by Tom Clavin
First published 2023
Tom Clavin chronicles the explosive career of Captain Leander McNelly and his legendary band of Texas Rangers during the turbulent 1870s frontier. McNelly commanded his men through bold campaigns against cattle rustlers, border criminals, and desperadoes who terrorized the lawless Texas borderlands. The Rangers pursued justice relentlessly, whether that meant jail time or death for the outlaws they hunted. In their most audacious operation, twenty-six Rangers crossed into Mexico to recover stolen cattle, facing down hundreds of Mexican soldiers armed only with Sharps rifles and revolvers. Clavin places McNelly's story within two centuries of Texas Rangers history, revealing how this courageous but doomed captain and his fearless men tamed one of America's most dangerous frontiers. The book captures the brutal reality of border life and the extraordinary lawmen who brought order to chaos through sheer determination and firepower.
Genres: adventure, crime, action, 19th-century, american-history
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: doomed-hero, lawmen-and-outlaws, relentless-pursuit
Setting: Mexico, Texas
Period: 1870s
384 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press
Content warnings: graphic-violence