Walk Proud, Stand Tall: A Western Story [Large Print]

This is a very special book. I have been a reader for more than 60 years and I would include this book as one of the top five books I have ever read. The book describes the majesty of Arizona and the strength and special character of the people who pioneered it. Mister Boggs is wiser than his age would indicate. He does a wonderful job of defining with compassion and honesty the main characters that are getting old and are trying to cope with the new 20th century (1914.) This is one of the rare western books that transcends the western genre and is great literature that anyone would enjoy.

Bravo for Johnny D Boggs! What a fresh idea, to tell a Western story from an older man's perspective. Full of suspense and mystery, it will help the reader to know and understand the Old West of the late 1800s. Mr. Boggs has done a great deal of research and it shows in his work. If you like Westerns that transport you to the time and place, you'll like WALK PROUD, STAND TALL.

There are few things I look forward to in paperbacks. There are even fewer authors I can recommend without hesitation. Johnny D Boggs is at the top of my list! His newest novel, 'Walk Proud, Stand Tall', is another cog in a reputation that grows yearly. Pick up any Boggs, and immersere yourself in his characters, it's that easy. His easy reading, intelligent style drags you in willingly to the world or Lin Garrett and his last hunt for Ollie Sinclair. Will age triumph over evil one more time? His best work since the Mittie Stevens!

Full disclosure: For several years, I worked for Five Star Publishing, heading up their romance, women's fiction and science fiction & fantasy imprints. I was never directly involved in the Westerns line. In the forthcoming anthology LOST TRAILS, which I co-edited with Martin H. Greenberg, a story by Mr. Boggs appears. Johnny D. Boggs has won two Spur Awards, a Western Heritage Award, and may be one of the hardest-working Western writers in the business today. A quick look at his website shows a total of more than 30 full length books, almost as many short stories, plus a ton of non-fiction work and a long background in journalism. I've read a number of Mr. Boggs' books over the years, CAMP FORD and THE DESPOILERS to name a couple, but WALK PROUD, STAND TALL is, for my money, his best novel to date. And I don't say that lightly. Reminescent of THE SHOOTIST, this moving novel tells us the story of Lin Garrett (no relation to Pat in blood or morals), a long-retired lawman who ends up broke, busted-down, and with nowhere left to go except COCONINO COUNTY HOSPITAL FOR THE INDIGENT. In short, he's at the end of his trail. In bits and pieces, Mr. Boggs skillfully weaves the past and the present, telling the story of how Lin got his reputation as a great lawman - and how he ended up where he did. A distinct and memorable cast of characters, including his lost love Holly Grant, his old partner Randolf Corbett, and the outlaw he once let live, Ollie Sinclair, come into the story and add heart to it in unexpected ways. I'm not going to say much more about the plot here, because in this case, the only thing to say is: GET A COPY AND READ IT. Even though Five Star's hardcovers are expensive, this is one of those books that's worth every penny. What it lacks in length (at only 234 pages) it more than makes up for in depth, skill of writing and extraordinary grace. An outstanding novel of the West at the end of the frontier days, and a very, very well done character study. Russell Davis