This first novel weaves historical fact and legend in order the chronicle the life of John Wesley Hardin (1853-95), the most famous man-killer in Texas history. He came to personify the lawlessness of the West. The story is told through the voices of 50 people who knew him: kinfolks, lawmen, bartenders, prostitutes, friends and enemies. Some encounters are brief, some extended, but every monologue offers an opinion as to the true character of the legendary gunfighter. The result is a series of vignettes, each revealing a period of Hardin's life. James Carlos Blake is the author of The Friends of Pancho Villa.