My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press for a copy of this history on the Texas Rangers and biography on one of their most famous members.

The Great State of Texas exists almost as much in mythology as it does in reality. Things being better in Texas, the story of the Alamo, the Dallas Cowboys, and of course the Texas Rangers. Getting to the real story about any of these subjects means parsing through a lot of well tall tales. To quote a famous movie line, When the legend becomes fact, print the legend. And yes I am aware the movie takes place in Colorado, but this is good aphorism when thinking and writing about the west. Tom Clavin even discusses this in his introduction. When researching an event there could be three sources of information, with three different tellings of the event. Even events like massacres that one would think people would remember taking part in the time period could stretch over months or seasons. So there is a lot of ego boosting, grudge settling, tall telling, or even plain old cover-ups that have to shifted and checked, especially about the West where movies have educated far more than history books. However, history books have a very strong champion in Tom Clavin and his works about the West. Follow Me to Hell: McNelly's Texas Rangers and the Rise of Frontier Justice is a story about Texas, law enforcement, one man, one Ranger and trying to tell the real story of the old West.

The book begins with a look at the area that became Texas, its neighbors and the native people who were living there before discovery, and colonization. The land was a magnet for speculators and people who wanted area, and were welcomed by the Mexican government, to serve as a buffer to the native people who lived there. Soon more and more men wanted more and more land, and of course to rule the area. And to help protect this new land they needed help. The Texas Rangers were started to help fight off raids from natives and others, but soon found themselves under attack not from natives, but by those that controlled the pocketbook. The Rangers were constantly hired, fired, rehired, underfunded, cheated, ignored until needed. After this history we get to our protagonist Leander McNelly. Short, consumptive, and looking nothing like a matinee hero, McNelly was a Ranger, who led from the front, never giving an order that he wouldn't do first, and probably better. McNelly became famous for doing what he wanted, no matter who told him different, no matter how powerful, up until his end.

Tom Clavin has a real gift for getting to the story and looking past the myths to the truth. His history might seem ugly, but that was the the time. Laws were for those who could afford to break them, and there were plenty who could get away with a lot of things. There is a lot of history before we met McNelly but to not understand the history of what came before, would be to understand the man. Clavin is very good at giving a lot of information in a very short time, and not bogging down the story. There is plenty of shoot outs, and tales of law bringing to lawless areas, but also plenty of massacres for no reason, deaths out of misunderstanding, or just plain stubbornness and corruption. A very full account of a time that few really know the truth about.

Recommended for fans of the Clavin and for readers of Old West history that tries to clear up a lot of misconceptions and of course myths. A great book for a Father's Day gift, or even for early beach reading if one can. I've enjoyed quite a few books by Tom Clavin and look forward to more.

A fantastic book chronicling the history of the Texas rangers, and Texas in general.

I really enjoyed this book, it didn't come off as dry at all and read a bit more like a western to me. My only complaint is that I thought I was reading more of a biography of one man and his posse but ended up with an overarching history.

It was still highly enjoyable though and I do recommend for anyone interested in the wild west, the Texas Rangers, the history of Texas or the history of law enforcement in general.

This book is a billed as a biography of Leander McNelly and his role in the Texas Rangers. It is actually more of a history of the Rangers with McNelly mixed in until the final few chapters that focus almost entirely on him. Funding was always a problem for the Rangers and on a number of occasions they were disbanded and reformed as State Police or Militia and then later reformed again as Rangers. McNelly was an interesting and colorful personality that helps make this an engaging and interesting read. I recommend this book for anyone with an interest in the history of the west.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page

The description and cover art really pulled me in. Sadly, the text did not live up to my expectations. While stuffed full of Texas/frontier history (particular emphasis upon power struggles and misadventures of those with more enthusiasm than battle prowess). The dramatic "one man leading his devoted followers into hell to protect the innocent and punish the guilty" promise of the title and summary just did not materialize for me. It was as if all of the research done by the author did not yield a story sufficient to stand a book length treatment. I felt that the book was not organized efficiently, and the main subject of the title was not introduced until at least a third of the way through, then without as much detail as I truly was looking for. This book perhaps would satisfy Texas history fans more than myself.

The book was well titled. It described my experience reading it. Perhaps if I were a descendant of one of Austin’s settlers, I would be interested in the litany of rulers vying for the territory that would become Texas. For anyone else, it was just too much.

Here comes Tom Clavin. Putting out another good yarn about the Wild West. For the uninitiated, Clavin is no stranger to the many characters and seemingly unbelievable stories which littered the Old West. The key to fully enjoying the narrative is to buckle up and be prepared for more than a few names and a few shootouts.

Clavin's Wild West books might be a shock to a new reader. Clavin jams in a seemingly endless amount of names as he tries to navigate a time and place where names came and went, changed, and may have been made up in the first place. Very often, it may take a bit of time to get to the main character and Follow Me to Hell follows that blueprint. Leander McNelly doesn't show up until later in the story but there is a reason for it. The history of Texas is vital to understanding the world McNelly inhabited and somehow survived for as long as he did. Plus, as a history nerd, Clavin makes this all as easy to follow as it can be. It also helps that Clavin has a dry sense of humor which will make you laugh out loud. As I wrote, just sit back and enjoy the ride.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and St. Martin's Press. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 4/6/2023.)

It is with thanks to the author and the publisher (St. Martin's Press) that I offer the following honest review of Tom Clavin's newest book that I received as an advance copy.

Prior to reading Clavin's account of the foundation and early years of the now well-known Texas Rangers, I had little knowledge of the organization's days prior to the 20th century responsibilities in more modern efforts of maintaining the laws of Texas. This book takes the reader back to the origination of the Rangers (specifically from the late 1700s through he mid-1840s) and demonstrates in great detail the role they played in the history of Texas, and ultimately, the United States.

We all are familiar now with what could be called a war at the border between the United States and Mexico. The early Rangers, earning meager pay for very rough duty, proved their bravery by fighting southern border battles that involved Indians (the term used in the book for historical perspective), the Mexicans, and the Texans.

This book yielded a great deal of historical detail for me. I'd recommend it for anyone who wants to better understand these heroes of frontier justice.

This is a well-written history of the Texas Rangers and how they came to be. The book is easy to read and full of authentic and interesting characters. It does take a while to get to the story of Leander McNelly and his men. By 1874, McNelly was in charge of his Texas Ranger unit in Washington County, Texas. ‘McNelly’s Rangers’ as they came to be known performed heroically, following their Captain into perilous situations. McNelly became known for his courage in fulfilling his duty. Weighted down a little by the complex history preceding McNelly’s rise, the book was still an interesting look into the man himself. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

What a delightful and interesting history of territory ultimately known as Texas! It was a fun read filled with Native Indians, bandits, Mexicans and various types of lawless men! Some of the characters were historical and some were based on history. All in all it was simply a romp through an era of lawlessness.

Prior to reading this book, I’d never heard of Leander McNelly and the struggles bringing some sort of justice to the frontier. In spite of his health problems, he certainly worked diligently to establish lawful protection for the settlers.

This was my first book by Tom Clavin, but it sure won’t be my last. This was easily readable, very informative and most enjoyable.

I’m grateful to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Follow Me to Hell is a fast-paced, rip-roaring story through the founding of Texas, battles with Mexico and Native tribes, cattle rustling and the various iterations of lawmen known as Texas Rangers. Clavin starts with the history of how Texas came into existence, which is the first third of the book. This, to me, is necessary, because it sets the stage for everything that follows it, which is essentially a whole bunch of shenanigans that precede to get everyone’s hackles up and require third party intervention.

One of the biggest problems to upholding the law is quickly shown to be funding the law, as enforcement gets authorized and then disbanded over and over again because there’s no money to pay those enforcing the law, but no one likes the way things go without the law. And boy, are there a lot of reasons for enforcement. Naturally, white Americans came into the land that became Texas and took what they wanted, using any means necessary once they staked their claim. Which not surprisingly led years of war with Mexico - who struggled with consistent leadership. At the same time, homesteaders and ranchers were facing raids from tribes like the Karankawas and the Comanches, who had also had their land taken away from them. Then there was the Civil War. Finally, with wars out of the way came a permanent group of Rangers authorized as law enforcement officers, with McNelly and his battalion and their exploits being some of the most colorful.

The reader, now being fully versed in the crapshoot that was living in Texas during the middle of the nineteenth century, will still be blown away (figuratively speaking-leave the actual blowing away to McNelly and his Rangers) by the bold and ballsy moves of this crew led by a physically underwhelming man who battled consumption his entire life. The story is exciting, interesting and fast-paced, although keeping straight all the individuals and events becomes dizzying and exhausting. Adding to the confusion some is that part of the book jumps back and forth in time some during the Civil War years.

I love that in addition to his other nonfiction, one of Calvin’s passions seems to be the real stories of events in “The Old West”. This is often a period that doesn’t get covered much or gets romanticized so much into the “cowboys and Indians” that it takes a route right out of reality. Clavin fully acknowledges how difficult it can be to discern true events and then proceeds to use what he has for a grand, engaging and TRUE story. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Follow Me to Hell: McNelly's Texas Rangers and the Rise of Frontier Justice by Tom Calvin is a great read. It gives a nice extended introduction to the origins of the Texas Rangers on its way to exploring the life and times of Leander McNelly who became a Texas legend during his own lifetime.

Actually I had never heard of McNelly or his Rangers prior to picking up this book but having read one of the author's previous works, the excellent biography Wild Bill: The True Story of the American Frontier’s First Gunfighter, I decided to take a look. I found it to be an interesting story written in a highly readable fashion (To quote something my niece once said, "For a history book it's not boring at all"). Informative without being overly academic in style. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Highly recommended for any fan of Old West history.

I received a complimentary ARC of this detailed history of the Territory of Texas from Netgalley, Tom Clavin, and St. Martin's Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read Follow Me of my own volition and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to recommend Tom Clavin to friends and family. His prose can take you there.

And it's a place you will want to go. Despite raising two children through the educational system in Texas, there was a great deal in this book that I was not aware of. My family and I spent over 30 years near coastal Texas, but we were not away of the Long territory, the role of Steven Austin's father, and much of the Indian background portrayed in this history. Thank you Tom Clavin for rounding out the information available in the past. It is good to get a more complex but less weighted by prejudice. It is a book I will keep, and add to my research shelf.
pub date April 4, 2023

384 pages

5 stars

This is an interesting and colorful book about the formation of the Texas Rangers. There is a great deal of history before the reader gets to read about the exploits of Leander McNelly.

I found the book very informative. I’ve read all of Larry McMurtry’s novels about the Rangers, but this is my first actual history book. I learned much that I did not know about the organization, especially their participation in the Civil War.

The book is very well written in a casual, easy-to-read style. I strongly recommend it for anyone who is interested in the settlement of the west, or the history and adventures of the Texas Rangers. Mr. Clavin is a talented writer with a talent for bringing history to life.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

The book started off slow but after a few chapters picked up and took you back to the days of the Wild West. The characters were vivid and authentic.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing an early copy of Follow Me to Hell by Tom Clavin

"One can be certain..."
"Perhaps"...

Follow Me to Hell is a book to be read for those who are looking for an overall and general view of the history of the Texas Rangers and their young leader Leander McNelly. Only the last third of the book actually places McNelly in charge and describes some of the action of the Rangers as they pit themselves against tough cattle wrestlers, Native Americans and people of Mexico. The beginning two-thirds of the book are basically broad outlines of all kinds of pre-Texas Rangers men that may be important to the history of Texas. There are simply too many characters to keep track of.

It seems that the outlaws get as much or more text than the Rangers themselves, especially the case of John Wesley Hardin. Perhaps the author should consider a biography of this criminal.

At best, the readers will be made aware of an honest and determined leader of the Texas Rangers, Leander McNally who stated, "Follow Me to Hell."

Chapter 48 states that 1876 was the bicentennial of the United States. It was, in fact, the centennial.

A tremendous look at the history of the Texas Rangers in their early years. The heroic efforts they undertook to protect the people of Texas is awe inspiring. These men endured all types of hardship for little pay and not much appreciation for their efforts, But they still continue to fight not only bandits, but Indians and thieves and rustlers from Mexico. A great historical novel for the enthusiast.

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

A true historical account written in the style of popular history. It's meant to be a page-turner that's hard for readers to put down, although the events themselves need little to make them exciting; and I say that in a positive way. Those wanting a history book, or those wanting a western adventure book will both be quite satisfied with Clavin's work.