The Harvey Girl, by Dana Stabenow

 

Publication March 3, 2026

I bought my first book by Dana Stabenow in Denali Park, Alaska. I loved it and still have that book, now autographed. Yes, I've met her. As such, I was prepared to love this one from the git go. So, you can imagine my surprise when, after the first chapter, I was rather lost. I actually pondered putting it aside, figuring it was just me too caught up in real life events to allow myself to be sucked in. Fortunately, I kept reading and was glad I did. While I'm not quite sold on it the way I was on that first book set in Alaska, this one in the Wild West of 1890 did eventually pull me in. I've always been a sucker for a western, bring on those cowboys, but Stabenow's usual wonderful job of setting the story in the gritty, frequently violent, rough and barely civilized mining town of Montana Roja and it's quirky cast of characters was well done. Seriously, I could picture that drunk sheriff ignoring lawlessness and the likes of a killer one day showing up at a dance the next and shyly asking heroine Clare Wright to dance, not to mention delight in well-known names like Bat Masterson and Mark Twain popping up. 

As a history major, the historical aspects of the story were great fun. I'd heard of the Harvey Girls although I don't recall where. Reading Clare's daily routine as she worked undercover for the Pinkerton's to solve a murder made me wonder how she could stand up at the end of the day, let alone do any sleuthing. Those women didn't have it easy, that's for sure. Stabenow includes a Cast of Characters upfront, by the way, which I found helpful. I managed to get about halfway through before I finally had to satisfy my curiosity and skip ahead to the acknowledgements and Stabenow's notes on where the idea for the story came from and what was historically based and/or maybe tweaked just a bit. Sorry, Dana. I was impatient. I also took time to do a quick read up on the history of the Harvey Girls to refresh my memory. Worth your time if you're so inclined. Stabenow provides such a strong sense of the time and place that it makes it all the more real. (And, yes, there's a movie staring Judy Garland.)

So what's the mystery, you ask? Who killed the train conductor and what was he maybe or maybe not involved in? The murder is rather quick but, whoa, the murder itself is enough to remind you that you're reading about a lawless era when violence was often violent and quick. In addition, you'll get a great look at how train cars were hooked up, moved, and transferred from one train to the next while also being provided a mind picture of the setting the train travels through. I won't ruin the plot by saying much more but it was intriguing to see Clare working hard all day and dealing with the restrictions put on women of the era. 

Bottom line, despite the slow-to-me start, I wound up enjoying this probably new series. Given my assumption Stabenow  is setting us up for a continuing series, I was able to overlook the fact that end maybe wasn't tied up for us all nice and pretty, not to mention that this character driven reader chaffed at not knowing more of Clare's background until near the end. Thanks #BloomsburyUSA for giving me this early peek at not just a favorite author (and fellow Alaskan) but letting me hop a virtual time travel machine to drop into an era I've always found fascinating, the still not neat and pretty Wild West. I'll definitely be on the lookout for the next in the series. 

Billy the Kid: The Life Behind the Legend, by George R. Matthews

 Publication March 7, 2025

Little moments. Seemingly insignificant decisions. Disappointments. Tragedy. Highs and lows and countless moments where I somehow wished I could reach out through time and tap Billy on the shoulder and tell him "No, don't even think about it." In many ways, I felt like I was riding right beside him as I read. So many "If only he'd...." moments, moments where seemingly insignificant choices lead him down the trail to his early death.  

While even Billy himself seems to have shook his head in disbelief at some of the tales surrounding him, the life he lived was anything but dull. Even his mother's decision to migrate from Ireland at age 19 for America and the man she ultimately hooked up with had repercussions. True, initially her life seemed upward bound but then, well, I don't want to ruin the tale for you but you'll find much, much to digest here. His mother's life is certainly worthy of its own book but it's how it impacted her oldest son that led author George R. Matthews to do a deep dive into son's life in an effort to separate fact from fiction. It makes for a fascinating read. There's also an extensive bibliography, notes, and index, as well as both b/w photos and old wood engraving (I think I'm getting the style right) style illustrations, adding to the experience. 

The author paints a vivid, detailed picture of all Billy, and I'll call him Billy here as that is how most know him, may have seen and done. Ironically, given his legendary reputation, Billy seems to have been an affable child, one who loved music and reading. Given that Mark Twain was popular at the time, it was intriguing to wonder what he might have thought of Twain's take on the Western landscape. Heck, I even learned something that, well, I wasn't even aware that I didn't know. Know that ol' song about the Erie Canal and that "low bridge"? I discovered what that really signified. How cool. I'm always a sucker for a book that teaches me something and this one had lots of info to share, ranging from the background details of that now famous photo of Billy standing with the rifle to his meeting up with the equally famous Jesse James and a Gov. Wallace who just happened to go on to write "Ben Hur". In between there are countless characters. Some good guys, some bad, most somewhere in-between, probably a norm for those rough and tumble times. I mean, even the supposed ruthless Billy the Kid was saddened to discover one of the horses he'd stolen was beloved by a young girl and tried to return it despite complications. So, like all of us, he was complex and multi-sided, a view this book does an excellent job conveying. Baseball was already a popular pastime, so it's intriguing to wonder if he played.

Bottom line, it's obvious I thoroughly enjoyed this read. I grew up a fan of westerns, albeit in my case more for the horses than story, so it was fascinating to discover how much I missed by not making an effort to discover the true story behind the legend. The characters who pass before our eyes are many, sometimes almost too many to keep straight, but some famous, others mere blips in history. If you've ever wonder what travel by stage coach was like, you'll find the answer here, too. You'll also see the result of being on the losing side of a range war, not to mention the realization that Billy the Kid really wasn't much more than a kid when he was killed by Pat Garrett. My thanks to author George R. Matthews for giving me this early peek at this fascinating book. The ol' history major in me was thrilled as was the child in me that sat in front of the television screen and watched endless westerns.