In this book, the author gives sufficiently interesting and informative portraits of serval well known names from the "Wild West" days, and also includes some lesser known individuals. Some of the more well known names are the Earp brothers, Butch Cassidy, Frank and Jessie James, and Billy the Kid. Some of the lesser known individuals were probably well known in the geographic area the book focuses on, but probably not well known throughout the broader West. In several instances in this book, the author says that the individual being covered was "one of the most dangerous" gunslingers in the West, however, they didn't really seem to warrant such a connotation. It was a bit weird.

I disliked the fact that the book is meant to be about the American West, which covered a vast amount of area during this time, yet the book focuses on El Paso. It should have been titled differently if that was going to be the case. As it turns out, the author is from El Paso, which explains the interest, but the book could have been better served if the horizons were broadened. I think that I would rate this as a history book for those interested in a light reading history moment...the characters in the book were real, historical figures. The events were historical events. The biographies are brief, and would also be great for those who just want an introduction into this particular topic. I'm giving this two stars, because I did enjoy the short biographies of each of these guys, but I was a little put off by the things mentioned above in combination with my slight lack of interest in the overall topic.