TheNew York Times bestselling and first full-length biography of Frank Hamer, whose extraordinary career as a Texas Ranger made him one of the West's most legendary lawmen.
To most Americans, Frank Hamer is known only as the "villain" of the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde. Now, inTexas Ranger, historian John Boessenecker sets out to restore Hamer's good name and prove that he was, in fact, a classic American hero.
From the horseback days of the Old West through the gangster days of the 1930s, Hamer stood on the frontlines of some of the most important and exciting periods in American history. He participated in the Bandit War of 1915, survived the climactic gunfight in the last blood feud of the Old West, battled the Mexican Revolution's spillover across the border, protected African Americans from lynch mobs and the Ku Klux Klan, and ran down gangsters, bootleggers, and Communists. When at last his career came to an end, it was only when he ran up against another legendary Texan: Lyndon B. Johnson.
Written by one of the most acclaimed historians of the Old West, Texas Ranger is the first biography to tell the full story of this near-mythic lawman.
Publisher: Macmillan
Original Binding: Trade Paperback
Pages: 528 pages
ISBN-10: 1250131596
Item Weight: 1.0 lbs
Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.4 x 8.2 inches
Customer Reviews: 4 out of 5 stars 501 to 1,000 ratings
"In terms of sheer action and violence, from close-quarters gunfights to Mexican-border ambushes to face-offs with lynch mobs, I'm hard-pressed to think of [a biography of an American lawman and detective] that rivals John Boessenecker's excellent Texas Ranger...a notable achievement." --Wall Street Journal "Fair-minded and thorough." --The New York Times Book Review "A fascinating look into the epic life of one of the greatest American lawmen of the 20th century." --San Antonio Express-News
JOHN BOESSENECKER, a San Francisco trial lawyer and former police officer, is considered one of the leading authorities on crime and law enforcement in the Old West. He is the award-winning author of eight books, including Bandido: The Life and Times of Tiburcio Vasquez. In 2011 and 2013, True West magazine named Boessenecker Best Nonfiction Writer. He has appeared frequently as a historical commentator on PBS, The History Channel, A&E, and other networks.
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