“We now have the much-needed coverage of Hispanic participation in the Billy the Kid, Lincoln County, and New Mexico story. No one previously has given us this kind of book. In the Days of Billy the Kid may be considered sui generis—one of a kind.”—Richard W. Etulain, author of Thunder in the West: The Life and Legends of Billy the Kid and Billy the Kid: A Reader's Guide

“Thoroughly researched, well-written, important, and entertaining—In the Days of Billy the Kid covers not only the Lincoln County War but also lesser-known events such as the Horrell War and los Gorras Blancas and their fight against the misuse of the Las Vegas Land Grant. The story takes us from New Mexico's early territorial days to the age of the automobile.”—Corey Recko, author of Murder on the White Sands: The Disappearance of Albert and Henry Fountain and The Colfax County War (both UNT Press)

“A masterpiece. In the Days of Billy the Kid is a tremendous contribution to New Mexico and American West history that frequently demonstrates original research by diving into previously unknown records. James B. Mills has gathered more significant material here than imaginable. He writes with authority about the lives and times of the Kid’s amigos José Chávez y Chávez, Juan Patrón, Martín Chávez, Yginio Salazar, and other Hispanic figures who have been sorely neglected in this fresh and explosive study that sets the bar higher than ever before.”—Chuck Parsons, author of The Sutton-Taylor Feud (UNT Press) and Clay Allison: Portrait of a Shootist

“James B. Mills, author of the groundbreaking biography, Billy the Kid: El Bandido Simpático, provides a riveting account of the Kid and the Lincoln County War through the eyes of Latinos in New Mexico. With colorful detail and exhaustive research, he re-creates the daily life of Latinos on the New Mexico frontier and focuses on four men who played prominent roles in those violent events: José Chávez y Chávez, Juan Patrón, Martín Chávez, and Yginio Salazar. Although their names are familiar to anyone interested in the Lincoln County War, Mills goes far beyond that and describes their later careers and exploits. Some saw violence, one saw prison bars, and another lived to meet Hollywood film stars Douglas Fairbanks and Johnny Mack Brown. In the Days of Billy the Kid is a fascinating read and an important contribution to the history of the Southwest.”—John Boessenecker, author of Bandido: The Life and Times of Tiburcio Vasquez