Ride your way through history in this thrilling bandit adventure!

Bandit Heaven takes you through the hideouts, major players, and the build-up of the west. Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, Kid Curry, and Black Jack are just a few that are featured. From religious movements moving west, to the train and bank robberies, the American West holds a romantic view. The reality was anything but. Bloodshed, lawmen, and cowboys roamed the open range, looking for work, getting into altercations, and defining our view of the cowboy and rancher in history. However, we are also going to see the rise of the Pinkertons in the west, and the search for the holdouts who were unwilling to give up their criminal ways. From homesteads to hideouts, join the ride into history.

I could not put this book down! I devoured this book in one during one sitting. Tom Clavin has created a work that not only brings the American West into focus, but humanizes the outlaws and those were involved in their daily lives. The creation of the hideouts, known locations that these men could meld into, and wait out some of the heat, was pretty interesting. I knew about one, but had not heard of some of the other locations.

Getting the background on some movements, such as the Mormons and how they fit into the story, was enlightening. It helps to fit some pieces of the puzzle for those who are not familiar with this history.

While we hold a very romantic view of the west, and the cowboy, the true stories and struggles of those who forged, lived, and died are compelling. Add in our bandits, and the west booms to life, leaving death behind them.

Absolutely a great read, and one that is going to be at the top of my list for this year! I cannot recommend this book enough!