The opening book of the Seth Strummar saga, this book lays out sexual politics on the frontier with no holds barred. An exciting tale of love and revenge, I relished every page of it.

This is a poignant, gripping tale of a violent man and an experienced young woman trying to make their love work against the odds laid down by his past. Also enjoyable is the budding sidekick who gives up the priesthood to follow the outlaw. A great story, powerfully written.

I loved it! Tough, real, sweet and caustic, like life. Highly recommended to anyone who wants fiction that deals with reality rather than fantasy.

This is an edgy story about the love between two brothers, one a cop, the other a small-time crook, and how far the good brother will go to help the bad. The women are powerful, the pacing intense, the characters realistic, and the ending satisfying without being pie-in-the-sky. I look forward to a sequel.

I loved this book from the moment a fisherman finds a gun in a lake to the last page when Frank leaves town to the smell of his burning career. A fascinating psychological picture of ambition, loyalty, and love. Its sequel, Barbed Wire, is just as good.

A touching, tragic story of family love and the price of loyalty among friends. The continuing saga of Seth and Joaquin keeps me coming back to each new book in the Seth Strummar series with excited anticipation.

I have waited so long for this book. I have the other "Seth Strummar" series books, and I had to hold off reading the one after this book ("Breaking Even"), so I wouldn't have a break in the series. I am so glad I waited. I read her first Seth book one year ago, and I was hooked. Found it at a little clearence store and I nabbed two of her books and devoured them. This book is no different. It takes Seth on his continuous journey to redemption only this time he is riding along with his five year old son, Lobo. Lobo almost seems to be heading in the same direction as Seth, but our good old pal, Joaqin, is along to keep em in line! I won't give away too much. All I have to say, is any Elizabeth Fackler book you can get your hands on would be to your benefit!!

A fictional account of the Lincoln County War from the perspective of the Pecos Valley, this book contains more truth than the cold hard facts, with the exception of providing a happy ending for those who deserved it. A chilling tale of revenge and lost romance, its theme is of ultimate forgiveness and peace found in the discipline of daily love. A truly moral tale.

This is an engrossing, at times chilling, novel, almost three novels in one. The first part deals with the "ugly" sister, Hekuba, who unwittingly falls in love with Seth Strummar, the irrestible rouge who is at the heart of all three parts of this novel. The second deals with Strummar's friend, Joaquin, and becomes almost a Cormac McCathyish quest-into-Mexico story. The third part is told from Seth's daughter, Elena's point of view, and it was this third part that put me off as a reader. I never connected with Elena the way I did with Hekuba and Joaquin. I also resented the short shrift given to Hekuba's death, when I had become so emotionally attached to her. But despite this and some minor anachronisms, particularly in the language, this is a whopping good page-turner which I have recommended it to others.

I finished this book in the wee hours of the night--I couldn't put it down. I cried at the ending. Maybe because Elena might never race again, or because Seth was trying so hard to do the right thing, or because Hekuba lost so much. Most western fiction is concerned only with violence, but in the Seth Strummar series, the author asks all of the most probing questions of life. She certainly presents stark portraits of social inequity, yet the books are quite poetic. The continuing metaphors of the bullfight and macho were very effective in Breaking Even. I highly recommend all of Elizabeth Fackler's novels to anyone interested in character studies revolving around the great issues of life.

I loved this story. It's the most true-to-life and touching novel about friendship and family love which I've ever read. Joaquin and Seth are soul brothers. Elena broke my heart.

I have read just about everything about Billy and the Lincoln County War, and this book is the best, and in my opinion, most accurate portrait of those times. Ms. Fackler's use of dialogue is compelling and real. The characters in this story have never been more alive for this reader, and the author's ability to weave all of the complex elements involved truly puts this work on the level of masterpiece. John Henry Tunstall, Alexander McSween, Susan McSween, James J. Dolan, Pat Garrett, Billy, and even the "minor" characters, are all clearly drawn. A book of this size and scope is usually read over the course of days or weeks, but the flow of action and language the author skillfully constructs kept me riveted to my chair until I finished reading. This is, undeniably, not only a great work of historical fiction, but a great work of fiction. If you enjoy reading a great story told with the utmost skill and passion, you must read this book. And I guarantee, you'll read it more than once. It is that good! Bravo Ms. Fackler!

This is the "Kid" come alive as no one else has ever written it. His world, his lovers, his friends and enemies all walked off the page and filled my imagination as never before. Beautifully written, with a realistic portrait of his times and place, this book will live forever.

Wow! This is the best fiction ever written about Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War. If you want to understand what happened then and how the Kid achieved his fame, this is the book. It's beautifully written. I couldn't put it down.