Valley of Fire

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Authors: Johnny D. Boggs

BOOK: Valley of Fire
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R
AVES
FOR
J
OHNNY
D. B
OGGS
The Despoilers
“Boggs' historical asides are aided by a narrative style that drives the story along full gallop.”
—
True West
“Boggs has once more written a humdinger of a book with wonderful characters, even the villains.
The Despoilers
tears at one's heart, which is what really good fiction should do.”
—
Roundup
 
“Johnny D. Boggs tells a crisply powerful story that rings true more than two centuries after the bloody business was done.”
—
The Post and Courier
(Charleston, SC)
 
The Lonesome Chisholm Trail
 
“Boggs is among the best western writers at work today. He writes with depth, flavor, and color, all of which are evident in this rite-of-passage tale . . . Boggs tells the familiar story with authenticity and power.”
—
Booklist
 
“Realistic dialogue, a little humor to lighten up the dramatic tension, a strong plot, and a sense of place that leaves one sneezing from the dust makes for one of Boggs's best novels.”
—
Roundup
Ten and Me
“Informed by accurate detail in almost every regard . . . Boggs's narrative voice captures the old-fashioned style of the past and reminds a reader of the derring-do of western legends of yesteryear.”
—
Publishers Weekly
 
“This is an entertaining western in the classic mold. The characters possess enough human frailty to be believable, the author includes interesting stuff on the weaponry of the times, and there is enough gunplay to satisfy genre purists.”
—
Booklist
 
Once They Wore the Gray
“Another dramatic story by a finalist for the Spur award of Western Writers of America.”
—
Amarillo Globe-News
 
“Well worth reading, especially as it treats . . . an aspect of the Civil War that is often slighted in the history books.”
—
The Shootist
Hannah and the Horseman
“I think Johnny D. Boggs is well on his way to being a major western writer.”
—
The Shootist
 
“This book displays an admirable sense of percolating pace and point-blank prose.”
—
The Post and Courier
(Charleston, SC)
 
“Johnny D. Boggs moves his narrative at a lively clip, and it never turns mawkish.”
—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
 
This Man Colter
 
“Humor, action, and a wonderful character in Gwen McCarthy make this a delightful read.”
—
Roundup
 
“If you're into the true wild west, you will enjoy this rugged tale set in west Texas.”
—
Rendezvous
 
Foundation of the Law
 
“As is to be expected with a Johnny Boggs novel,
Foundation of the Law
is full of those authentic historical details that make his stories so rich and believable.”
—
The Shootist
 
Law of the Land
 
“Making bad guys into sympathetic characters is not the easiest feat but Boggs succeeds.”
—Southwest BookViews
 
“It is an engrossing story, and is told with Boggs' meticulous attention to authentic detail and believable characterizations. If his characters, including the Kid, don't look like, sound like, and behave like Boggs describes them, they should have.”
—
The Shootist
 
“Boggs' unique approach to the Lincoln County War's legal skirmishing is both eye-opening and memorable.”
—
True West
 
The Big Fifty
 
“While I was reading
The Big Fifty
sometimes I would forget ‘my favorite son' had written it.”
—Jackie Boggs, Johnny's mother
 
“Johnny D. Boggs has a keen ability to interlace historically accurate information amid a cast of well-described characters and circumstances.”
—
Cowboy Chronicle
 
“A fine novel that will leave you with the taste of grit in your mouth, and the smell of spoiled buffalo carcasses in your nose.”
—
Roundup
 
Spark on the Prairie
 
“Brilliant.”
—
Roundup
 
“Stunning.”
—
Persimmon Hill
 
“This . . . continues a long-needed look at those who brought law and order to the frontier—not with six-guns but with law books.”
—
True West
 
“A finely crafted historical novel with fully developed characters playing out their lives against the backdrop of early Texas settlement.”
—
American Cowboy
 
East of the Border
 
“This is an amusing glimpse at a decidedly different side of some of the Old West's most famous names.”
—
The Denver Post
 
“We need more books like
East of the Border
.”
—
Roundup
 
“
East .of the Border
is a fun, lighthearted look at the thespian deep within every cowboy.”
—
True West
 
“Boggs takes the historical facts . . . and gives us a fascinating tale of West meets East.”
—
The Shootist
 
Dark Voyage of the Mittie Stephens
 
“Delightful entertainment, which combines elements of the traditional western with an Orient Express–style whodunit and a
Titanic
-like romance.”
—
Booklist
 
“Based on a real disaster aboard the
Mittie Stephens
, this novel supplies suspense, a love story, betrayal, loyalty, bravery, and deceit wrapped up in a tight plot supported by wonderful, three-dimensional characters and a sense of place that evokes the smell of burning cotton bales and the screams of terrified passengers.”
—
Roundup
 
Purgatoire
 
“Spur Award–winner Boggs takes a common western plot—old gunslinger looking for redemption—and injects it with genuine humanity. Solid fare from a reliable genre veteran.”
—
Booklist
 
“Boggs is unparalleled in evoking the gritty reality of the Old West, whether it's the three-dimensionality of the characters or the look, sound and smell of the muddy streets and smoke-filled saloons.”
—
The Shootist
 
“Johnny D. Boggs deftly charts the dual resurrection of a dying Colorado town and a perishing breed of man.”
—
True West
 
Northfield
 
“Lively and entertaining . . . a vibrant retelling of the Old West's most notorious and deadly bank robbery.”
—
Publishers Weekly
 
“A fast-moving and strangely poignant tale that never pauses to rest.”
—
The Denver Post
 
“This book stands head and shoulders above others of its kind.”
—
Roundup
 
“The kaleidoscopic effect pays handsome rewards, fueling the action from all vantage points in concise, frenetic bursts that might even leave you feeling a mite poorly for those doomed outlaws.”
—
Booklist
 
Camp Ford
 
“Boggs' carefully researched novel boasts meticulously drawn characters and captures in a striking way the amazing changes America underwent during the span of one man's life. An unusual, very rich western that should attract not only genre readers but also baseball fans and Civil War buffs.”
—
Booklist
 
“As baseball stories go,
Camp Ford
by Johnny D. Boggs is a home run . . . Think
The Longest Yard
. . . about baseball and without the glamour . . . Timeless.”
—
USA Today Sports Weekly
Killstraight
 
“It takes a skilled author like Johnny D. Boggs to drive the genre into new literary railheads, as he does in his novel
Killstraight
.”
—
Tucson Weekly
 
Doubtful Cañon
 
“Boggs's quirky western doesn't take itself too seriously, making this a fanciful and fun ride into some dangerous business.”
—
Publishers Weekly
 
“Boggs delivers a colorful, clever and arresting tale.”
—
Santa Fe New Mexican
 
“Uses its non-serious side to appeal to younger readers . . . well-flavored tale.”
—
The Tombstone Epitaph
 
Walk Proud, Stand Tall
 
“The author's deft hand at characterization and the subtle way he fills in the blanks as the story progresses makes
Walk Proud, Stand Tall
a tender story hard to resist.”
—
The Denver Post
 
“Boggs deftly balances the bitter and the sweet, the harsh landscapes and the humanity. That he manages it entertainingly is our reward.”
—
Santa Fe New Mexican
 
The Hart Brand
 
“Though an ocean away,
Kidnapped
and
Treasure Island
come to mind when reading this Western; Boggs' tale nearly matches the quality of those written by Stevenson.”
—
True West
 
“Some consider William Dale Jennings'
The Cowboys
the best Western coming-of-age novel. Others would argue it's
All the Pretty Horses
by Cormac McCarthy or
When the Legends Die
by Hal Borland. With
The Hart Brand
, Boggs stakes his own firm claim.”
—
Santa Fe New Mexican
 
“Boggs, who writes with a finely honed sense of character and a keen eye for detail, combines historical fact with fiction to create a Revolutionary adventure from the vantage point of an average participant.”
—
Booklist
 
“Johnny Boggs has produced another instant page-turner . . . don't put down the book until you finish it.”
—Tony Hillerman
 
“The relationships and setting shine: Daniel—striving at once to solve the case and reconnect with Comanche ways—is a complex, winning protagonist.”
—Publishers Weekly
 
“A rousing story with an emotional and philosophical depth that will surprise readers who don't expect complexity from a Western.... Explores the clash between white and native cultures . . . fundamentally different and strikingly similar.”
—
Booklist
 
Soldier's Farewell
 
“This is not a simple Western . . . Boggs' familiarity with the landscape . . . puts the reader right into New Mexico and particularly through the rugged landscape along the Río Chama. And while this may seem to be a fairly traditional Western, the conclusion is anything but. Another good read.”—
The Roundup
 
“Boggs . . . showcases his talent for period detail, atmosphere, complex characters, and the ability to evoke a stark landscape.”
—
Booklist
 
“Ultimately,
Soldier's Farewell
is a tale of two brothers falling far short of what their father expects of them, and what they expect of each other. This is another fine novel by one of today's better writers of Westerns.”
—
Tucson Weekly

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