When Glendon Swarthout's barber introduces him to a retired journalist in the local OK Tonsorial Corral, the one, the only Walter Winchell, he is stunned to learn that the old-timer is in possession of a remarkable document: the true story of Bat Masterson's final years, written in the legendary shootist's own hand. Passed on from Damon Runyon in 1945, the four holograph pages, if genuine, are pure dynamite. For here we learn how Masterson meets up with the one, the only Wyatt Earp in New York City in 1916 and these two aging gunslingers, a couple of old Colts, turn their backs on their reputations and start raising hell in the late afternoon of their lives.
Wine, women, and song and -- if you can believe it -- a life of crime by two of the most respected heroes of the Old West. Truth or fiction, the author leaves the reader to decide in this masterfully handled comic Western.
Reviews --
"Swarthout easily weaves the facts about Earp's and Masterson's actual careers into his fiction, and his engaging yarn spins along at the brisk pace of a well-tuned Model T. The slang reads right, the laughs are real, and the pay-off is deserved. The Old Colts is a knee-slapper, a jaw-dropper and a comic delight."
the Los Angeles Times
"It's fast and funny. One admires not only Swarthout's ability to handle the language of the period, but also his inventiveness with scene and incident.... It's a marvel of a tall tale."
Rex Burns, the Denver Post
""...the book ends with an action-packed episode that will make every Western buff cheer."
Phil Thomas, Associated Press Books Editor
"Catchy dialogue and a flavorful portrayal of the Old West mindset are the hallmarks of this novel, which will be enjoyed by both genre buffs and general readers."
Booklist, of the American Library Association
"This is a fast-paced, wry story, heavy with atmospheric flavor and packed with a cameo cast that ranges from George M. Cohan to Teddy Roosevelt. A dandy entertainment."
Charles Michaud, the Library Journal
"If ever a book were entitled to the description 'ripsnorter,' this is it....Glendon Swarthout has a filmmaker's eye and sense of pace, a poet's love of language...Swarthout takes Wyatt Earp and us for quite a ride. One hopes they make a movie out of this latest ragtag brawler of a book....So who cares if The Old Colts isn't exactly history? We can always wish it were."
William Ruehlmann, the Virginian-Pilot
"In a yarn highly reminiscent of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Glendon Swarthout has put together an extremely entertaining tale of the latter days of Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp...Swarthout has a most realistic touch and the two characters come winningly to life from his pages...Entertaining reading for a hot summer night, it certainly is. And with all, a look at the Old West far more realistic and candid than has appeared in a long time."
Bruce Lawrason, the Indianopolis Star
"The Old Colts is a wildly funny story of a reunion between the famous gunfighters when they were in their sixties, and their last great adventure together.,..Swarthout has resurrected with affection and humor a pair of American legends who deserve never to be forgotten."
James M. Tarbox, St. Paul, Minnesota Morning Pioneer Press Dispatch
"A genuinely humorous novel that is frequently exciting due to its inventive use of language. Most of all it is great fun. Let me add that there is a passage in which Wyatt and Bat go out on a date with a couple of Dodge City girls. The scene back at the hotel is, in my opinion, a minor classic. Warning: reading it may be hazardous to your ability to keep a straight face for hours afterward."
Dennis Beck, the McAllen, Texas Monitor
"It's an amusing tale that Swarthout handles with just enough tongue-in-cheek to make it entertaining."
Chicago Tribune
Genre: Western
Wine, women, and song and -- if you can believe it -- a life of crime by two of the most respected heroes of the Old West. Truth or fiction, the author leaves the reader to decide in this masterfully handled comic Western.
Reviews --
"Swarthout easily weaves the facts about Earp's and Masterson's actual careers into his fiction, and his engaging yarn spins along at the brisk pace of a well-tuned Model T. The slang reads right, the laughs are real, and the pay-off is deserved. The Old Colts is a knee-slapper, a jaw-dropper and a comic delight."
the Los Angeles Times
"It's fast and funny. One admires not only Swarthout's ability to handle the language of the period, but also his inventiveness with scene and incident.... It's a marvel of a tall tale."
Rex Burns, the Denver Post
""...the book ends with an action-packed episode that will make every Western buff cheer."
Phil Thomas, Associated Press Books Editor
"Catchy dialogue and a flavorful portrayal of the Old West mindset are the hallmarks of this novel, which will be enjoyed by both genre buffs and general readers."
Booklist, of the American Library Association
"This is a fast-paced, wry story, heavy with atmospheric flavor and packed with a cameo cast that ranges from George M. Cohan to Teddy Roosevelt. A dandy entertainment."
Charles Michaud, the Library Journal
"If ever a book were entitled to the description 'ripsnorter,' this is it....Glendon Swarthout has a filmmaker's eye and sense of pace, a poet's love of language...Swarthout takes Wyatt Earp and us for quite a ride. One hopes they make a movie out of this latest ragtag brawler of a book....So who cares if The Old Colts isn't exactly history? We can always wish it were."
William Ruehlmann, the Virginian-Pilot
"In a yarn highly reminiscent of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Glendon Swarthout has put together an extremely entertaining tale of the latter days of Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp...Swarthout has a most realistic touch and the two characters come winningly to life from his pages...Entertaining reading for a hot summer night, it certainly is. And with all, a look at the Old West far more realistic and candid than has appeared in a long time."
Bruce Lawrason, the Indianopolis Star
"The Old Colts is a wildly funny story of a reunion between the famous gunfighters when they were in their sixties, and their last great adventure together.,..Swarthout has resurrected with affection and humor a pair of American legends who deserve never to be forgotten."
James M. Tarbox, St. Paul, Minnesota Morning Pioneer Press Dispatch
"A genuinely humorous novel that is frequently exciting due to its inventive use of language. Most of all it is great fun. Let me add that there is a passage in which Wyatt and Bat go out on a date with a couple of Dodge City girls. The scene back at the hotel is, in my opinion, a minor classic. Warning: reading it may be hazardous to your ability to keep a straight face for hours afterward."
Dennis Beck, the McAllen, Texas Monitor
"It's an amusing tale that Swarthout handles with just enough tongue-in-cheek to make it entertaining."
Chicago Tribune
Genre: Western
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