By J. Lee Butts
Berkley - November 2001
ISBN: 0425182185 - Mass Market Paperback
Fiction / Western
- Violence

Reviewed by: Beverly J. Rowe, MyShelf.Com
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Hayden Tilden was an 18-year-old farm boy when he was wounded and his parents and sister killed by the outlaw gang of "Saginaw" Bob Magruder. The notorious outlaw was dressed like a preacher and carried his gun in a bible that had the pages carved out to hold the gun. Young Tilden swore vengeance on Magruder.

"Hanging Judge" Isaac Parker hired Hayden as a Marshal to go into the Indian Territories to apprehend wanted men. Parker preferred that he bring them back to court, but if that wasn't possible, the dead outlaw's handprint on the back of his warrant would be sufficient to give Hayden the reward money - he was a cross between law enforcer and hired assassin. This arrangement would work out well with his personal vendetta.

The story is told from the viewpoint of Hayden Tilden, as an "old gomer, rubbing up against 90 years old." He is living in the Rolling Hills rest home and tells his story to a reporter that wants to write up his life story and get to the truth behind the legend. There is plenty of fast western action as the book jumps between reminiscing to the reporter and the progress of the story with its pursuit and encounters between lawmen and outlaws.

J. Lee Butts has written a very impressive, hard-to-put-down first novel, with accurate history, an exceptional plot and believable characters, including historical lawmen Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp and outlaws like John Wesley Hardin. There is just the right touch of romance, showing that Tilden was not only tough, but also sensitive and vulnerable.

The Lawdog's voice is unique. Butts has a way with words that will captivate you and leave you wanting more. He's witty and funny and leaves you feeling that you have just been told a great story by a good friend. I'm just sure that there are more tales to be told by the "Lawdog," since he is still young when this story ends, and I am looking forward to Butts' next book. He has written two nonfiction books about the West that look very interesting. Texas Bad Boys: Gamblers, Gunfighters, and Grifters, and Texas Bad Girls: Hussies, Harlots, and Horse Thieves.