Black Hats: A Novel of Wyatt Earp and Al Capone

I am sure many of us have read or heard about famous characters from the "old west" era. Wyatt Earp, "Doc" Holliday, Bat Masterson, Kate Elder, and Al Capone! Yes, Al Capone. I had never associated a connection between those famous western legends and a gangster such as Al Capone! Black Hats is a terrifically well researched book that weaves a lot of fact with some fiction to create a great read, and will tell of that connection between the prohibition times, old west characters, and Al Capone. Wyatt Earp was no longer a legitimate lawman in his aging years but he had a badge that his buddies at the LAPD had given him for when he assisted them on a few cases. Wyatt felt this gave him all the authority he needed to go east when Doc Holliday's common law widow asked him to find her son, Johnny Holliday, in the New York City area. Wyatt's wife, Sadie, was not very happy that he was traveling by himself to do a favor for Doc's wife Kate Elder, especially since Kate and Wyatt once had a fling or two. Kate was worried that Johnny was getting in over his head in New York and that the gangsters would give him many problems and Wyatt was the best person to check on him. So Wyatt started on his long train trip east seeing many things he never knew existed other than reading about them. Since prohibition had started, "speakeasies" had started all over the nation but were exceptionally frequent in big eastern cities such as New York. Speakeasies stayed in business by payoffs to those that threatened them and were run as a private club with admittance only to those known by the doormen of these prohibition era drinking places. Some, like Johnny's place, were high class but a few were very low on the totem pole. Yes indeed, Johnny did own a good speakeasy that served as a place where men could drink alcohol, beer, meet their lady friends and join them in their areas of prostitution, and gamble in some of the clubs. Johnny's place did not have card gambling but eventually it came to fruition when Wyatt and Bat talked Johnny into it. The girls and women roamed freely as they danced, put on shows, and stopped and talked to the men. A few of the girls were well liked and loved by Johnny and some of his workers. In a card game some time ago, Johnny had won a five to six years supply of whiskey and a few months supply of beer, all of which he had hidden so no one could steal it. When Capone and his buddies decided they wanted that supply, things came to a deadly and brutal type of war. Wyatt and Bat stuck around Johnny almost all the time with their big guns at their side ready and able to assist if trouble broke out. It seems that Capone was not the boss in New York but had to report to Frankie Yale. Capone just pulled the strings for Yale. And Yale wanted that supply of whiskey and beer and would do anything to get it. The story goes back in time occasionally giving history of Wyatt, Bat, Doc, and all their friends with whom they

Have read all of Patrick Culhane's "Road to" Series. I found them highly entertaining and good reads. Black Hats is no different. He weaves the historical with fiction for a rich tapestry of a story. Don't look for a deep meaning but sit in a comfortable chair with your favorite drink and enjoy.

One of the things I love about Max Allan Collins's period-piece mysteries and suspense novels is the authenticity. If you read something in a Collins book, outside of the fictional spin he adds to and puts on things, you can bet it really existed at that time. He also delves deeply into the backgrounds of his historical "characters" and provides a good biography of them. When I read that BLACK HATS was going to offer a confrontation between an elderly Wyatt Earp and a young, wet-behind-the-ears Al Capone, I was excited. I conjured up images of alley showdowns with six-guns and Thompson submachine guns. We almost got that here. The action was a little more downplayed that I would have wanted, but I was working off my own expectations. Collins stayed within the truth of what really happened in those days in 1920, with a little bit of what COULD have happened thrown in. Collins gave us a fictional son of Doc Holliday and painted the Prohibition backdrop both eloquently and faithfully. His other "characters" like Texas Guinan, Jack Dempsey, and Damon Runyon were great and added a lot of color to the story. But it's Wyatt and Bat Masterson who really seize the spotlight. Their friendship comes across clearly and believably, and it was fun seeing them in action together. The plot was especially well done too. John Holliday had won a warehouse full of liquor in a poker game at a time when the rest of the city (and the state) were dry and having to import their liquor from Canada. It was a treasure trove on par with one of the acheological finds that would have sent Indiana Jones scampering for his fedora. I was a little disappointed with the ending because it wasn't as BIG as I'd imagined. But it had neat little twists that made everything come together well. BLACK HATS is a fast, fun read with plenty of history, atmosphere, and trivia to keep armchair historians and thrill-seekers turning the pages.

Okay, a book that pits Wyatt Earp against Al Capone? How the heck is that going to work? And is it even possible to make it into a readable book? The answer to both questions is a huge YES! Max Allan Collins, writing as Patrick Culhane, has written one helluva historical novel. He manages to make you believe that a 70 year old Wyatt Earp could beat a 20 year old Al Capone. He does this by using all real historical figures as his main characters. As far as I could tell only two of the characters were fictional. Doc Holiday's son and his girlfriend. The only minor complaint I have is the ending, which after all the action that takes place earlier in the book, is a bit of a letdown. But given the constraints of history, the ending actually makes a lot of sense. As I think back on it now it was a pretty good way to end the book.

This is without question one of the most entertaining and engaging books I've read in a long while. Frequently blending historical characters, particularly ones with multiple biographies about them, doesn't work. The "what if" school of writing requires lots of research, speculation and educated guesses. Culhane, aka Max Allan Collins, manages to not only pull it off but sets the table for a movie made from the book. To posit that Doc Holliday had a son by Big Nose Kate and that Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson would be around to help him out of trouble with the New York mob and up-and-coming gangster Alphonse Capone in 1920 is nothing short of brilliant fancy. And believable fancy at that! The period details are excellent and there's enough action and twists to keep you wanting more. The ending is perhaps a bit contrived, but who cares since it's been such a fun read. Wyatt and Bat are wonderfully drawn and they amply prove the old saw about age and experience beating youth and impetuousness. Well done, "Patrick!" One thing this book has done, and it was the Wyatt Earp tie-in that got me to pick it up to begin with, is to encourage me to read other work by Max Allan Collins. Now, if Hollywood will just option this book and cast it properly...