He
was dead by the time he was 19 --- though some say he might have
been 21. Legend has it that he killed a man for every year of his
life and that he was one of the best shots the old west ever saw.
But this is the stuff of legend. The real truth surrounding the
short life of William H. Bonney Jr. (Billy The Kid) is pretty much
speculation. So Theodore Taylor has taken a blend of fact and
fiction to create this version of the "Kid's" life.

Covering the last few weeks in the young desperado's life from an
unfortunate train robbery to his grisly death in a gunfight, we are
given both the Kid's point of view and that of his cousin and
friend, sheriff Willis Monroe. Willis has known Billy since they
were both youngsters, and when he hears that there's been a train
robbery, he can hardly believe that the boy could be involved. With
the hopes of bringing him safely back and clearing his name, Willis
sets off to find him. His wife Kate also wants to believe in
Billy's innocence but at the same time is frightened for her
husband's safety.

Billy, for the time being, had taken the "easy" way out. Trying to
make some quick money, he has fallen into the company of three
notorious thieves. What seems like a good opportunity turns out to
be poor judgment, and before everything is over, Billy kills one of
the thieves (in self-defense), takes all the money and runs. But
even when he meets up with Willis and agrees to go back for a
trial, the cards seem stacked against him. He escapes from the jail
and he and Willis end up in a desperate, bloody gunfight against
the original thieves.

Was he a desperado, an outlaw, a murderer, a robber, or just a kid
in the wrong place at the right time? 1881 was a hard, ruthless and
mostly lawless time in the old west. In Taylor's carefully crafted
interpretation, he creates a likable Billy in a fast-moving, good
old-fashioned western. The "Author's Note" at the end explains how
he came about writing this fiction and a little of what is known of
the real Billy. Taylor, author of THE CAY, has written a book that
will perk the interest of anyone who would like a taste of the old
west and its legendary characters.

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