Normally, can’t-put-it-down books are thrillers. So I am surprised to say that a novel about the men who were in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral turned out to be unputdownable. This from a person who never liked watching or reading westerns. But I've liked everything else written by Mary Doria Russell, so I read EPITAPH, only expecting that it would be as engaging and as well researched as her other books.

Now the trick will be convincing you that EPITAPH is more than a western, that this is literature. I began unconvinced. Then it sucked me in.

EPITAPH is a historical novel. All the characters (including Wyatt Earp; his brothers James, Virgil, and Morgan; their friend John (Doc) Holliday; and their “wives”) really existed. And, as Russell says in her “Author's Note,” the main elements of the story are based on real events.

All but the last chapters take place in Tombstone, Arizona. The city is full of dirty politics, unethical politicians, and criminal Cow Boys (as this term is spelled in the book) who steal cattle, drink, and stir up trouble. Here is the really true story of how the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday, but particularly Wyatt Earp, try to maintain order there and deal with lawlessness that led to their gunfight at the O.K Corral.

If you've never liked westerns, Russel will make you love one.

Much to my surprise, I really enjoyed this book! Downloaded it before heading out on vacation and soon got hooked in learning so much about the history of the US and Arizona Territory before, during, and after the 'shoot out at the O.K. Corral'. Very informative and gets you to care about the characters.

Mary Doria Russell dives back into the world she opened to us in her novel Doc. Epitaph follows Wyatt Earp and his family through to the end and unravels the complexities of the events that culminated in that famous shootout at the OK corral.