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Hangtown
Returning to his hometown, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated and Bram Stoker Award®-winning writer and editor Michael Bailey fills in the missing pieces of a town’s dark past in this homage to Charles Portis’ TRUE GRIT and Cormac McCarthy’s BLOOD MERIDIAN.
Based on a true story, HANGTOWN is a historical western about the hangings in a placer mining town that once went by that moniker, one of the first established diggings during the chaos of the Gold Rush. Set in 1848 to 1850, the unlawful were punished and hanged swiftly for crimes of theft and violence, haunting forever what is now Placerville, California.
“With testimonies revealed in the whisper of oilskin, stolen from beneath wooden floorboards, or drawn with a finger in the dirt, Bailey unearths a bloody tale [a collection of bloody tales] that seep(s) truth like an open wound. mining themes of avarice, prejudice, injustice, and told in prose as blunt as a shovel, Bailey hits paydirt with HANGTOWN. A veritable tour de force.” – Lee Murray, five-time Bram Stoker Award®-winning author
Based on a true story, HANGTOWN is a historical western about the hangings in a placer mining town that once went by that moniker, one of the first established diggings during the chaos of the Gold Rush. Set in 1848 to 1850, the unlawful were punished and hanged swiftly for crimes of theft and violence, haunting forever what is now Placerville, California.
“With testimonies revealed in the whisper of oilskin, stolen from beneath wooden floorboards, or drawn with a finger in the dirt, Bailey unearths a bloody tale [a collection of bloody tales] that seep(s) truth like an open wound. mining themes of avarice, prejudice, injustice, and told in prose as blunt as a shovel, Bailey hits paydirt with HANGTOWN. A veritable tour de force.” – Lee Murray, five-time Bram Stoker Award®-winning author
280 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 4, 2023
About the author
Michael Bailey
108 books62 followersMichael Bailey is a recipient of the Bram Stoker Award (and eight-time nominee), a multiple recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Award, a four-time Shirley Jackson Award nominee, and a few dozen independent publishing accolades. He has authored numerous novels, novellas, novelettes, and fiction & poetry collections. Recent work includes Agatha’s Barn, a tie-in novella to Josh Malerman’s Carpenter’s Farm, a collaborative novella with Erinn L. Kemper called The Call of the Void, and Sifting the Ashes, a collaborative and lengthy poetry collection with Marge Simon. He runs the small press Written Backwards and has edited and published twelve anthologies, such as The Library of the Dead, the Chiral Mad series, and Miscreations: Gods, Monstrosities & Other Horrors. He lives in Costa Rica where he is rebuilding his life after surviving one of the most catastrophic wildfires in California history, which is explored in his memoir Seven Minutes.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 6, 2024
I have listened to the Audible version of this book.
A very well written and interesting book indeed from Michael Bailey. A mixture of fiction and fact it tells the story of a very early settlement during the Californian Goldrush. The main story is fast paced and addictive listening as corrupt officials try to get their own way in a fairly lawless environment. False claims and theft of the gold diggers hard won treasures all add up to a hard life as they struggle to survive and avoid the rope. Some Harrowing scenes may put readers off a bit. Randy McCarten's narration as always is top notch. Highly recommended listen.
A very well written and interesting book indeed from Michael Bailey. A mixture of fiction and fact it tells the story of a very early settlement during the Californian Goldrush. The main story is fast paced and addictive listening as corrupt officials try to get their own way in a fairly lawless environment. False claims and theft of the gold diggers hard won treasures all add up to a hard life as they struggle to survive and avoid the rope. Some Harrowing scenes may put readers off a bit. Randy McCarten's narration as always is top notch. Highly recommended listen.
March 16, 2024
Wasnt for me
I usually like western style or historical stories from the western era, but I just couldn't get into this book 😕 dnf
I usually like western style or historical stories from the western era, but I just couldn't get into this book 😕 dnf
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews