Bandit Heaven: the true story of the infamous hangout of the Wild West

Bandit Heaven: The Hole-in-the-Wall Gang and the Final Chapter of the Wild West by Tom Clavin is a thrilling true story of an infamous hangout for bandits, thieves and murderers of the Wild West and the lawmen who pursued them. Known collectively as “Bandit Heaven,” Robbers Roost, Brown’s Hole and Hole in the Wall were remote locations in Wyoming and Utah that harbored the dangerous men of the 1880s and 1890s. The most famous of these bandits were the gregarious Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the silent sidekick. Everyone knows the famous 1969 film starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, but who were the real Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid? As many outlaws of the time would be dead by the turn of the 20th century, only Cassidy and Sundance escaped to meet their infamous end in South America. 

Whenever I see Tom Clavin’s name on a book cover, I know it will be a detailed and engaging historical account of a time and place long forgotten and even romanticized through Hollywood. The actual Wild West only lasted approximately 30 years; however, it is a time most talked about and fantasized about especially in literature and on the big screen. Cowboys on the range and the outlaws who terrorized it. Bandit Heaven is a thrilling read, opening with a terrifying train robbery, then taking readers back in time to set up the characters. Where did these men come from? What brought them on the path of infamy? And who were the men who pursued them? Bandit Heaven is filled with action that will pull readers in and learn fact from fiction and legends. I highly, highly recommend Bandit Heaven. 

Bandit Heaven: The Hole-in-the-Wall Gang and the Final Chapter of the Wild West 

is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

The Lost Girls of Willowbrook: a mix of fact, fiction and an urban legend

The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman is a story that mixes fact, fiction and an urban legend about the Willowbrook State School, a real-life institution. 1971, sixteen year old Sage Winters is on a mission. She was told her twin sister, Rosemary, died from pneumonia six years ago, only to discover that she was committed to the Willowbrook State School and was there until a few days ago when Rosemary suddenly went missing. Sage now wants answers. Rumors and urban legends surround the school that many people stayed clear but Sage ignores them all. A series of events leads her to be mistaken for the missing Rosemary, Sage finds herself locked inside the ward and about to learn the horrendous secrets within the walls of Willowbrook. Will she be able to escape? Will she find Rosemary alive? 

The Lost Girls of Willowbrook has been widely recommended and praised. I was intrigued by a story featuring a real time institution when such institutions were known for horrible treatments of patients. Unfortunately, that intrigue quickly faded as I started the book. The first chapter threw a bunch of information at the reader and I was trying to keep everything straight and Sage wasn’t even at the school yet. I commend Ms Wiseman for bringing this story to light. Before this book, I hadn’t heard of Willowbrook and did a bit more research. Overall, I did not enjoy this story. There was too much internal rambling by Sage. The addition of Cropsey, a real life serial killer in the Willowbrook area, didn’t quite fit in. Unfortunately, The Lost Girls of Willowbrook wasn’t sure if it wanted to be a historical fiction or a thriller. 

The Lost Girls of Willowbrook is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

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