Among all the other things her father liked to call her, he could now add "thief."

He had always had pet names for her. He would refer to her as "lamb" and "angel" and "picky," which he explained was short for "pick of the litter." When he was the worse for drink, he had other names for her. If the spirits had made him happy, he called her "pharo," after his favorite game of cards; "lucky" if he was winning. If the whiskey had turned him maudlin, the tears running down his cheeks, he would sometimes confuse the girl with her mother. "Anna," he would cry, "Anna, you've come back," though the fantasized return would bring no comfort to him. When demon alcohol turned him angry he would accuse her of being disloyal or spoiled. He would even say she was never wanted.

And always in the sober light of morning, he would beg her forgiveness; always she would grant it.

Over the years, she had learned to dismiss both the drink and the words. He was her father, and she preferred to think of him only at his best: the father who had taught her what he knew, the father who, she became convinced, had loved her as best he could.

He had bought Bellerophon in Virginia only the year before from a genteel man named Mr. R. C. Campbell. A month prior to the purchase, the breeder had stood helplessly by as the stallion bit and kicked two of his stablemates to death. Campbell had sold the horse to Father at a bargain price, stating that he was "doing the Lord's work by lowering the tariff on a devil." Less than five minutes after the deal was struck, Father was astride the giant animal, digging his spurs into the fat sides and galloping across the green meadow, his crop driving the demon toward everhigher speeds. Whooping and hollering, he had disappeared from sight for over an hour, and when he finally returned the horse was covered in foam and he himself drenched in sweat. As the big man dismounted, the stallion reared and attempted to trample him. Father reached up and grabbed the bridle of the beast, pulling hard and laughing. With the help of half a dozen grooms, he managed to return the stallion to his paddock, complimenting the astonished Campbell on the quality of his stock.

"This devil will do fine for me," he told the breeder. "Either he will kill me or I will kill him. In either situation, the world will be minus one more ne'er- do- well."

Now, as Lorinda rode Bellerophon through the fields she knew so well, the stallion felt ready to rebel beneath her; and so she rode him close, her mouth nearly kissing the black of his mane. It had been the work of months to get this far. She had waited until dusk every day, when she knew her father would be in the library of the main house, seated beneath his hunting trophies and too drunk to hear or interfere. As they raced across the lawns of the estate, she murmured as if to calm the horse, trying to allay both her own fears and his instincts to murder. The wind's tears welling in her eyes, she flew with him, her auburn hair strung behind her in near-perfect imitation of his swirling tail, her stomach vibrating with thrill and fear.

The hours in the saddle that began with her first pony, the equestrian competitions she had begun winning at the age of six, and all Father had taught her had led to this moment. As she plucked the Winchester 94 from her saddle, the long gun buzzed with an electricity that seemed to flow through her arms toward trigger and stock. With the strength born of a life on horseback, she clamped her legs to the leather of the hunting saddle and, using only her thighs to guide him, maneuvered the demon around the circle of four targets.

Crack!

The first...

 

 

"Kolpan has a gift for capturing the voice of America at the turn of the last century, and he uses it to full advantage, entwining newspaper reports, historical documents, journals, and his own lush prose. Etta's story unfolds in surprising ways against the backdrop of one of the most colorful periods in our nation's history. This is a writer to watch."

 

"The sketchy details of the life of Etta Place, outlaw and paramour of Harry 'Sundance Kid' Longbaugh, are imaginatively filled in by first-time novelist Kolpan in this winning tale of the Wild West. . . . Kolpan's snappy storytelling makes it impossible not to want to ride along."

 

"Incorporating Etta's diary entries, telegraph messages, and news clippings into the narrative, Kolpan vividly tells a tale that is both outrageous and entertaining, sure to be compared favorably with Larry McMurtry's novels of the Wild West."

 

"Emmy Award-winning TV journalist Kolpan extends his resume impressively with this picaresque debut novel . . . Few will have any more success resisting Etta than do the many men, women and other critters encountered during her memorable adventures. Great fun and--beneath the hijinks--a surprisingly substantial novel."

 

"Imaginative . . . Loaded with captivating historical detail . . . A convincing anti-heroine [readers] can root for to the end."

 

"Etta has everything you'd want in a story of the last days of the old West--fast horses, chivalrous train robbers, dastardly villains, and a beautiful damsel constantly in distress, but usually able to get out of it on her own. It's rollicking, rambunctious, rip-roaring, rootin'-tootin' . . . It makes you want to hop on a fast horse and join the gang."

 

"Packed with adventure . . . As brilliant as a summer's sunset, Etta takes you on an action-packed, 'celebrity-studded,' trail-blazing ride. . . Saddle up!"

 

"Rather than be ribald and Deadwood-esque, as most modern Westerns appear, Kolpan's chatty character-run horse opera is stately, bloody and romantic -- the lit-equivalent of Robert Altman's McCabe & Mrs. Miller . . ."

 

"Rollicking . . . filled with colorful characters . . . Kolpan is also good at taking the reader back to the sights, sounds and smells of the early 20th century . . . A bully adventure!"

 

"A richly imagined tale . . . A fast-paced adventure story, replete with gunfights and train robberies and the romance of the Cowboy West."

 

"In this lively and well-researched novel, reporter Kolpan explores the mysterious life of 1900s figure Etta Place, fleshing out her romance with legendary Old West robber the Sundance Kid."

 

"Kolpan deserves credit for his creativity . . . Rich and rewarding . . The well-crafted narrative successfully brings to life an era and a figure lost to time."

 

"In this warm, deftly plotted novel, Gerald Kolpan gives the beautiful young woman an adventurous life . . . a charming story as filled with train robberies and prison escapes as any dime novel of the time--but written a whole lot better. Gerald Kolpan has painted such a vivid picture of the era--and the women living it--that it's difficult to imagine that Etta has lived any other life."

 

Gerald Kolpan is an Emmy Award-winning television reporter in Philadelphia. Prior to his television career he wrote for newspapers and magazines nationwide and was a frequent contributor to NPR's All Things Considered. Etta is his first book.

From the Hardcover...