The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones: A Novel of Old California

205 pp. A novel set in pioneer era California, following a gunslinger called 'The Kid,' obviously inspired by Billy the Kid, with other characters inspired by real Western outlaws and lawmen. "Nowadays, I understand, the tourists come for miles to see Hendry Jones' grave out on the Punta del Diablo and to debate whether his bones are there or not... A stark and violent depiction of one of America's most alluring folk heroes, the mythical doomed gunslinger. Set on the majestic coast of Southern California, Doc Baker narrates his tale of the Kid's capture, trial, escape and eventual murder. Written in spare and subtle prose, this is one of the great literary treatments of America's obsession with the rule of the gun."