BILLY THE KID: THE WAR FOR LINCOLN COUNTY - Ryan C. Coleman

I have to admit that I chose and started to read this book because I thought it was going to be a non-fiction book about Billy the Kid - an infamous outlaw about whom I know very little. I also know there's been a trend of non-fiction books that push the boundaries of non-fiction, giving dialog and intentions to historical figures without really knowing what was said, or why. For the first few pages, this is what I thought I had. 

This book isn't non-fiction, but it's not quite a fiction novel, either.  Author Ryan C. Coleman has a strong interest in the history of William Bonney (aka Billy The Kid) and, as he writes in his Author's Notes, "Everyone knows how Billy the Kid's legendary story ends. Here is how it began." It's fiction ... following all of the facts we can find, Coleman tells Bonney's story as if he were a character he'd created.

Coleman is clearly sympathetic to Bonney, playing him up as a victim of circumstance and, at heart, a young man of good moral fiber. Again he writes, in his Author's Notes: "Everyone arrives at a crossroads at some point, where a life-altering decision must be made." That point came for Bonney, he notes, when he was first arrested, at age fifteen, doing something for a friend. Other circumstances, such as his mother's death and his father's not wanting anything to do with him, added to Billy's crossroads moment.

For those interested in following Billy the Kid's path, from childhood to what we suspect is his end, then this is probably the most definitive account out there. But anyone wanting to read a western adventure might just find the book to be a little slow, providing more detail than necessary for a fiction story. Because of this, I find it difficult to rate. As a western adventure, it's probably a three. As a non-fiction biography, or historical fiction, perhaps a four. For this reason I'll post a rating between the two.

Looking for a good book? Billy the Kid: The War for Lincoln County by Ryan C. Coleman is a fictional account of the life of Billy the Kid, based on as much historical evidence as the author could find. 

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

3-1/2 stars

* * * * * *

Billy the Kid: The War for Lincoln County

author: Ryan C. Coleman

publisher: Blackstone Publishing Inc

ISBN: 9781094102702

hardcover, 336 pages

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