Someone once said that the entire story of America in the nineteenth century is encompassed in the saga of the James brothers: psychologist William and novelist Henry James in the east, and outlaws Frank and Jesse James in the west. This inspired humorist Richard Liebmann-Smith to wonder: what if William and Henry’s actual troubled younger brothers became Frank and Jesse James?
On a train in 1876, Henry James is returning home from his journalistic tour under a cloud of psychosomatic symptoms. Across the aisle sits the beguiling Elena Hite, the daughter of a railroad baron, who will soon know all of the James boys’ secrets. But their conversation comes to a halt when the train is stopped and boarded by the notorious James Gang, led by Frank and Jesse, who stride into the coach with guns ablaze.
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"This was AWESOME. It was like Lemony Snicket for adult academics. Beautifully constructed, fantastic use of vocabulary, and a terrifically witty spoof on academic writing. I loved it. " — Nicole (5 out of 5 stars)
"This was AWESOME. It was like Lemony Snicket for adult academics. Beautifully constructed, fantastic use of vocabulary, and a terrifically witty spoof on academic writing. I loved it. "
“A rollicking saga.”
“Takes ‘what’s in a name?’ to amusing extremes…The jokes and historical squiblets go off like six-guns.”
“Delightful…Students of both high and low culture will revel in the picaresque but altogether literary adventures in this well-imagined historical fiction.”
“A through-the-looking-glass romp that boldly blends both sides of the American character—the brilliant and the barbaric—in one unforgettable family and one seriously entertaining story.”
" This was AWESOME. It was like Lemony Snicket for adult academics. Beautifully constructed, fantastic use of vocabulary, and a terrifically witty spoof on academic writing. I loved it. "
" Great premise...love the thought of Henry James as the long-lost brother of Frank and Jesse James... "
" This book was a romp! Very entertaining, clever and well-written. I thought it was extremely well-thought out and I loved the vocabulary in this book. I will read this one again. "
Richard Liebmann-Smith, a former editor of The Sciences magazine, is co-creator an animated Comedy Central TV show. He has written for the New Yorker and National Lampoon, among others. He lives in New York City.
Malcolm Hillgartner is an accomplished actor, writer, and musician. Named an AudioFile Best Voice of 2013 and the recipient of several Earphones Awards, he has narrated over 250 audiobooks.
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