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Book Review of Doc: A Novel

Doc: A Novel
eadieburke avatar reviewed on + 1623 more book reviews


Book Description
Born to the life of a Southern gentleman, Dr. John Henry Holliday arrives on the Texas frontier hoping that the dry air and sunshine of the West will restore him to health. Soon, with few job prospects, Doc Holliday is gambling professionally with his partner, Mária Katarina Harony, a high-strung, classically educated Hungarian whore. In search of high-stakes poker, the couple hits the saloons of Dodge City. And that is where the unlikely friendship of Doc Holliday and a fearless lawman named Wyatt Earp beginsâ before the gunfight at the O.K. Corral links their names forever in American frontier mythologyâwhen neither man wanted fame or deserved notoriety.

My Review
Russell really brings to life the characters of Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp, Morgan Earp and Kate, his lady friend. Her descriptions make you feel like you are in Dodge City in the 1870's where Doc worked as a dentist. The character development is excellent and there is a great mixture of fact and fiction. I learned a lot about his early years and his mother, Alice, who died of tuberculosis. If was from his mother that he acquired tuberculosis which constantly troubled him and took his life too early. He was an excellent piano player and I could imagine him playing in the saloons. I now look forward to reading Epitaph which is the sequel to Doc and highly recommend these books to those who love westerns.