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Bloody Newton

Author Johnny D. Boggs
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Paperback
$14.95 US
| $19.95 CAN
Kensington
On sale Jun 25, 2024 | 352 Pages | 9781496738318
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WINNER OF THE 2025 SPUR AWARD FOR BEST HISTORICAL WESTERN NOVEL

Inspired by the shocking true story of the Gunfight at Hide Park, this blazing Western novel by Spur Award–winner Johnny D. Boggs takes readers back to that fateful summer in 1871—when Newton, Kansas, became “the wickedest town in the west” . . .


A decade before the legendary Gunfight at OK Corral, there was a much bloodier showdown with a much bigger body count—and Wichita Herald reporter Cindy Bagwell was there to see it all. At first, the fledgling journalist had no idea why her boss would send her to what hardly even passes for a town. But Texans, including trail boss Gary Hardee and his sons, are bringing longhorns to Kansas. And Newton aims to take over the cattle market. Hardee has his hands full—and that’s before he reaches Newton, where Texans and Kansans don’t get along. Tensions escalate from fisticuffs to brawling to fatal shootings in short order. But that’s just a warm-up. On August 19, 1871, in a gambling room at Tuttle’s dance hall in Hide Park, this powder keg of bad blood and bitterness between two rival groups explodes—with one young reporter, a restaurant owner, and Hardee’s sons caught in the middle . . .

This is the story of the deadliest gunfight in the American West. Of the passionate men and women who fought for a piece of the American Dream. And of the ultimate price they’d have to pay . . .
Praise for Johnny D. Boggs:

“Absorbing…adventure-filled…(Boggs) is an artist when it comes to writing about the American West. Just might be the best of his books.” —The Denver Post on Longhorns East

“Story moves with a page-turning tempo as Ponting and his cowboys proceed to face perilous river crossings, thieves, rail disaster, and more on the trail to New York. A good amount of historical detail from the places Tom encounters along the way is fused deftly into the narrative. Another treat for fans of the Western novel from award-winning author Johnny D. Boggs.” – Historical Novels Review on Longhorns East
 
"Boggs' gift for memorable storytelling rises to its highest level in Return to Red River...bringing the reader to a dramatic, page-turning cattle drive, leading to an unforgettable ending. All this is set against Boggs' impeccable research of place and time." —True West on Return to Red River
 
"Moves with impeccable pacing and crisp realism, from its stark beginning to the fireball climax."
—Roundup Magazine on Return to Red River

"Johnny D. Boggs' strongest, purest Western to date. Boggs excels at describing the uniquely beautiful, if somewhat brutal, terrain of the Southwest. The Killing Shot is a Western in the classic sense, full of living, breathing characters and boasting a story that never sags." —Tucson Weekly
 
“Johnny D. Boggs is one of today’s major writers in the western genre…Filled with bandits, bad weather, prairie fires, Indian attacks, disgruntled drovers, and stampedes, [A Thousand Texas Longhorns] has everything a western aficionado would love. It’s written by a masterful storyteller, and I cannot praise this book enough.” – Historical Novels Review, EDITOR’S PICK for A Thousand Texas Longhorns

"Boggs' historical asides are aided by a narrative style that drive the story along full gallop." —True West on The Despoilers
 
"Boggs has once more written a humdinger of a book with wonderful characters, even the villains. The Despoilers tears at one's heart, which is what really good fiction should do." —Roundup Magazine
 
"Boggs is among the best Western writers at work today. He writes with depth, flavor, and color, all of which are evident in this right-of-passage tale...Boggs tells the familiar story with authenticity and power." --Booklist on The Lonesome Chisholm Trail
Booklist has called Johnny D. Boggs “among the best western writers at work today.” He won the prestigious Spur Award from Western Writers of America in 2006 for his novel Camp Ford, and in 2002 for his short story “A Piano at Dead Man’s Crossing.” In 2012, West Texas Kill was awarded the Spur Award for Best Original Paperback. His novels Ten and Me and The Hart Brand were Spur finalists in 2000 and 2007, and he won the Western Heritage Wrangler Award in 2004 for his novel Spark on the Prairie. He was also awarded True West Magazine’s Best of the West Award “Best Living Fiction Writer,” 2008. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with his wife, Lisa Smith; son, Jack Smith Boggs; and basset hound, June. View titles by Johnny D. Boggs

About

WINNER OF THE 2025 SPUR AWARD FOR BEST HISTORICAL WESTERN NOVEL

Inspired by the shocking true story of the Gunfight at Hide Park, this blazing Western novel by Spur Award–winner Johnny D. Boggs takes readers back to that fateful summer in 1871—when Newton, Kansas, became “the wickedest town in the west” . . .


A decade before the legendary Gunfight at OK Corral, there was a much bloodier showdown with a much bigger body count—and Wichita Herald reporter Cindy Bagwell was there to see it all. At first, the fledgling journalist had no idea why her boss would send her to what hardly even passes for a town. But Texans, including trail boss Gary Hardee and his sons, are bringing longhorns to Kansas. And Newton aims to take over the cattle market. Hardee has his hands full—and that’s before he reaches Newton, where Texans and Kansans don’t get along. Tensions escalate from fisticuffs to brawling to fatal shootings in short order. But that’s just a warm-up. On August 19, 1871, in a gambling room at Tuttle’s dance hall in Hide Park, this powder keg of bad blood and bitterness between two rival groups explodes—with one young reporter, a restaurant owner, and Hardee’s sons caught in the middle . . .

This is the story of the deadliest gunfight in the American West. Of the passionate men and women who fought for a piece of the American Dream. And of the ultimate price they’d have to pay . . .

Reviews

Praise for Johnny D. Boggs:

“Absorbing…adventure-filled…(Boggs) is an artist when it comes to writing about the American West. Just might be the best of his books.” —The Denver Post on Longhorns East

“Story moves with a page-turning tempo as Ponting and his cowboys proceed to face perilous river crossings, thieves, rail disaster, and more on the trail to New York. A good amount of historical detail from the places Tom encounters along the way is fused deftly into the narrative. Another treat for fans of the Western novel from award-winning author Johnny D. Boggs.” – Historical Novels Review on Longhorns East
 
"Boggs' gift for memorable storytelling rises to its highest level in Return to Red River...bringing the reader to a dramatic, page-turning cattle drive, leading to an unforgettable ending. All this is set against Boggs' impeccable research of place and time." —True West on Return to Red River
 
"Moves with impeccable pacing and crisp realism, from its stark beginning to the fireball climax."
—Roundup Magazine on Return to Red River

"Johnny D. Boggs' strongest, purest Western to date. Boggs excels at describing the uniquely beautiful, if somewhat brutal, terrain of the Southwest. The Killing Shot is a Western in the classic sense, full of living, breathing characters and boasting a story that never sags." —Tucson Weekly
 
“Johnny D. Boggs is one of today’s major writers in the western genre…Filled with bandits, bad weather, prairie fires, Indian attacks, disgruntled drovers, and stampedes, [A Thousand Texas Longhorns] has everything a western aficionado would love. It’s written by a masterful storyteller, and I cannot praise this book enough.” – Historical Novels Review, EDITOR’S PICK for A Thousand Texas Longhorns

"Boggs' historical asides are aided by a narrative style that drive the story along full gallop." —True West on The Despoilers
 
"Boggs has once more written a humdinger of a book with wonderful characters, even the villains. The Despoilers tears at one's heart, which is what really good fiction should do." —Roundup Magazine
 
"Boggs is among the best Western writers at work today. He writes with depth, flavor, and color, all of which are evident in this right-of-passage tale...Boggs tells the familiar story with authenticity and power." --Booklist on The Lonesome Chisholm Trail

Author

Booklist has called Johnny D. Boggs “among the best western writers at work today.” He won the prestigious Spur Award from Western Writers of America in 2006 for his novel Camp Ford, and in 2002 for his short story “A Piano at Dead Man’s Crossing.” In 2012, West Texas Kill was awarded the Spur Award for Best Original Paperback. His novels Ten and Me and The Hart Brand were Spur finalists in 2000 and 2007, and he won the Western Heritage Wrangler Award in 2004 for his novel Spark on the Prairie. He was also awarded True West Magazine’s Best of the West Award “Best Living Fiction Writer,” 2008. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with his wife, Lisa Smith; son, Jack Smith Boggs; and basset hound, June. View titles by Johnny D. Boggs

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