Reviews
Well researched, extremely well written, thorough--a fine tribute to one of the greatest lawmen of the twentieth century., An outstanding collection of true 'Wild West' stories told in a most engaging manner. - Booklist on Gold Dust and Gunsmoke "A colorful new biography." - Los Angeles Times on Bandido "A significant contribution to the study of the multicultured West." - Library Journal on Lawman "A tour de force... Bandido is a comprehensive biography of the legendary outlaw that strips away the myths surrounding Vasquez. With this book, Boessenecker has reaffirmed his place as one of the Best of the West." - True West Magazine, " Texas Ranger should be required reading for students of Ranger history. John Boessenecker follows the career of legendary Texas Ranger Frank Hamer from the horseback days of the Old West through battles with bootleggers and gangsters in the 1930s. The level of original research here is apparent and Boessenecker leaves no stone unturned in his sleuthing of Hamer's past and his 52 gun battles. This is an action-packed story that does not read like a traditional biography." -- Stephen L. Moore, author of Texas Rising: The Epic True Story of the Lone Star Republic and the Rise of the Texas Rangers, 1836-1846 "Well researched, extremely well written, thorough--a fine tribute to one of the greatest lawmen of the twentieth century." -- Robert M. Utley, author of Lone Star Justice: The First Century of the Texas Rangers "Exhaustively researched and action-packed, John Boessenecker's rendering of an extraordinary lawman's life will thrill casual readers and enlighten fellow historians about the winding paths to justice in the United States. In Texas Ranger , Frank Hamer emerges as a principled, fallible man who strove to do the right thing under the most trying circumstances." -- Scott Zesch, author of The Captured: A True Story of Abduction by Indians on the Texas Frontier, winner of the TCU Texas Book Award "A compelling and dramatic biography of a Texas lawman in a era when laws were ignored and outlaws pretty much ruled. With its rich you-are-there-detail, Texas Ranger takes you on a trip into the past. Brace yourself for a white-knuckle ride. This is story telling at its best." --Margaret Coel, author of The Man Who Fell From the Sky, Exhaustively researched and action-packed, John Boessenecker's rendering of an extraordinary lawman's life will thrill casual readers and enlighten fellow historians about the winding paths to justice in the United States. In Texas Ranger , Frank Hamer emerges as a principled, fallible man who strove to do the right thing under the most trying circumstances., " Texas Ranger should be required reading for students of Ranger history. John Boessenecker follows the career of legendary Texas Ranger Frank Hamer from the horseback days of the Old West through battles with bootleggers and gangsters in the 1930s. The level of original research here is apparent and Boessenecker leaves no stone unturned in his sleuthing of Hamer's past and his 52 gun battles. This is an action-packed story that does not read like a traditional biography." -- Stephen L. Moore, author of Texas Rising: The Epic True Story of the Lone Star Republic and the Rise of the Texas Rangers, 1836-1846 "Well researched, extremely well written, thorough--a fine tribute to one of the greatest lawmen of the twentieth century." -- Robert M. Utley, author of Lone Star Justice: The First Century of the Texas Rangers "Exhaustively researched and action-packed, John Boessenecker's rendering of an extraordinary lawman's life will thrill casual readers and enlighten fellow historians about the winding paths to justice in the United States. In Texas Ranger , Frank Hamer emerges as a principled, fallible man who strove to do the right thing under the most trying circumstances." -- Scott Zesch, author of The Captured: A True Story of Abduction by Indians on the Texas Frontier, winner of the TCU Texas Book Award "Frank Hamer, last of the old breed of Texas Rangers, has not fared well in history or popular culture. John Boessenecker now restores this incredible ranger to his proper place alongside such fabled lawmen as Wyatt Earp and Eliot Ness. Here is a grand adventure story, told with grace and authority by a master historian of American law enforcement. Frank Hamer can rest easy as readers will finally learn the truth behind his amazing career--spanning the end of the Wild West through the bloody days of the gangsters." --Paul Andrew Hutton, author of The Apache Wars . "A compelling and dramatic biography of a Texas lawman in a era when laws were ignored and outlaws pretty much ruled. With its rich you-are-there-detail, Texas Ranger takes you on a trip into the past. Brace yourself for a white-knuckle ride. This is story telling at its best." --Margaret Coel, author of The Man Who Fell From the Sky, Texas Ranger should be required reading for students of Ranger history. John Boessenecker follows the career of legendary Texas Ranger Frank Hamer from the horseback days of the Old West through battles with bootleggers and gangsters in the 1930s. The level of original research here is apparent and Boessenecker leaves no stone unturned in his sleuthing of Hamer's past and his 52 gun battles. This is an action-packed story that does not read like a traditional biography., " Texas Ranger should be required reading for students of Ranger history. John Boessenecker follows the career of legendary Texas Ranger Frank Hamer from the horseback days of the Old West through battles with bootleggers and gangsters in the 1930s. The level of original research here is apparent and Boessenecker leaves no stone unturned in his sleuthing of Hamer's past and his 52 gun battles. This is an action-packed story that does not read like a traditional biography." -- Stephen L. Moore, author of Texas Rising: The Epic True Story of the Lone Star Republic and the Rise of the Texas Rangers, 1836-1846 "Early on in this fine biography, author John Boessenecker makes the bold claim that Frank Hamer was the greatest American lawman of the 20th Century. Then, much like the man about whom he's writing, Boessenecker proceeds to back up what he says. Writing in clear, fast-moving prose and bolstered by meticulous research, Boessenecker tells the story of Frank Hamer's life and reveals that there was much more to it than simply being the man who tracked down Bonnie and Clyde. As a Texas Ranger, city marshal, range detective, special investigator, and other law enforcement positions, Hamer battled bandits, lynch mobs, revolutionaries, gunrunners, bootleggers, gangsters, and crooked politicians. Boessenecker spins this epic tale with great skill and without neglecting Hamer's mistakes and shortcomings, so that Texas Ranger is a fully realized portrait of a complex but admirable man. This is a compelling, long overdue biography of an important figure in the history of Texas and the Southwest." -- James Reasoner, author of Outlaw Ranger and winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award from Western Fictioneers "Well researched, extremely well written, thorough--a fine tribute to one of the greatest lawmen of the twentieth century." -- Robert M. Utley, author of Lone Star Justice: The First Century of the Texas Rangers "Exhaustively researched and action-packed, John Boessenecker's rendering of an extraordinary lawman's life will thrill casual readers and enlighten fellow historians about the winding paths to justice in the United States. In Texas Ranger , Frank Hamer emerges as a principled, fallible man who strove to do the right thing under the most trying circumstances." -- Scott Zesch, author of The Captured: A True Story of Abduction by Indians on the Texas Frontier, winner of the TCU Texas Book Award "Frank Hamer, last of the old breed of Texas Rangers, has not fared well in history or popular culture. John Boessenecker now restores this incredible ranger to his proper place alongside such fabled lawmen as Wyatt Earp and Eliot Ness. Here is a grand adventure story, told with grace and authority by a master historian of American law enforcement. Frank Hamer can rest easy as readers will finally learn the truth behind his amazing career--spanning the end of the Wild West through the bloody days of the gangsters." --Paul Andrew Hutton, author of The Apache Wars . "A compelling and dramatic biography of a Texas lawman in a era when laws were ignored and outlaws pretty much ruled. With its rich you-are-there-detail, Texas Ranger takes you on a trip into the past. Brace yourself for a white-knuckle ride. This is story telling at its best." --Margaret Coel, author of The Man Who Fell From the Sky, " Texas Ranger should be required reading for students of Ranger history. John Boessenecker follows the career of legendary Texas Ranger Frank Hamer from the horseback days of the Old West through battles with bootleggers and gangsters in the 1930s. The level of original research here is apparent and Boessenecker leaves no stone unturned in his sleuthing of Hamer's past and his 52 gun battles. This is an action-packed story that does not read like a traditional biography." -- Stephen L. Moore, author of Texas Rising: The Epic True Story of the Lone Star Republic and the Rise of the Texas Rangers, 1836-1846 "Early on in this fine biography, author John Boessenecker makes the bold claim that Frank Hamer was the greatest American lawman of the 20th Century. Then, much like the man about whom he's writing, Boessenecker proceeds to back up what he says. Writing in clear, fast-moving prose and bolstered by meticulous research, Boessenecker tells the story of Frank Hamer's life and reveals that there was much more to it than simply being the man who tracked down Bonnie and Clyde. As a Texas Ranger, city marshal, range detective, special investigator, and other law enforcement positions, Hamer battled bandits, lynch mobs, revolutionaries, gunrunners, bootleggers, gangsters, and crooked politicians. Boessenecker spins this epic tale with great skill and without neglecting Hamer's mistakes and shortcomings, so that Texas Ranger is a fully realized portrait of a complex but admirable man. This is a compelling, long overdue biography of an important figure in the history of Texas and the Southwest." -- James Reasoner, author of Outlaw Ranger and winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award from Western Fictioneers "Well researched, extremely well written, thorough--a fine tribute to one of the greatest lawmen of the twentieth century." -- Robert M. Utley, author of Lone Star Justice: The First Century of the Texas Rangers "Exhaustively researched and action-packed, John Boessenecker's rendering of an extraordinary lawman's life will thrill casual readers and enlighten fellow historians about the winding paths to justice in the United States. In Texas Ranger , Frank Hamer emerges as a principled, fallible man who strove to do the right thing under the most trying circumstances." -- Scott Zesch, author of The Captured: A True Story of Abduction by Indians on the Texas Frontier, winner of the TCU Texas Book Award "Frank Hamer, last of the old breed of Texas Rangers, has not fared well in history or popular culture. John Boessenecker now restores this incredible ranger to his proper place alongside such fabled lawmen as Wyatt Earp and Eliot Ness. Here is a grand adventure story, told with grace and authority by a master historian of American law enforcement. Frank Hamer can rest easy as readers will finally learn the truth behind his amazing career--spanning the end of the Wild West through the bloody days of the gangsters." --Paul Andrew Hutton, author of The Apache Wars . "A compelling and dramatic biography of a Texas lawman in a era when laws were ignored and outlaws pretty much ruled. With its rich you-are-there-detail, Texas Ranger takes you on a trip into the past. Brace yourself for a white-knuckle ride. This is story telling at its best." --Margaret Coel, author of The Man Who Fell From the Sky "The definitive biography of one of America's greatest lawmen. Impressively researched; a whole posse of historians couldn't corral the ins and outs of Frank Hamer's fascinating life as well as John Boessenecker has done with this must-read book."--Mark Lee Gardner, author of To Hell on a Fast Horse: The Untold Story of Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett
