I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
The book was less focused than I had anticipated. The book felt like it went on rambling side stories instead of staying focused on what it had promised. The information was interesting, but it was difficult to stay focused.

Though I felt that it was misleading at the beginning - "this will not be a history of the Texas Rangers" when in fact it was a history of the Texas Rangers, it was interesting to learn and hear about some of the interesting stories from a storied organization. I particularly liked hearing about the Texas Rangers prior to Texas statehood.

Follow Me to Hell by Tom Clavin is a fun and enticing novel following the history of the Texas Rangers. The orator of this book was fun and engaging.

He laid out the story and I felt very enraptured by the first 20 minutes. Although it says it's based on history I would definitely say it was well researched and very thought-provoking.

This book made me even more proud to be from Texas.

Texas borderland history and the Texas Rangers are sometimes romanticized “Follow Me to Hell” is a story about McNelly’s Texas Rangers, how they got started, what they did under his command, and what happened to them.

Authors note that there was background general information about the Texas Rangers. ”Overview of the main events that had an impact on southeast Texas leading up to the Civil War.” This is the first half of the book. The second half covers some of the Texas Rangers and the events the Texas Rangers encountered. I enjoyed the book and as a non Texas Ranger historian I learned a little more about McNelly’s and his place in Texas history. This would be a good general book for those interested in the topic.

The narrator was good and their voice fit the topic of the book. I started listening at normal speed and then sped up to 2.0.

This is an interesting book about the Rangers and how the name came about. I thought it was going to be different but over all I was pleased with it still.

This is my first Tom Clavin novel and wow, I'm hooked! In school I fell in love with history and Tom Clavin's novel, Follow Me to Hell, brought history alive as he lays out the early formation of Texas and the Texas Rangers. There were so many names I hadn't learned about before and while it is educational, it didn't feel that way.

Thank you so much for the audio ARC!

Tom Clavin's "Follow Me to Hell" is a well written and researched book on Texas history leading up to the formation of the feared Texas Rangers. The author brings the early 1800's to life, and the circumstances surrounding Stephen Austin creating the Rangers to protect settled families. Clavin eloquently describes the dangers of living on the frontier, and the import role the Rangers served. The author's passion for history is overt as he depicts the Battle of the Alamo and the Great Comache raid. Clavin articulately describes the plight of Sam Houston, and the rise of Ranger captain Leander McNelly.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tom Clavin for providing me with a complimentary digital audiobook ARC for Follow Me to Hell coming out April 4, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

In the unsettling 1870s Texas, the respected and fearless Ranger Leander McNelly led his men in several campaigns, throwing cattle thieves, desperadoes, ruffians, and other dangerous criminals into jail. They would stop at nothing in the pursuit of justice, even if it meant sending them to their death. They sent 26 Rangers across the border to take back the stolen cattle―fighting hundreds of Mexican troops with their Sharps rifles and six-guns. The nation came to call them “McNelly’s Rangers.”

Exploring 200 years of stirring Texas Rangers history, this book takes readers into the rough life along the Texas border that was tamed by a brave, yet condemned, captain and his band of fearless brothers. 

It was one hell of a ride!

I’ve listened to several books by Tom Clavin and I always love them! He really knows how to bring history alive. I always love the topics he explores. This book definitely felt well-researched. Westerns are one of my favorite genres. I think the Wild West was such a fascinating time in US history. The book doesn’t shy away from the dark times of history. I definitely learned some new things that adds to my knowledge of history. I loved the narrator as well.

I would recommend this to anyone who’s a history buff!

Many are only familiar with the Texas Rangers from the show, "Walker Texas Ranger," (admittedly, that is where I started years ago), but there was so much more to them than that!

This fabulous book will take you through some of the early histories of the Texas Rangers, and the men who helped develop and solidify the position throughout the state. As it starts out, we are going to see a lot of familiar names, especially for those who live or have lived in Texas. Stephan Austin is just one that you are going to read about early on, as the fight for Texas Independence from Mexico is underway, and how the idea for the Texas Rangers came about.

Leander McNelly is one that truly embodied the Texas Ranger spirit. He drove his men hard, but he was fair, and the men under him were entirely loyal to him to the end. While they had some exciting exploits, they were determined to uphold the law, and make Texas a safer place for those who lived there.

This amazing book will take you through the wilds of Texas, and bring a true sense of what justice was like on the frontier. While lawlessness was a problem for a while, the Texas Rangers quickly proved to be an effective form of justice, one which still endures today.