Billy The Kid: The War For Lincoln County DEALS
In the world of westerns and the history of the United States, many folks have at the very least heard of the infamous outlaw Billy the Kid. What many may not know, however, is the story of Henry McCarty, a young man who would become one of the most famous gunfighters of the Old West.
His story is the premise of Ryan C. Coleman’s debut novel Billy The Kid: The War for Lincoln County, published this October 15th of 2024. I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of Billy the Kid from Blackstone Publishing Inc. and was eager to explore the origins of a figure of such infamy and awe in American history and its literature.
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Who Was Billy The Kid?
Born in 1859, Henry McCarty experienced a difficult childhood. His father Patrick passed away when he and his younger brother Joseph were very young, and his mother Catherine died of tuberculosis when Henry was about 14. Having been abandoned by his stepfather Henry Antrim, McCarty resorted to theft in order to survive.
He escaped 2 days after his arrest for various thefts, traveling to Arizona from New Mexico for a period of time, taking work as a ranch hand in order to find food and shelter. In 1877, following an altercation with local blacksmith Francis “Windy” Cahill in which the blacksmith was shot and killed, Henry escaped from prison yet again and took off back to New Mexico, having adopted the alias of William H. Bonney, a moniker which would eventually become Billy the Kid.
Billy would eventually fall in with John Henry Tunstall, an English businessman who along with American lawyer Alexander McSween were working together in order to take over control of Lincoln County, New Mexico from the current major power in the area, a trio of businessmen named Lawrence Murphy, James Dolan and John Riley.
In February of 1878, Tunstall was killed during a confrontation, igniting a major conflict that became known as the Lincoln County War. Billy and his posse would go down in history for their role in the conflict, and the Kid’s future crimes are studied and spoken about to this day. After yet again more arrests and prison escapes, Billy the Kid was eventually killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett on July 14th, 1881 at only 21 years old.
Billy The Kid: Outlaws In The Old West
Billy the Kid: The War for Lincoln County follows Billy from his young life and struggles as Henry McCarty, from his earliest crimes through his association and relationship with John Tunstall through his role as a Regulator for Lincoln County and the battle that followed. Coleman paints a clear picture of the neglect and difficulties that Billy faced as a young person, and the devil-may-care attitude that he developed at such an early age.
The novel largely delves into the sense of belonging that Billy searches for throughout the course of his life. Having barely known his father, losing his mother at a crucial stage in his upbringing, and being abandoned by his stepfather at the same time, Coleman’s narrative peels back the layers of this now larger-than-life figure in the lexicon of American history, and presents a young boy who was searching for his place in the world.
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Themes & Pacing
The novel explores multiple themes of abuse and neglect, for both Billy and his brother Josie, as well as a search for family and the versions of ourselves that we present to the outside world for fear of being rejected. Multiple characters throughout the course of the story, from Billy to McSweeny to Sheriff Brady put up fronts to the public in order to protect their true feelings from those around them.
It’s an interesting perspective to be given in a story about conmen and gunfights and grounds these historical figures that many only see lauded on the big screen.
Billy the Kid: The War for Lincoln County provides a multilayered backstory for Billy as well as other players in the conflict that led to the war. The buildup of the conflict with the three men known as “The House” also proves to be wrought with an escalation in tension between parties that leads to an overflow of pressure in the third act of the novel, and a gritty battle for a territory that everyone wants a piece of.
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Though the payoff of the war and fallout are incredibly well written, the novel does appear to drag slightly in its first half. I believe that much of Billy’s backstory was pertinent and well written, there were periods where certain conversations and descriptions may have slowed the pacing of the story a little bit too much in some portions.
That said, as someone who doesn’t often delve into the world of Westerns, I can certainly appreciate the detail of the landscape and territory provided in order to vividly paint that picture of the Old West that we’ve all heard of.
Final Thoughts
With Billy the Kid: The War for Lincoln County, Ryan Coleman provides some much-needed humanization of a character who feels like part of American folklore. So many aspects of Billy the Kid’s crimes are public knowledge, but what about what came before? The story allows us to reach back into the past and take a deeper look at one of the most famous names of the Old West.
Billy the Kid; The War for Lincoln County is for sale wherever you buy your books. If you’re looking for a fascinating look at the American frontier and an exploration of the most famous outlaw of his era, pick it up!
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The Review
Billy The Kid: The War For Lincoln County
An immersive romp into the Old West, Billy the Kid: The War for Lincoln County provides readers with an in depth look at the most infamous outlaw in history.
PROS
- Historical accuracy
- Landscape
- Banter between characters
CONS
- Pacing
Billy The Kid: The War For Lincoln County DEALS
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