Reading Tombstone by Tom Clavin will put the reader into the shoes of a bystander as you watch the gunfight at the the OK Corral. But that is just one small piece of the story. Even though I have seen just about every movie with Tombstone in it's name, this book made me feel as if I were seeing it for the first time. The author took the time to build the story in layers so we would know what drove these individuals and feel their anger while each took a stand for their lives. The history leading up to the battle and the battle for retribution after contributes so much more to the story than I've ever read or watched. An excellent look into a window of time where men on both sides of the law fought daily just to stay alive.

I loved every minute of this book. Having been infatuated with the old west since watching Tombstone Territory as a child, the mythology of Tombstone has loomed large in my vision of those times. It is one of those joys of a book that not only shows you that much of what you learned from television and movies is not even close to true, but that the reality of the history is even more interesting. I had somehow forgotten that I had read Clavin's LAST MAN OUT as I looked into other books of his -- but his other books on the West are now on my reading list.

Clavin does a great job bringing you through Tombstone, getting you into the mindset of Whyatt Earp and really delving into that time and place.
If you love Old West, Tombstone, Wyatt Earp related books, you'll love this one.

This is a good factual read if you have an interest in the old west or the OK Corral. There is quite a bit of history given of the town of Tombstone which I didn't find that interesting. The information given about the people involved in the story is also very thorough but I enjoyed that more.

Received this through Net Gallery! Thanks so much! Wish I hadv read this book first instead of seeing the movie! I know the movie has so much time but there are so many wonderful things in this book that I believe happen,this is the book they should make the movie off! I really love cowboys and fights and bars and poker games,love and this has it all! This is the very right book that I have read of these cowboys,their lives and I felt like I was right there seeing it all take place! Wonderful read very well researched!! A very just read!! If only I really could have been there! Wasn't a easy life that's for sure!!

I find stories about the Wild West to be fun, entertaining, and enlightening (Lonesome Dove is one of my favorite novels). While I was interested in this topic, I realize this book is part of a trilogy, and I think it would behoove the reader to read the 1st two books first, prior to entering this story. I plan on doing just that. So, in order to be fair to the author and character development, I decided to stop this book after a few chapters in order to do justice to the series.

It seems I’ve read some of Clavin’s work previously, but I’m not sure when. I do enjoy his writing though, especially here on this subject which is one of my favorites. He does a really good job of covering it and it brings you right to the thick of things. You are there in the heat of 1881 Tombstone, with the noise and commotion of the day, with all of the people there to do business or trying to hustle a stake in a mine somehow. Or simply to blow the dust off and drink some whiskey and gamble a bit in one of the saloons.

There are tensions afoot between the different factions setting off the problems, the Cowboys who are crooked and run around doing and taking what they like, while they work for different area ranchers like the Clantons and McLaurys and others. Then there are the Earps, one of whom has been threatened to back off and let the Cowboys be, but they aren't the type and since more Earps may getting into law enforcement, that’s not about to happen. There are other people around too, but you can’t always tell where they stand. Most folks just want to make good money and not get killed by various Indians roaming the territory. If you like Western US history you will likely enjoy this book, it’s a good long read. I learned quite a lot more about the different people involved, which was a big plus. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Tom Clavin, and St. Martin's Press.

I've been to Tombstone and find the history of the Old West to be absolutely fascinating. Therefore, I was excited to dig into Tom Clavin's latest book. I learned a lot that I'd never discovered in other books or documentaries, which is always a very welcome experience. The writing was solid, and some of the history that Clavin recounts was absolutely riveting. A quick read for Old West history buffs.

Tombstone is the third book in Tom Clavin’s almost inadvertent “Frontier Lawmen” trilogy that began in 2017 with Dodge City and continued in 2019 with Wild Bill. Clavin does not seem to have had a trilogy in mind when he began writing about the period, but with the addition of Tombstone he has now effectively covered the 15-20 years following the Civil War that were dominated by the stereotypical gunslinging frontier lawman. It all seems to have started with Wild Bill Hickcok’s adoption of that style of law enforcement after the war, and what happened in Tombstone in 1881 seems to have brought the era to a close.

What happened there was the famous “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral,” a thirty-second battle during which thirty shots were fired at almost pointblank range, three men were killed, and three others wounded. That was bad enough, but as it turns out, more men one way or another associated with the gunfight, including friends, allies, and relatives of the actual participants, would be gunned down after the fight than during it.

But why did it all happen the way that it did? How did nine armed men end up facing each other across the few feet of a vacant city lot (not in the O.K. Corral at all) prepared to shoot it out despite the high odds against any of them walking away from the fight unscathed? It’s a long story involving politics, rivalries between U.S. marshals and local sheriffs, clashes between out-of-control cowboys and the Tombstone citizens who feared them, and even romantic rivalries between some of the players. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the gunfight between the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday on one side; and the Clanton brothers, the McLaury brothers, and Billy Claiborne on the other is that it occurred only because no one on either side really understood what was happening on that fateful day in 1881. Either side could have stopped the gunfire before it started – but neither did.

A big part of the story is the blood-feud that developed just days after the gunfight, a vendetta in which the Earps became the targets of those wanting to avenge the deaths of relatives and friends who were killed at the hands of the three Earps and Doc Holiday. Having learned their lesson about what happens in a head-to-head gunfight with the Earps, the avengers decided that ambushes and back-shooting offered their best chance at vengeance. Wyatt Earp, the only man to walk away completed whole from the gunfight, could not just wait for his family to be wiped out by the cowboys who wanted them all dead – nor would he run. And in the resulting revenge ride from hell, Wyatt and his personal posse disposed of as many of his enemies as they could find.

Bottom Line: Tom Clavin Tombstone is a well-researched chronicle of how Tombstone, Arizona, earned her place in American history. It’s a story that borders on the farcical at times: who the good guys were and who the bad guys were was a matter of opinion; the Earps spent as much time locked up as did the cowboys trying to kill them; some cowboys demanded to be jailed because they felt safer from the Earps in jail than walking the streets; and the posse chasing the Earps and Holiday often included some of the most vicious killers in the state. This is not the story you may think you already know from all the movies, television shows and novels produced about the Earps, Doc Holiday, and the mislabeled “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.” But, as it turns out, the real story is every bit as fascinating as any of those movies or novels.

A great book. Very informative and interesting. Held my interest from start to finish. I learned so much. I have been an avid reader of anything regarding the Earp brothers and Doc Holiday. Enjoyed this one very much.

Tombstone: The Earp Brothers, Doc Holliday, and the Vendetta Ride from Hell by Tom Calvin was received direct from the publisher and I chose to review it out of a love for the Town to Tough to Die. In each historical book you read about a event or person, the reader gets a different perspective, and much like politics, it is up to the person to ascertain what was real, what was made up or what was written there to further the writers narrative. This book is no different, however this book expounds on the supporting cast as well as stories that lead up to Tombstone, such as Spanish explorers and men of the church in and around the area. The book is entertaining from start to finish, and with quotes like, “perhaps understandable for a man who went off to fight for his country and got kicked in the nuts for his trouble,” a reader cannot go wrong. If you or someone with an interest in history, the old west, gunfighters, Indian battles and even the Civil War, wants to read more on these topics, and more, give this book a read.

5 stars

Having lived in Arizona and visited Tombstone a few times, I was curious to read the book by author Tom Clavin. I have viewed the movies and read other books, most of them romanticized and some others clouded by the passage of time. I am happy to report that this version of “Tombstone” is neither of those.

Mr. Clavin lists an extensive bibliography, well over a year’s reading of different books and magazine articles, eliminating the thought that this was simply another book cobbled together on the strength of merely a few resources. I personally appreciated the listing of books, and plan to investigate some of the personages not followed as closely as the Earps and Doc Holliday (think Johnny Ringo or Josephine Marcus Earp), as well as reading a few topic offerings (“The Dragon Mountains” and “Famous Firearms of the Old West,” for example).

Most impressive is the gathering of knowledge into a cohesive read that feels more like sitting around a pot-bellied stove in an old general store as the author relates the different lives of people who were part of Tombstone. Mr. Clavin ensures the story does not sound like a historical textbook, filling the pages with interesting facts and including enough personal details that breath life into the characters. He not only tells the main story, but includes the background of how everyone ended up in Tombstone. This includes the tales of the Earps’ parents and the founder of Tombstone, as well as secondary and minor residents of the town. The last chapter covers all these people and what happened to them after the Gunfight, the ensuing trial, and Wyatt Earp’s vendetta to ensure his own style of justice was satisfied.

I also enjoyed the footnotes, where Mr. Clavin would insert a factoid that, while not important to the story he might be telling at that time, still provided interesting background and worth the time to read. Anyone interested in America’s Old West or The Gunfight at the OK Corral will find this to be a great addition to your bookshelf. Five stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance electronic copy of this book.

Tombstone by Tom Clavin was very informative and entertaining at the same time. I highly enjoyed reading about Tombstone and the cast of characters in this historical period of time. Clavin is a wonderful writer who has crafted a historical account that is easily read and understood. I highly recommend. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this before official release.

Tombstone is a excellent researched book that has a lot of information. Tom Clavin is a good author and clearly knows his subject.

A vivid, very readable and accessible history of the shootout at the OK Corral and it's aftereffects. This is another hit for Clavin, and sure to please those who are already fans of western history as well as those unfamiliar with the events.

I had a few starts and stops with this book as the beginning is a lot of characters (many I had never heard of) and a lot of detail. Probably necessary to set the stage and help the reader have a more fully developed understanding, not just based on movies, of the people and circumstances that led up to the gunfight. It is clear that the author spent a long time researching not just the gunfight but the culture and secondary events that impacted the pivotal characters. Even after getting through the first 100 or so pages, I did a lot of skimming looking for the most interesting bits of the story. Ultimately this is a good book that requires a bit of dedication to complete.

A detailed history of the feud between the Earp brothers and the cowboys in Tombstone, Arizona. The book moves slowly for the first half as the author introduces the characters that meet at the OK Corral. I lost interest after the first 100 pages because there was so much detail devoted to people that I didn't know anything about and frankly didn't care about.
However, once the stage is set and the famous shootout is described, the book moves quickly and is very interesting. The author does a good job of balancing his depiction of Wyatt Earp and his brothers. They were lawmen, but definitely operated on the fringe of the law. The description of the criminal proceedings brought against Earp and Doc Holiday after the shootout was interesting. The author finishes the book by following the history of each character to his death.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought Tombstone: The Earp Brothers, Doc Holliday, and the Vendetta Ride from Hell was an interesting read. It was intriguing learning about this event in history and about the people behind it.
Four and a half stars.

This book achieves that fine balance of being accessible to someone who doesn't know the topic while also having information that will be new even to those who are enthusiasts or experts. It's very well researched. The explanations, glosses, and footnotes are all done in an unobtrusive way that doesn't slow the story down, and it's obvious that the author really sees these historical figures as complex personalities. If you've seen a movie or two about the OK Corral, you can get the full picture from this book.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC.

Tombstone, the city, holds a bit of magical appeal to me. I find that I am enjoying reading history books more and more (perhaps because I've got more of it myself?) and I absolutely love the American Southwest for its landscape and history and few cities in this region have more history that Tombstone, Arizona.

My knowledge of the gunfight at the OK Corral, I realize, comes from popular culture (as provided in films and television) and not from the history books, so I was very glad to correct that with Tom Clavin's book.

What Clavin has done is taken the pivotal gunfight and researched the heck out of the history of all the primary, secondary, and even tertiary people involved, giving us a glimpse of the character traits of each individual (were they prone to fighting or over-reacting, were they easy to anger or did they often look for alternatives?)

There are so many more people involved in the ordeal than were at the corral and there was a history among the players that weaves back and well before any of them arrived at Tombstone, Arizona. It's a complicated web and quite fascinating to discover.

Clavin's research is immaculate. It is fascinating how much of a trail we all leave and that Clavin was able to track down so much information about these people, from the 1800's, and put together a time-line of where and when people worked or met one another is absolutely incredible. Like a lot of modern bio-history books, there is a bit of the author making assumptions about the words spoken or the intentions behind an action (usually based on general human motivations), but it was nice to read him at least once admit to not knowing why someone proceeded the way that they did, but instead offered up a couple of different possible explanations based on their history.

In addition to his tremendous research, Clavin's writing style is smooth and his sense of storytelling moves this history from moment to moment with wonderful anticipation and ease. It is easy to read this book in a short amount of time, but you might not want to so that you can really absorb all the information proved.

Looking for a good book? <em>Tombstone</em>, by Tom Clavin, provides more information about the city, famous for its noted gunfight, and the people involved, than you ever imagined. This is a book not to be missed if you have even the most remote interest in history.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.