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Book Review of Zeke and Ned

Zeke and Ned
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Authors Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana play fast and loose with history here, in this tale of the clash between U.S. law and Cherokee Nation law in the late 1800s.

Historical characters include Zeke Proctor, Ned Christie, and "the hanging judge" Isaac Parker; real-life incidents include the Goingsnake massacre and Ned Christie's war. Other than that, timelines are mixed, fictional characters ride alongside historical ones, and many of the relationships -- particularly the father-in-law / son-in-law standing of Proctor and Christie -- appear to be made up whole cloth.

As usual with McMurtry, the book's strength comes in its characterizations and their dialogue, along with oddball vignettes peculiar to the time and place.