A truly enjoyable fiction book for fans of westerns, outlaws, and true crime. The writing style is a bit old fashioned, but the story itself is captivating and worth a read. Old timey, dusty noir at its finest.

A Bad and Dangerous Man by Brett Lovell is truth based fiction. As I understand it (and I could be wrong), the whole thing is based on an actual shootout that occurred in a courthouse in Virginia in the early 1900s. The framework of this book is built around that true life incident and incorporates the names of many of those involved, some actual events, and a great deal of local folklore the author first heard as a child growing up in the general area. The characters are essentially fictional versions of real people and the overall narrative is either fiction or, at the very least, unverified as no one really knows for certain what private conversations and exact interactions occurred between these people over a hundred years ago.

It's an interesting read but it took a few chapters for me to really "get into" this book. At first the dialogue comes off as a little stilted and overly formal, resulting in characters that don't seem quite fully formed. Once I got into the rhythm of the story I realized that it was done purposely to stay true to the more mannered ways of the era. Thus, the sudden moments of violence are more shocking (though not what I would call exceptionally graphic). Once I got going and submitted myself to the experience the whole thing became much more alive and *real* - I had to know what was going to happen next!

A Bad and Dangerous Man ends up being something of a mashup of historical fiction and neo-noir. When it's all over nobody really wins but the reader. It seems strange to say, but I enjoyed it.

This is not my usual genre but the synopsis sounded interesting so I gave it a try, and I’m so glad I did. When Wesley Edwards innocently kisses a young girl at a corn shucking event, he ignites old feuds and finds himself in trouble with some very bad dudes.

The events that took place in 1912, in a courtroom in Virginia, are real, however, the story is fictionalized. While redemption is realized in the end, it is ultimately about bloodshed and vengeance between old enemies.

I love the atmospheric feel of the Appalachian mountains of Virginia and the old time outlaws and moonshiners. In fact, this would be a great movie. I recommend this great debut novel and give it 4 stars. Thank you, NetGalley and Shotgun Honey Books for the advanced copy. This hits the shelves on December 8, 2023.