The Long-Lost Love Letters of Doc Holliday

David Corbett has an excellent writing style. The Long-Lost Love Letters of Doc Holliday is a modern mystery tale with letters - real or not - which were believed to be long destroyed, between John Henry 'Doc' Holliday and his cousin Mattie, his childhood sweetheart, who eventually became Sister Mary Melanie of the Sisters of Mercy. This is a book I could not put down. The historical details are authentic, the background word pictures of the Arizona foothills and desert are true and the modern story leaves you at times breathless. A really good book. I can recommend it happily to friends and family - all Arizona and New Mexico natives particularly - and western history buffs will love it as well.

Lisa Balamaro is a lawyer in San Francisco who is approached by an art provenance consultant she had handled transactions for previously. Tuck Mercer was an excellent salesman. Unfortunately he had done years in prison for producing some very good western art forgeries, but on his release from prison he had talked himself into the job of authenticating western art for the same collectors and museums to whom he had sold his previous 'work'. Tuck had come across a packet of letters, purported to be to and from Doc and Mattie, and having been passed down in a convoluted fashion through the generations of the family of a servant in Matties' families' household. Their current owner, Rayella Vargas, would like to sell the letters. Their provenance will be very difficult to prove but the letters themselves are fascinating. Tuck has found a potential black market buyer, a Judge in the Tombstone, AZ area, and he would like Lisa to handle the transaction. It looked like a simple little job. Lisa and Rayella pack for a day or two in sunny Arizona. They do not know they are going to war.

There are some really special quotes from a Dutch philosopher, Baruch Spinoza who was also suffering with TB scattered through this work that will make you stop and think twice. And the letters are a very clear profile of the life of Doc Holliday through his eyes, and those of the only woman he will ever love. The woman who will always love him. This is not the same Doc Holliday of films and dime novels. You may find that you understand him a lot better than you did before.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, David Corbett, and Black Opal Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I am so pleased to have found this author! He is one I will follow.

I loved this book. I have been to Tombstone multiple times so I was eager to read it. These letters were supposedly lost but surfaced in the hands of Tuck, a reformed art forger. Lisa is an arts lawyer attracted to Tuck. These letters were written between Doc Holliday and his childhood sweetheart. Since the letters may never be able to be authenticated. Tuck hired Lisa to sell them on the black market. A cheating judge gets involved and what will happen to the letters, are they real, will this be another stand off in Tombstone.? I going now to rewatch Tombstone and look at my pictures that I took there. I received this book from Net Galley for an honest review and no compensation.