The James Boys
Richard Liebmann-Smith
Reviewed by Megan Chance
I have a particular fondness for all things 19th century, believe that William James was one of the most fascinating men in history, am captivated by the enigma of the talented Henry James, and find myself riveted by the mythology and ethos of the James-Younger gang and the “Wild West.” Yet, for all that, I have to admit I was leery of reading THE JAMES BOYS, a novel about all of the above. Most of my reluctance had to do with the fact that I am not at all fond of nonsensical novels, and the premise of this book — that the criminals Frank and Jesse James were the long lost brothers of the writer Henry James and his artist/scientist/psychologist/philosopher brother William — screamed nonsensical. But I decided to plunge into it anyway, and am very glad I did. I found THE JAMES BOYS absolutely delightful.
Wonderfully erudite and perfectly wry, THE JAMES BOYS is an account of what happens when the train carrying Henry James, on a tour of the American West, is held up by the James-Younger gang. During the robbery, Henry discovers that his long-lost brothers Wilkie and Rob, who disappeared in the chaos of the Civil War, and whom the family assumed were dead, are in fact very much alive — and have become the legendary Frank and Jesse James. When they spirit him off the train and take him into their gang, Henry becomes suddenly an accomplice, with a price on his head and the Pinkertons in hot pursuit.
This robbery sets in motion a maelstrom of events, starting with Henry’s meeting of the lovely Elena “Phoenix,” a woman’s rights lecturer with an illustrious and sullied past, who will become an instrumental player in the lives of every one of the brothers, and inevitably involving William Pinkerton, the detective determined to bring the members of the James-Younger gang to justice, who suddenly finds himself over his head when it comes to the James boys.
From there, the story careens and intertwines and chases itself from the west to the Harvard of William James, and even into the literary salons of 19th century Paris, and yet it always makes an impossible and engaging sense.
Written in a tongue-in-cheek, non-fiction style by an accomplished writer in full command of his research and his story, THE JAMES BOYS was authoritative enough that even I — who have done extensive research on all four of these men at some point or another — found myself losing sight of what was real and what was invented. Mr. Liebmann-Smith snares the imagination and teases the intellect with a novel that is playful, smart and persuasive and above all, highly entertaining.
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Barnes&Noble About the Reviewer:
Megan Chance is the critically acclaimed, award-winning author of several novels. Her first book won Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award for excellence in Romantic Fiction, and since then, her novels have received several awards and award nominations. The Best Reviews has said she writes “Fascinating historical fiction.” A former television news photographer with a BA from Western Washington University, Megan Chance lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two daughters. Visit her website at www.meganchance.com.
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