Red Lands Outlaw: the Ballad of Henry Starr

It's easy to imagine Outlaw Henry Starr, a true old-fashion American bad man plying his trade among the unsuspecting trains and banks of the early Oklahoma Territory, New Mexico, and Colorado. And even though he sported the big caliber Colt 44 Peacemaker, Starr always announced his presence, kindly asked the folks he was robbing to please turn over their money and valuables then thanked them for their trouble, never taking the life of an innocent citizen. Henry Starr claimed he had robbed more banks than both the James-Younger Gang and the Doolin-Dalton Gang put together. He started robbing banks on horseback in 1893 and ended up robbing his last in a car in 1921. He was the first bank robber to use an automobile in a bank robbery.Phil Truman's masterful portrayal of Henry Starr left me with mixed emotions. I couldn't decide if Starr was a good man with a bad heart or a bad man with a good heart. He was plagued from early life with the idea that it was easier to steal than to work for a living, but later in life after spending many years in prison, he decided to teach kids that crime doesn't pay. His addiction to robbing banks cost him two wives, two children, a successful business, and many years on the run from the law. And just when it looked like he was getting his life straightened out, the addiction in his blood overpowered him again and led him back into a life of crime and eventually to death.Red Lands Outlaw - The Ballad of Henry Starr is a mixed bag of love and hate, hurt and healing, happy and sad. It is a fast-paced spaghetti western in the vein of Two Mules for Sister Sarah and A Fist Full of Dollars. It is apparent that Truman did his homework and set this book in authentic Oklahoma towns and territorial locations. His characters are believable, drawing the reader into the story. His use of historical western figures such as Quanah Parker and Lawman Bill Tilghman bring the story to life without distracting from the main plot of the book. There's a slow spot or two, and the timelines run a little thin at points, but that's not unexpected when creating fiction around history.This book isn't an epic adventure like Lonesome Dove, but it's not intended to be. It's just a good romp across the Oklahoma Territory sharing the saddle of a true western icon. So if you've got a Kindle or Nook reader, $2.99, and a free afternoon, buy this book, sit back, pour yourself a cold one, and enjoy a good book. You won't regret it.Jim LaughterAuthor, Polar City RedAlso look at Phil Truman's  GAME: an American Novel about Small Town Football

From 1893 to 1921, real life bandit Henry Starr spent most of his life robbing banks (and occasional other businesses and railroads). Always a gentleman, he always let the people in the banks know who he was (he took pride in his work) and told them if they cooperated no one would get hurt.This leisurely western gives us a look at Oklahoma Territory and the Indian Nations. True life and fictionalized details are combined to make for a detailed tale about Henry's life and times. In this, he meets a number of famous people, from Qanah Parker, to Bill Tillghman, to hanging Judge Parker.The people are the real story here, living in the final days of the old west when some people, like Henry Starr, didn't want the old days to end.For Henry, the end was inevitable.

Author Phil Truman provides no glib cause for the nonchalant amorality that led outlaw Henry Starr to rob more banks than perhaps any other person in American history. Starr did so because he could, no more and no less. This truth from Truman's historical novel is both the book's gift and mystery. In the end, mixed-blood Cherokee Starr dies from a shot in the back in a failed Arkansas bank robbery.Truman's prose is flawless and he is a good storyteller. There is a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid feel to this novel which isn't a bad thing since Starr had a reputation for being a gentleman bank robber. Starr's extended prison stays are underplayed and the ending is compressed. I could have read much more of this story. Still, this is a fine addition to the canon of the fiction of the American West.

What an incredible protaganist to embrace! See the world through the eyes of a lovable outlaw, one that lives and loves with gusto and honesty. Henry Starr takes us across the plains, imparting historical tales, weaving love stories with bank robberies, meeting intriguing characters along the way. And when its over, you feel like you know a little more about this great land, and that you wish you knew a few more outlaws like Henry.One of the things I love about this author is his skill in putting me at ease. It's a lot like sitting by a fire, listening to my Grandpa tell fun stories about his life.

It was boring. Just the same story told over and over. I won't read any of this author again. I have always told people when you read your imagination takes over. But after just a few paragraphs you knew the rest of the plot.

Now, here's a story that struck me just right. We're talking the Old West, here, pardner, and we're listening to a bank robber as he makes all the wrong choices in his life, we're seeing him try to have a "normal" life; we're witness to his rises and falls, his failures and successes, and the unbridled chicanery of fate. It's a good read, and it was definitely worth my time.

This is a great historical novel. Phil Truman tells the story truly like it happened. Henry Star had a life filled with extremes. You can't help but like him. I don't think that he got a fair shake, but he made the most of it.

This an excellent book. Unlike the typical shoot-em-up Western novel, this one tells a compelling and realistic story. More a historical novel.Well done again, Mr. Truman!