even though it's an accurate history. There are good, nasty, and unforgettable scenes. I learned so much from this work and highly recommend it to any western history buffs.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I thought this book was going to be really interesting and good. WRONG! I found it not interesting, but I kept reading because I thought it would get better.

One thing I think is wrong with it is it got bogged down. So much was thrown at me at once. Another thing is that most history books are in a chronological order, this was all over the place with dates. One time you would be in 1887, then 1889 and all the sudden you are back in 1887.

This also told the story of Company F trying to get the Connor gang. I understand that the author wanted us to get to know the members of the Company, but I didn't like his approach. I'd be reading about the Connors then all of the sudden I would be reading about a Company F member. It was just all over the place.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for the Kindle Version of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Author Joe Pappalardo presents a slice of history in this book dedicated to the story of Texas Ranger company F. Based upon diaries, news articles, and other pieces of documentation, “Red Sky Morning” gives readers a full look at what times were like back in America’s wilder times. People wanted justice, and the Texas Rangers recruited men to fill the void.

Mr. Pappalardo does his best to fill in all the blanks, explaining why events happened and how the people involved got caught up in the action. At times, this does cause the retelling to jump around a bit (back and forth through the timeline), but in the end, it was easy to make sense of it all. One particular chapter dealt with three lawmen who were charged with murder, and it is interesting to see how the court followed the law while being much different than what we are accustomed to see in today’s world.

Recommended for lovers of history and those who want to learn more about how the United States was tamed, and the men who were brave enough to step forward and accept the challenge. Five stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a complimentary electronic copy of this book.

Red Sky Morning: The Epic Story of Texas Ranger Company F by Joe Pappalardo is described as the explosive and bloody true history of Texas Rangers Company F. The hard men who rode hard and risked their lives to bring justice to the lawless frontier in the waning years of the Old West. Focusing on the years between 1886-1888 as Sergeant James Brooks commanded Company F as they engaged in three fatal gunfights and countless manhunts. Company F hunted down criminals, killing them if necessary and bringing them to trial when possible. They were confident in their “Ranger justice.” However, one outfit would give Company F a challenge. The Conner family were an East Texas family of master hunters and jailbreakers who were wanted for their part in a bloody feud. An in depth account of the Company F’s showdown with the Conner family that find themselves over their heads and in the fight for their lives. Did Company F find the Conner family? And at what cost?
I love history, especially history that I know little about. Everyone has heard of the Texas Rangers but most do not know the twists and turns of its history. I was very excited to read Red Sky Morning. I eagerly dove into the chapters as the men and women of the Old West were introduced. However, as Mr. Pappalardo jumps back and forth in time without an apparent reason. He states in the introduction that he set out to answer the question about who the Texas Rangers really were, I feel he failed. Red Sky Morning became a tedious read that became more a history of the Texas frontier, all its colorful characters and events rather than just Company F. I found myself losing focus as I turned pages. The book lacked cohesiveness as the presentation was very disjointed. Individuals would be introduced, while famous or infamous in the Old West, seemed to have nothing to do with Company F and their manhunt for the Conner family. I do not recommend Red Sky Morning.

Red Sky Morning: The Epic Story of Texas Ranger Company F
is available June 28, 2022 in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook

Red Sky Morning is an ode to a lifestyle that few people can comprehend in an era of great complexity. It follows a Texas Ranger company through their pursuit of outlaws over a two year period. Along the way you get to meet the men who formed Texas Ranger Company F, learn about their backgrounds, and learn about what life was like as Americans continued to push and settle West in the late 1800s. This includes the realities of living on the trail and life in remote areas of Texas far from the hustle and bustle of well-developed cities.

Author Joe Pappalardo tells the story with great detail. The book has a lot to offer for those interested in the world of law enforcement and bounty hunting. The chapters are almost presented in a diary, cataloging important dates and individuals neatly for readers to follow the adventures of Company F.

As an amateur historian, I found his contextual research very compelling. He provides a great deal of background information to really help set the stage for readers and help them better understand the moment. For example, when describing a man-hunt that included bloodhounds, Pappalardo provided an amazing overview of the bloodhound breeds and their tactics when hunting. It was really fascinating.

I definitely recommend this book for those interested in Texas history, law enforcement and the Old West.

I received an invitation to read Red Sky Morning by Joe Pappalardo. I have spent the last month off and on trying to get through this book about the Texas Rangers especially focused on Sgt. James Brooks who was in Company F of the Texas Rangers. I have always enjoyed books and shows about the West during the 1800s starting with Westerns of the late 1950s. Brooks is an interesting figure. My problem with this book is that I became lost in all of the figures around Brooks and side stories. I gave up taking notes. I can definitely tell the writer did a lot of research. I think he would have benefited from having a second writer who could have helped make this book easier to read by the average person interested in the West. My thanks to St, Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

I received an advance reading copy (arc) of the book from the publisher and NetGalley.com in return for a fair review. I knew very little about the Texas Rangers when I was asked to read this book. It certainly sounded interesting and the unique topic piqued my curiosity. Unfortunately, the book just fell short for me. Center stage was the Connor family--a band of outlaws hiding in the Texas range and the lawmen who sought them during the late 1880s. Led by Sargent James Brooks, the lawmen themselves came from a wide background of non-drinkers to killers. They were feared as well as respected. Author Joe Pappalardo did not focus on the chase for the Connors, however. He was sidetracked by other cases and other criminals that all jumbled together. He also switched back and forth between time periods, which I found confusing. There were way too many characters that were hard to keep track of with way too many details that bogged down what should have been the story. For example, because one ranger happened to see Belle Starr, the author provided background on the female outlaw that had no bearing on the main story. While Author Pappalardo certainly did an abundance of research, the telling of the tale fell short for this reader.

This was a great book that provides great snapshots and glimpses of Texas Ranger Company F as the men of this company traverse the Texas frontier. One feels they are riding alongside Brooks as he solved the crimes facing the state of Texas at that time. I thoroughly enjoyed the stories that came with this and was excited to see the great use of the primary source materials as well. I would highly recommend this book to American historians, law enforcement scholars, and Wild West buffs.

I love western stories and was so looking forward to this one. The author has a big story to tell, and he certainly did his research. The cons: It reads like a history book and I had to keep a log on paper to keep track of who, what, when, and where we were talking about. So many characters, so many different time frames and we even went back and forth a few times.
But other than those few distractive issues, as I said, this is a big story and I certainly learned a lot. I only can wish it would have been told in a more conducive story telling format. Western lovers, sit back, get ready to learn more than you ever expected. 4 stars is the best I could do since I didn’t care for the writing style.
I personally thank the publisher for the privilege to be offered this ARC from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my unbiased review – This one comes in with 4 stars.

Sometimes I read a book and find that someone at Goodreads has already stated my opinion, as well or better than I can. I recommend the review written by William Harris at

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4675235202

Particularly, I agree with Harris when he says, “the ramshackle approach to the narrative structure makes this a tedious read” and also when he says that the book has “[c]onfusing time jumps, shifts in tense and the extremely disjointed and anecdotal presentation of the information available”.

The research that went into this book seems to be thorough.

In the book's introduction (Kindle location 50), the author includes the following quote from a 19th-century Texas Ranger:

Near everyone has heard of the Texas Rangers, but how many know what the Rangers really are, or what are their duties? In a general way, everyone knows they are men who ride around on the Texas border, do a good deal of shooting, and now and then get killed or kill someone. But why they ride around, or why they do the shooting, is a question which might go begging for an answer for a long time without getting a correct one.

A footnote by the author immediately following says:

This books [sic] seeks to answer that very question about the Texas Rangers of the late 1800s.

I don't think the author succeeded.

In general, the Texas Rangers, during the time that this history covers, seem to be the frontier law enforcement equivalent of firemen, or maybe mobile air cavalry, in the sense that they are dispatched to wherever the mayhem is greatest, without regard to whether doing so fits into some previously-agreed list of appropriate duties. This book does not cover the period of 1915 – 1920, when the Rangers are accused of atrocities against ethnic Mexicans.

Here's a quote from near the end of the book:

In the culture wars of the twenty-first century, these men [i.e., Texas Rangers] are … supposed to be “bright aura” avatars, not overworked cops working a vast, challenging beat. This heroic shroud obscures the realities of their lives as Texas Rangers and is nearly as unfair and dehumanizing as branding them racists by association.

nonfiction, law-enforcement, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, history-and-culture, Texas, criminal-acts, rough-justice****

The presentation was thoroughly spoiled by the in text listing of sources as opposed to a much less intrusive use of footnotes or endnotes. Can't fault the research, however. This is an examination of one troop and their campaign against one particular crime family but carries the characteristics of the Ranger's mentality and mode of operations. Historically excellent.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. Thank you

I wish to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As a Lover of western history I was really looking forward to reading this book. I am very disappointed to say that as I tried to stay with the story line I could not stay interested. I found it to be a well researched book about the history of the Texas Ranger Company F in the 1800’s. However, the style of writing is more like a college history presentation written in a disjointed fashion. Just as I would get interested in the setting it would jump around to another story and different timelines. There is great information gathered it is just the presentation style that I could not follow.

This is the most interesting history book I have ever read. There is so much information about these Rangers that you'd think that it was fictional. The references are extensive, and the accounts are from multiple points of view. It is a great read about a wild time in our country's past. The dangers that Ranger's faced on a regular basis are a testimony to their integrity and fortitude. Although so much has changed in this country over the years, some things still remain the same. I was impressed with the judicial system in place in that era, as well as the investigative methods used. So much research went into this book, and this resulted in a read that was informative and entertaining. I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, and to NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. This is the story of Texas Rangers Company F and their role in Texas history. Company F was formed after the Mexican War, Civil War and most of the Indian wars. Company F was created for one purpose, to chase robbers, killers, rustlers and fence cutters, and they did their job well. The primary focus is on two Rangers, James Brooks and Captain William Scott. It details Brooks involvement in a shooting in the Indian Territory and subsequent trial in Fort Smith, Arkansas. In even more detail it follows the long search for the feuding Connor family in Sabine county, Texas that involved a major shootout with the Rangers. In between it touches on the fight against fence cutters and the bitter fight in Texas between the small ranchers who favored an open range and the larger ranchers who supported fences. At times it reads like a genealogy book as the author goes into painful detail of every character’s family history and who begat who. And in the middle of the book he throws in a chapter on the modern idiocy of removing a Ranger statue by the woke crowd. That would have been better held until the end. On the positive side he does a wonderful job of bringing in historical detail on the old west. Following a remote shootout where several Rangers were badly injured he discussed field surgeries and roles of the local country doctors in great detail. I found that fascinating. There was also much interesting details about the famous court in Fort Smith and the fence cutting war. But continuing that genealogy bent rather than ending the book with the retirement of the Rangers and end of the company, he follows their post Ranger lives in painful detail until their deaths. That made the end drag and could have been shortened considerably. Overall it was an interesting book for anyone interested in Old West, Texas Ranger or Texas history.

A truly interesting look at the Texas Rangers. The story was intriguing and really holds your interest. A great book for the western fan.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.