Synopses & Reviews
New York Times-bestselling author of The Last Gunfight, Jeff Guinn turns his eye for evocative detail and history to a sweeping novel of the Old West, weaving a compelling tale of life in the Arizona Territory in 1872. Weve all got mistakes in our past wed rather forget.
Cash McLendon has always had an instinct for self-preservation, one that was honed by an impoverished childhood and life with an alcoholic father barely scraping by on the streets of Saint Louis in 1872. Hes always had a knack for finding and capitalizing on the slightest opportunities, choosing the path of financial security over happiness or real friends. He eventually builds himself up from a Saint Louis street urchin to the son-in-law and heir apparent to industrial mogul Rupert Douglass. Though it lacks passion, his life seems securely set: a wife, a career, property, standing.
But when tragedy strikes, all of his plans and his entire future dissolve in an instant. McLendons instinct for survival kicks in; he flees Saint Louis, and Douglas assigns his enforcer, an ominous skull-cracker with steel-toed boots, to track him down.
With nothing to lose, McLendon attempts to reconcile with an old flamea woman he was nearly engaged to but put aside in exchange for the life now in shambles. He heard through the grapevine that she and her father moved their dry-goods store out west, to a speck-on-the-map mining town named Glorious, in the Arizona Territory. There, McLendon tries to win her back, and in the process discovers a new way of life at the edge of the final American frontier. But he cant outrun his past forever. . . .
Review
Fantastic advance praise for GLORIOUS by Jeff Guinn
“Since he's already written about Wyatt Earp, Bonnie and Clyde, and Charles Manson (Manson), Jeff Guinn might as well create his own attractive bad boy. He's done so in this first-in-a-trilogy Western…. There's an interesting contemporary feel to this Western. City boy McLendon doesn't know how to ride or shoot or bust heads; what he knows how to do is observe, spy and think on his feet.” —U-A Press
“An affable bit of frontier mythmaking …. Readers may find by the end that, like Cash McLendon, theyve become inexplicably fond of Glorious and its colorful denizens.” —The Washington Post
“[Guinn] knows how to dig into the past…an absorbing, informative and entertaining tale of life, love, hope and ambition in the American West.” —Dallas Morning News
“A worthy addition to the western genre….Catnip for “Lonesome Dove” fans” —The Seattle Times
“Delightful...Wonderfully appealing. Glorious is an oldfashioned western with likable characters who, because Gunn projects a trilogy, will return shortly.”
—Booklist
“This first installment in a trilogy will delight historical fiction fans longing for the return of classic Westerns. This entertaining outing is sure to keep the saloon doors swinging for more entries in the genre.”
—Library Journal
“The Wild West comes alive in this novel of prospectors, desolate cavalry posts, rotgut saloons and Apache raiders.... The plot is classic...Good fun.” —Kirkus
“A trip to Glorious, Arizona, in Jeff Guinns new western novel is like a cool draft beer after a long, hot day on a dusty trail. Glorious is old-fashioned in the very best way: Its good-hearted, optimistic, compelling, comfortable, and extremely well-told. Its wonderful when an author clearly has affection for his characters, and readers will feel the same way.”
— C. J. Box, New York Times-bestselling author of The Highway and Stone Cold
“If, like me, youve been waiting for the next Louis LAmour or Zane Grey, the good news is his name is Jeff Guinn. His newest novel, Glorious, has all the elements of a fabulous western: compelling characters, breath-taking scenery, and something more—an unblinking take on the western frontier.”
—Craig Johnson, New York Times-bestselling author of the Walt Longmire mysteries, the basis of A&Es hit series Longmire
Praise for Jeff Guinn
“A gripping revisionist account of the famed 1881 showdown. . . . Exhaustively researched, stylishly written. . . . As grimly compelling as a Greek tragedy.” —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) on The Last Gunfight “Jeff Guinn took readers down the back roads of Louisiana in his book Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde. Hes back in The Last Gunfight, displaying the impeccable research that is his trademark. . . . Guinns story is what really happened. . . . A terrific read.”—USA TODAY on The Last Gunfight
“Jeff Guinn has come up with a new angle and approach to the events of that bloody day in Tombstone. Without that gunfight, Wyatt Earp would have never become a household name a hundred years later. Guinn delves into the myth and separates it from the facts. A terrific read about the Wests most famous lawman.”—Clive Cussler on The Last Gunfight
“Manson is not simply a biography of a killer and a cultist. It's a history of American culture from the Great Depression to the close of the 20th century. It's the dirty boogie in four-four time, a fascinating study of greed, mind control, celebriphilia, sex, narcotics, racism, and the misuse of power. I lived in South Los Angeles when many of the events in this book took place. No one has told the story as accurately as Jeff Guinn. It's the story of Nixon and Johnson, Martin Luther King, Vietnam, the SDS, the Black Panthers, the acid culture, and a nation coming apart at the seams. From the first page to the last, I could hardly put it down. Hang on, reader. This is a rip-roaring ride you won't forget.”—James Lee Burke on Manson "A striking, full-length portrait of one of American historys most notorious sociopaths. . . . Guinn takes readers on a head-spinning ride through Mansons deeply disturbed childhood, his criminal career and his brief tenure as satanic guru to the damaged disciples, mostly women, he held in thrall. . . . A compulsively readable account of a murderer who continues to fascinate."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) on Manson
Review
Praise for Glorious: “Glorious has all the elements of a fabulous western: compelling characters, breathtaking scenery, and something more—an unblinking take on the western frontier.” —Craig Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of the Walt Longmire mysteries, the basis of A&Es hit series Longmire
“Glorious is old-fashioned in the very best way: Its good-hearted, optimistic, compelling, comfortable, and extremely well told. Its wonderful when an author clearly has an affection for his characters, and readers will feel the same way.” —C. J. Box, New York Times bestselling author of The Highway and Stone Cold
“Ive long admired Jeff Guinns straight and unfiltered histories of the American icons such as Bonnie and Clyde and the Earps. I was thrilled to know hed be turning that eye for detail and incredible research to revive the western. Glorious is a blazing return of the American art form, bold, realistic, and a hell of a lot of fun.” —Ace Atkins, New York Times bestselling author of Robert B. Parkers Cheap Shot and The Forsaken
“[Guinn] knows how to dig into the past…An absorbing, informative, and entertaining tale of life, love, hope, and ambition in the American West.” —The Dallas Morning News
“An affable…bit of frontier mythmaking…Readers may find by the end that, like Cash McLendon, theyve become inexplicably fond of Glorious and its colorful denizens.” —The Washington Post
“A worthy addition to the western genre…Catnip for Lonesome Dove fans.” —The Seattle Times
Review
Praise for GLORIOUS “Delightful . . . Wonderfully appealing. Glorious is an old-fashioned western with likable characters who, because Guinn projects a trilogy, will return shortly.” —Booklist “[Guinn] knows how to dig into the past. . . . an absorbing, informative and entertaining tale of life, love, hope and ambition in the American West.” —The Dallas Morning News
Review
Fantastic Praise for Glorious
“An affable . . . bit of frontier mythmaking . . . readers may find by the end that, like Cash McLendon, theyve become inexplicably fond of Glorious and its colorful denizens.” —The Washington Post
“[Guinn] knows how to dig into the past . . . an absorbing, informative and entertaining tale of life, love, hope and ambition in the American West.” —The Dallas Morning News
“A worthy addition to the western genre . . . Catnip for Lonesome Dove fans.” —The Seattle Times
“Delightful . . . wonderfully appealing. Glorious is an old-fashioned western with likable characters who, because Gunn projects a trilogy, will return shortly.” —Booklist
“This first installment in a trilogy will delight historical fiction fans longing for the return of classic Westerns. This entertaining outing is sure to keep the saloon doors swinging for more entries in the genre.” —Library Journal
“The Wild West comes alive in this novel of prospectors, desolate cavalry posts, rotgut saloons and Apache raiders. . . . The plot is classic . . . good fun.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Since hes already written about Wyatt Earp, Bonnie and Clyde, and Charles Manson (Manson), Jeff Guinn might as well create his own attractive bad boy. Hes done so in this first-in-a-trilogy Western. . . . Theres an interesting contemporary feel to this Western. City boy McLendon doesnt know how to ride or shoot or bust heads; what he knows how to do is observe, spy and think on his feet.” —Tucson Weekly
“A trip to Glorious, Arizona, in Jeff Guinns new western novel is like a cool draft beer after a long, hot day on a dusty trail. Glorious is old-fashioned in the very best way: its good-hearted, optimistic, compelling, comfortable, and extremely well told. Its wonderful when an author clearly has affection for his characters, and readers will feel the same way.” —C. J. Box, New York Times-bestselling author of The Highway and Stone Cold
“If, like me, youve been waiting for the next Louis LAmour or Zane Grey, the good news is his name is Jeff Guinn. His newest novel, Glorious, has all the elements of a fabulous Western: compelling characters, breathtaking scenery, and something more—an unblinking take on the western frontier.”
—Craig Johnson, New York Times-bestselling author of the Walt Longmire mysteries
Synopsis
A sweeping novel of the Old West from the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Gunfight
Cash McLendon has always had an instinct for self-preservation, honed by an impoverished childhood with an alcoholic father on the streets of St. Louis. He eventually builds himself up to become the son-in-law and heir apparent to industrial mogul Rupert Douglass. But when tragedy strikes and his life falls apart, his instinct for survival kicks in and he flees St. Louis before Douglass and his enforcer can track him down.
With nothing to lose, McLendon decides to search out an old flame. Hes heard through the grapevine that Gabrielle and her father moved their dry goods store out west, to a speck-on-the-map mining town named Glorious, in Arizona Territory. There, as he tries to win her back, he discovers a new life and community. But he cant outrun his past forever
Synopsis
New York Timesbestselling author of The Last Gunfight Jeff Guinn once again brings the Old West to life in the grand follow-up to Glorious.
After barely escaping nemesis Killer Boots in the tiny Arizona Territory town of Glorious, Cash McLendon is in desperate need of a safe haven somewhereanywhereon the frontier.
Fleeing to Dodge City, he falls in with an intrepid band of buffalo hunters determined to head south to forbidden Indian Territory in the Texas Panhandle. In the company of such colorful Western legends as Bat Masterson and Billy Dixon, Cash helps establish a hunting camp known as Adobe Walls. When a massive migration of buffalo arrives, Cash, newly hopeful that he may yet patch things up with Gabrielle Tirrito back in Arizona, thinks his luck has finally changed.
But no good can come of entering the prohibited lands theyve crossed into. Little do Cash and his fellows know that their camp is targeted by a new coalition of the finest warriors among the Comanche, Cheyenne, and Kiowa. Led by fierce Comanche war chief Quanah and eerie tribal mystic Isatai, an enormous force of two thousand is about to descend on the camp and will mark one of the fiercest, bloodiest battles in frontier history.
Cash McLendon is in another fight for his lifeand this time running is not an option.
About the Author
Jeff Guinn is the bestselling author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction, including
Manson,
The Last Gunfight, and
Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde. A former books editor at the Fort Worth
Star-Telegram and an award-winning investigative journalist, Guinn is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters and the Texas Literary Hall of Fame. He lives in Fort Worth.