Doc Holliday's Gone: A Western Duo by Jane Candia Coleman

In this collection of two outstanding short novels, Coleman displays the craftsmanship and sensitivity that brought her three awards from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and a pair of Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America. In the title story, Coleman mixes fact and fiction effectively, telling the story of Mary Katherine Horony--aka Kate Elder, Big Nose Kate, etc.--who was born into wealth but reduced by circumstances to prostitution. She describes Kate's 10-year love affair with Doc Holliday, whose lungs gave out before his taste for cards and whiskey. She also details the time in Tombstone when Doc stood with the Earp brothers against the Clantons and others in a shootout that probably never should have happened. The second novella, Mrs. Slaughter, introduces Viola Howell, still in her teens, and John Slaughter, the older man she loves and eventually marries. Interestingly, the Slaughters also spend time in Tombstone and provide a different view of what went on there. Words well used by a talented genre author. Budd Arthur--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.