The last days of the Dalton Gang were anything but restful. These were not men who lived into older years, dying peacefully in their beds. They were bank robbers, and their demise would come from a bullet.

I have to say, I think this is one of my favorite reads of the year. I was hooked from the start, and listened to the entire book in one day. As the history of the Dalton Gang unfolded, you could almost see the line of how they went from stealing horses to robbing banks. A series of unfortunate events, and a lot of bad decisions led these brothers into a life of crime.

Absolutely a must read!

I received a complimentary electronic ARC of this exceptional history from Netgalley, author Tom Clavin, and publisher St. Martin's Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read The Lsat Outlaws of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am always pleased to recommend Tom Clavin to friends and family. He brings the past to life for us, both the good and the bad of the past that formed our society as a whole. This account of the Younger and Dalton days of crime is a good finale to the end of the gangs who terrorized the folks of the late 18th century. I was pleased with the thorough coverage of these robber barons, and the innocence of their families. This was a good telling of a time past. Thanks!

What a wonderful book! Thank you to Thom Calvin for giving me a great gift idea for the men in my family. This is a must read for anyone who loves history—especially the history of the Old West.

Having preciously read about the Younger Gang and other notables from that era, such as Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp, I felt this gave another side to what all was happening during that time in history. I also loved that Clavin gave family background on many of the people mentioned in the story.

There was never a dull moment in reading this and I enjoyed all the side stories about the people involved. This was classic Old West and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am pleased to recommend this to readers who share a love of history and the Wild West.

The Wild West intrigues me, so I expected to enjoy, if not love, this book. Unfortunately, I fall into the dislike category.

While I appreciate what the author attempts here, the content tackles way too broad of a scope, especially given the book is under 250 pages.

LOTS of people are introduced, most irrelevant to the story at hand. We have entire family trees and each person’s background. Too much information, with an onslaught of names and details, makes it all impossible to remember

To further tax the brain, we’re also given a brief history lesson on issues such as the conflicts between Native Americans and early settlers. At times we’re back in a different century, long before the Wild West had anything resembling outlaws. The author’s attempt to explain how the Wild West formed never quite manages to make memorable connections along a timeline.

The writing itself is uneven, sometimes clumsy, and not altogether engaging.

Overall, the content didn’t focus enough on the actual outlaws, and I never felt immersed in the Wild West.

My thanks to Net Galley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillian Audio for advanced copies of this e-book and audiobook.

This well-researched book on the history of the Dalton gang, along with mentions of the James gang, the lawmen of the day and the people of the expanding west in this country.

The beginning of the book was a bit dry like a history text book but the stories got better as the book progressed. I enjoyed the humorous parts of these gang members who came in and out of the gang to be actors and even law men! So many places mentioned brought me back to Laura Ingalls Wilder or the Osage region or the James gang or even Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and to places I've traveled in OK and TX. It was an interesting book at times and a little slow at times, but glad I read it.

The audio was well done and enhanced this book as I read and listened to it.

I've read several books by author Tom Clavin and have come to respect his work and expect the best from him, this book lives up to those expectations. The Last Outlaws: The Desperate Final Days of the Dalton Gang is actually telling the story of two different outlaw gangs that bumped against each other as the "classic" era of the Western outlaw was winding down and the "Wild West" was rapidly fading away.

Like many kids of my generation I grew up watching cowboy shows, good guys, bad guys, white hat heroes and black hat villains. I was aware of the Dalton Gang and had heard of The Doolin-Dalton Gang but somewhere in my memory they merged and I didn't realize they were two different (though closely connected) groups that had different reigns. While this book is ostensibly about The Dalton Gang, it would be an incomplete story without the inclusion of the less famous offshoot that had a comparatively brief moment in history.

This book is a compelling look at a part of Western history that often gets overlooked... or at least doesn't generally garner as much attention as maybe it should. I think anyone who enjoys American history, especially true tales of the Old West, will enjoy this book.

I can't think of a better pairing on subject with author than Tom Clavin and the Wild West. In fact, The Last Outlaws might be his best.

Clavin tells the story of the Dalton gang (and various others) as they act as a swan song for what we think of when we say the Wild West. As per usual, Clavin tells the story economically while also adding tangential tidbits along the way. I know other reviewers point out that sometimes these anecdotes could be cut from the narrative. This is definitely true at times, but I absolutely love them. To me, these side stories make it feel like you are sitting with an old outlaw at a bar as he tells you the stories of his life and the people he met along the way. I am not saying Tom Clavin is an outlaw (I haven't run a background check, though), but he does have the light touch of a storyteller who knows exactly what you want to hear.

The most important thing to know is that this book gives you exactly what you expect and it's a great ride.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and St. Martin's Press.)

I grew up in Coffeyville, Kansas, where the Dalton lore looms large, so I was especially interested to read Tom Clavin's new book, The Last Outlaws. Although I have visited the Dalton Museum and attended the annual re-enactment of the Dalton Raid more times than I can count, I gained so much new knowledge from this book! Clavin really does a great job of providing context for the Dalton's most famous raid. I had no idea about the connection to the James gang, nor that the Dalton Gang lived on after the fateful day in Coffeyville. It was interesting to learn more about their family background, as well as the lawmen who sought their capture. Of particular interest to me was how fine the line was between lawmen and outlaws during this period, with many people jumping back and forth between those two roles. This book gives a complete picture of what was happening in the Wild West during its last hurrah. However, at times, Clavin seems to veer off topic, introducing characters and facts that are only tangentially related to the Dalton story, and it felt like the book could have benefitted from a bit more editing, hence my 3 star review. However, I'm glad I read it and I recommend to anyone with an interest in the subject.

This book was so interesting from their ties to Jesse James in the younger gang their ancestors in the revolution to their criminal exploit in the wild West. Their parents had 15 children and four would be a part of the infamous Dalton gang it covers in detail the bloody adventure and ultimately the bloody end although not all of the Dalton’s were criminals something else they talk about in the book The ones that were were ruthless. Evenn at the time of their bank robberies they had a romanticize reputation about being the wild West Robin Hood something that wasn’t true. This book was so good in any lover of the wild west has to have this in the library. When it comes out I am definitely buying a book for mine. The Last Outlaws it’s just as good is any western he writes but it’s all true this is a great book and one I highly recommend it is an awesome awesome read! I want to thank Saint martins press and net galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I was given an advance reading copy (arc) of this book by NetGalley.com in return for a fair review. Tom Clavin is one of my very favorite authors. His books are always entertaining and informative. 'The Last Outlaws' was no exception. While this book focused on the Dalton Gang and their Wild West shenanigans, Clavin brought to life a colorful era of America's past. He has written several other books about the West, which were all very good, and his knowledge of this time period shines through. What makes this book so good (at least to me) is the humor that Clavin interjects throughout. He is funny, sarcastic, and a little snarky, but not in a mean way. No doubt the Dalton Gang members were a rough bunch who robbed banks, trains, and anywhere else they thought they could make a quick buck. There were shoot-outs, chases, and in-fighting all culminating on October 5, 1892 when the gang decided to rob two banks at once in the small town of Coffeyville, Kansas. It did not end well as four of the five Dalton gang ended up dead along with four others. Emmet Dalton was the sole survivor of the gang and lived to tell his story--or at least his version of it. If you like drama in the Wild West, read the book. You won't be disappointed.

I really enjoyed this book on the last of the Western outlaws. There is a lot of history that is not commonly known provided in the book but it still reads more like fiction. Definitely a worthwhile read.

"...Clavin deftly balances academic writing with thrilling descriptions of the Dalton Gang’s felonious escapades. While hardcore western fans won’t discover any fresh information, readers will still enjoy this Old West crime caper. Recommended wherever westerns and American history are popular." - full review to appear in Booklist

Thank you to Tom Clavin, St Martins Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Last Outlaws, The Desperate Final Days of the Dalton Gang. This is the account of the Dalton Gang’s final bank heist that consisted of robbing two banks, at the same time, in Coffeyville, Kansas. First of all, I have grown up all over the country and I truly love ‘wild west’ stories. More importantly, you, the reader, should know that without fail Tom Clavin’s books are truthful and well researched. This is incredibly informative and told this story so vividly that I felt like I was right there with them. Be warned, some of the descriptions can be a little morbid at times, but it is what it is and you are reading about a gun fight in the old west.
Tom Clavin knows his western history. That cannot be denied. A cast of characters index would have been handy have been able to refer back to and maybe when this hits the stands it will be there. (fingers crossed) Just know that sometimes movies, history books and television shows tend to leave out the truth or make it seem less violent than it really was. The author does not pull any punches! (thank you) Highly recommend this book!

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I read this author’s book on Daniel Boone and enjoyed it, so I wanted to snag this one, especially as I find myself fascinated by Wild West things. While the general information here was interesting, I found it confusing as he tried to cover the Daltons and people who rode with them and also law enforcement to the point where I was forgetting who was who. It seemed like there was a long, extended tangent about someone (which was interesting, don’t get me wrong) where I lost sight of who I was reading about. I think the info was well-researched, and I do like his tongue-in-cheek style, but I was losing focus and losing interest because I couldn’t keep track of the who’s who. Overall, interesting info, just would like to see it more organized and focused on the Dalton crew more than anyone else.

The Last Outlaws by Tom Clavin was received directly from the publisher and I chose to review it. The Wild West, like many the whole thought of it is both exciting and kind of scary. I have read this author before as he writes books I am interested in. This particular book, about the Dalton Gang, is a group most everyone has heard of but I never really read about them, until now. This book reads well, though at times goes off on tangents/people, however, I still read it all, with minimal skimming, if any. If you, or someone you buy gifts for enjoys books about the American Wild West, give this book a read.

4 Stars

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this look at the rise and fall of a famous outlaw gang and the history of the area that stole in, lived in, loved in and in many cases died it.

America has a bizarre fascination with outlaws. For a country that claims to be such a Christian country, there are a lot of sleazy people that have babies named after them, movies featuring these outlaws as heroes, and people dressing up cosplaying famous events, like shootouts and other atrocities. The Billy the Kid was kind of cool, Pat Garrett was a murderer ideal. Americans love the idea of outlaws as Robin Hood, robbing the rich, and well spending the money in casinos impressing bar girls, dying in ambush from law enforcement, or in a drunken fight. Outlaw as legend tends to omit the little things, separation from family, months in the wild hiding from posses, and men who make money on an outlaw's body live or dead. The innocent who suffer, shooting a farmer for a horse, a store owner who looked out a window, a man walking on the street during a robbery going wrong. Historian and writer Tom Clavin writes about all this and more, giving the history of the area, the era, and the truth about life on the the outlaw trail in The Last Outlaws: The Desperate Final Days of the Dalton Gang.

One of the more famous of the outlaw gangs that littered the West and Midwest from the end of the Civil War to the early part of the twentieth century, the Dalton Gang might not have existed if Frank Dalton, a deputy killed in the line of duty had lived. Frank was considered the good brother, and while the outlaw life was in the Dalton tree, Bob, Emmett and Gat let it root deep in them. Another brother Bill was more of a gatherer of information when needed. The brothers started as lawmen, turning to horse stealing for easy money. Stealing horses came easily to them, selling the horses led to many close escapes and dodging of posses. Soon the brothers began to add a rotating cast of characters to their gang with the idea of robbing trains. After a few mishaps the gang became quite good at robbing, soon being blamed for every robbery in the area and being pursued by many law enforcement men, private detectives and others looking for the large reward railroad companies were asking for them. Banks seemed easier, though again there was a bit of a learning curve. The big score was always something that escaped them, and a plan was hatched for a double band robbery in the town of Coffeyville, a town they were familiar with, and a town that many would not leave.

Tom Clavin knows his western history and can put a reader in the center of a town, the smell of horse, dust and even sometimes gunsmoke filling the nostrils with a real understanding of what is going on all around. Writing about this era is hard not to fall back on the thousands of television shows, movies, books even graphic novels about law men, bad men, and innocent ment and woman, but Clavin is very good at staying above it. Clavin is very good at reporting the facts, the truth that so many westerns like to omit, though some revisionist westerns love to share. The shooting from ambush, the shooting wounded men. People who would mutilate a corpse to gain a reward, even the politicians who supported law and order, while looking away at the crime that was so close. At one point Clavin points out a deputy was so good at his job, that business in the town was suffering from all the law abiding citizens, so they had to fire the deputy. While the violence is a part of the story, it is not the only part. And Clavin is very good at showing how this area's came about, how the indigenous people were cheated, and the cost that a lot of innocent people had to pay. There are a lot of characters, I will admit that and some get short shrift in the story, but that is a minor complaint in this fascinating history book.

Another great book by Tom Clavin and one that would be a great gift for the holidays. Recommended for western readers, or history fans who want to learn more about the west, and not what they have seen in movies.

The Last Outlaws is a whirlwind, fast-paced adventure of the outlaws of the old west and the lawmen that pursued them. The story starts with the Younger and James gangs, works its way through the Dalton Gang, on to the Dalton-Doolin Gang before the bad boys are wiped off the map and the lawmen can settle into more routine law enforcement. The book is interesting, and I always enjoy books that delve into Kansas and other parts of the Midwest. It gave me an opportunity to learn more about bank and train robberies in my own state that aren't often covered in traditional history books. That being said, it almost covers too much time and too many people, flitting from one person to the next as soon as the aforementioned is six feet in the ground. Tom Clavin has written multiple other books of a similar nature, but even if those started with a wider circle, it feels like eventually in those books it tightens into a narrative that helps explain a more inclusive opening. I think if this book had focused more exclusively on the Dalton Gang (already hard enough to keep track of with over eleven members coming and going) and how the shootout in Coffeyville caused an older brother Bill to begin his own life of crime this book would have been easier to follow and feel like you're learning more about historical figures. Most people in this book come and go so quickly that they're a footnote without being a footnote (although some are also footnotes). A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another interesting literary picture of life in the Wild West from Tom Clavin. Lots of information here and lots of history and historical tales.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for an early reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you live in Coffeyville, Kansas, or plan to pass through Coffeyville, then this book might be interesting. It narrates the most newsworthy event ever to happen in Coffeyville, which is the attempted robbery of two banks simultaneously on October 5, 1892. This was a last-ditch attempt at a big score by a bunch of desperate men who felt the law breathing down their necks and hoped to steal enough money to flee the country. This episode is sufficiently interesting and well-documented that they form the raw material for 40-50 pages that are fast moving and fun to read, starting at the part of the book labeled "Act IV: The Shoot-Out".

The rest of the book is not poorly written but seems a little padded with information and characters not directly related to the main event.

It's sometimes difficult to keep these characters straight, especially when one disappears for a digressive chapter or two and reappears. I think the book could have used a "Cast of Characters" at the beginning, but if you are reading on a Kindle, as I did, you can remedy this shortcoming by highlighting new names as they appear, at least for the first 50 or so pages of the book.

There were, I felt, some unnecessary sarcastic remarks, which didn't add anything to the narrative. For example,
"Just as they hoped to do, the member of the Dalton Gang vanished into the night, with perhaps even their horses feeling proud of themselves."

Things like this should have been removed by an editor.

The author continues his series of books on the history of the west. This one is based on the history of the Dalton Gang although the title indicates that it is just the final days. As with his other books, this one is well researches and written making it an engaging and fairly fast read.

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.