Deadwood

A great, great novel. It's one of those books that both fully utilizes and transcends its genre. I'd put it up there w/Little Big Man, by Tom Berger. Accessible, darkly funny, intense, insightful, and wise. It's one of the overlooked Great American Novels.

An aging William "Wild Bill" Cody rode into Deadwood (in the Black Hills) in 1876 with his longtime friend Charley Utter. And it was in Deadwood that he was murdered on August 2, 1876. While Wild Bill dies, the people and situations in Deadwood revolve around him as a man and the "legend." And it is the very essence of Wild Bill's personality that runs through the book even though a great deal of the story centers around... Read Full Review

I read this book after becoming interested in Deadwood via HBO's series of that name. Since Deadwood is a real place, and since both the book and the television series are based on the real place, many of the characters are common to both. They do not, however, have much more in common besides their names and some shared historic events. Pete Dexter is a fine writer, and in Deadwood he has written a particularly fine novel... Read Full Review

... How come the Wild West is so ...calm in this novel, you ask? Simple. Dexter chooses Charlie Utter as the central character, Bill Hickok's stoic, aloof partner, and it is he and his restrained wit that serves as backbone to this wonderful novel. The book is split into four parts: Bill, The China Doll (a beautiful Chinese ..), Agnes (Lake, Bills wife), and Jane (Calamity). Bill is gone by the end of his section, which... Read Full Review

If you're a fan of Pete Dexter you've no doubt read everything the man has written. However, if you are unfamiliar with this superb writer and in dire need of something with more substance than your average N.Y Times bestseller list fare, please jump in. Regardless of whether you're a "western" aficinado or not this is a stunning work. Mr. Dexter's abilities with language and character place him in the highest echelon... Read Full Review