Luke Short, in the aftermath of the Dodge City War, has come to Fort Worth to make his mark. He acquires a stake in the White Elephant, a down-on-its-luck saloon. With his business know-how, talent for showmanship, and reputation for honest cards and a straight deal, he makes it the new hot spot in town. Among his sales gimmicks are bringing the likes of Bat Masterson, John L. Sullivan, and even Wyatt Earp to his club, all his efforts meeting with smashing success. Naturally, his success leads to conflict with a business rival, local vice lord "Rowdy" Joe Lowe, especially when Short persuades Marie Blair, one of Lowe's attractive faro dealers, to work for him instead. (And yes, they become an item.) But Lowe isn't Short's only concern. Short earns the enmity of local tough Jim Courtright by refusing to pay Courtright protection money, and a showdown between the two is inevitable. Not only that, but after a brutal outbreak of violence in Fort Worth's notorious vice district, Hell's Half Acre, a reform movement vows to sweep the city clean of vice. And Short recognizes all too well that the reformers would go after him next, threatening everything he's built.
Wild West legend Luke Short fights to survive against business rivals, a local gunslinger, and fanatical reformers in Matt Braun's novel Gentleman Rogue. Matt Braun (1932-2016) is one of numerous writers whose works I just happened upon at a Borders when I was in high school. (Way to age myself, huh?) The author of over 50 novels about the fabled American West, Braun was born on an Oklahoma ranch established by his great-grandfather. The family ranch neighbored Cherokee and Osage territory, and Braun spent his formative years learning their culture and heritage. Braun claimed that he'd always wanted to be a writer, particularly about the history his family actually lived through, as well as tales of the lawmen and folk heroes he deemed gave America its own heroic lore. I've only read a few of his books so far, and hey're light reading for the most part, depicting a Hollywood version of history. (I haven't gotten to his more ambitious works, like The Kincaids, yet.) However, like literary and cinema swashbucklers, they got me curious about the real history behind the stories. Two of his books, Black Fox and One Last Town have been adapted as TV movies, the latter being renamed You Know My Name. I'm a bit surprised there haven't been more adaptations of his work, especially after Tombstone's success. Of the ones I've read, most of them have a cinematic quality to them, and the story structure make them ideal for film adaptations. The subject of this particular novel is Luke Short (1854-1893), one of the many notable gambler-gunfighters of the Wild West. His father was a Texas rancher, where Short originally worked as a cowboy. He worked a series of jobs, both legal and illegal, including smuggling whiskey into Native American reservations. He fell into gambling in the Leadville mining camps around the 1870s, and was a familiar figure among the gambler's circuit. In 1881, he was dealing faro at Wyatt Earp's famed Oriental Saloon in Tombstone, Arizona, and in 1883, he was one of the partners operating the Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas. Unfortunately for Short, the mayor of Dodge City at the time operated his own saloon, and used his political weight to try and put Short out of business, kicking off what would be known as the Dodge City War. Luke Short Despite Short calling in a bunch of his old friends for protection, including Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson, violence never actually broke out, and the so-called Dodge City War finally ended. However, Short left Dodge City of his own accord not long afterward, making his way to Fort Worth and acquiring a partnership in the White Elephant saloon, although this only lasted for three years. He survived numerous gunfights, the most famous being his duels with Charlie Storms, "Longhair" Jim Courtright, and Charles Wright (although Wright seriously injured him in said duel). Like the notorious Doc Holliday, it wasn't a bullet that sent Short to an early grave, at the age of thirty-nine, but an illness - in Short's case, Bright's disease (although the newspapers reported it was dropsy). Short was survived by his wife Hattie Buck, who'd lost her mother 48 hours before Short's death. The White Elephant is still around, and is now a popular tourist attraction in Texas. WARNING: Here be spoilers! Read further at your own risk! Luke Short, in the aftermath of the Dodge City War, has come to Fort Worth to make his mark. He acquires a stake in the White Elephant, a down-on-its-luck saloon. With his business know-how, talent for showmanship, and reputation for honest cards and a straight deal, he makes it the new hot spot in town. Among his sales gimmicks are bringing the likes of Bat Masterson, John L. Sullivan, and even Wyatt Earp to his club, all his efforts meeting with smashing success. Naturally, his success leads to conflict with a business rival, local vice lord "Rowdy" Joe Lowe, especially when Short persuades Marie Blair, one of Lowe's attractive faro dealers, to work for him instead. (And yes, they become an item.) But Lowe isn't Short's only concern. Short earns the enmity of local tough Jim Courtright by refusing to pay Courtright protection money, and a showdown between the two is inevitable. Not only that, but after a brutal outbreak of violence in Fort Worth's notorious vice district, Hell's Half Acre, a reform movement vows to sweep the city clean of vice. And Short recognizes all too well that the reformers would go after him next, threatening everything he's built. "Longhair" Jim Courtright (1848 - 1887) Of the numerous Braun novels I've read, this one is my personal favorite. There's some dramatic license at play here, and possibly some wishful thinking on Braun's part. Besides the invention of Marie Blair, Short never did persuade John L. Sullivan to put on an exhibition match in Forth Worth (although he did attend Sullivan's fight against "Gentleman" Jim Corbett), and while Jim Courtright was indeed married, it doesn't appear that he had any children. As I said before, though, I don't begrudge Braun any of this - it's not like it's unheard of among historical fiction authors to massage facts in favor of storycraft (innocent whistling). The pacing is quick without being rushed, the characters are likeable and well-developed, and it's easily breezed through in a couple of hours. It's also not as action-heavy as some of his other novels I've read - whether that's a plus or minus will depend on your personal taste. However, there's one aspect of Braun's writing I hate to ding him for, because you'll only notice it if you read some of his other books, but I'd feel like I was shirking if I didn't bring it up. He has a tendency to re-use certain descriptions and phrases from book to book. For instance, Doc Holliday, Luke Short, and Ben Thompson all have the exact same approach to poker and gunplay in their own books, using the exact same verbiage. I've caught other phrases getting re-used, but those are the most noticeable ones. "Rowdy" Joe and Kate Lowe If you like entertaining Westerns (or you've seen Tombstone a bunch of times), Gentleman Rogue ought to be right up your alley. It's a quick, entertaining read that I've re-read a bunch of times, and most likely will again.
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