“In her outstanding first novel, a historical mystery, journalist Bommersbach resurrects the name and reputation of real-life Ellen “Ella” Watson…Bommersbach beautifully re-creates the milieu in which Ella struggled to realize her dreams.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Description
Cattle Kate is the only woman ever lynched as a cattle rustler. History called it "range-land justice" when she was strung up in Wyoming Territory on July 20, 1889, tarring her as a dirty thief and a filthy whore.
But history was wrong. It was all a lie.
Her real name was Ella Watson. She wasn't a rustler. She wasn't a whore. And she'd never been called Cattle Kate until she was dead and they needed an excuse. She was really a twenty-nine-year-old immigrant homesteader, lynched along with her husband by her rich and powerful cattle-baron neighbors, who wanted her land and its precious water rights. Some people knew the truth from the start. Their voices were drowned out by the all-powerful Wyoming Stock Growers Association. And those who dared speak out—including the eyewitnesses to the hangings—either disappeared or mysteriously died. There was no one left to testify against the vigilantes when the case eventually came to trial. Her six killers walked away scot-free. But the legend was stronger than the truth. For over a century, newspapers, magazines, books, and movies spread her ugly legacy.
Now, on the 125th anniversary of her murder, the real Ella comes alive in Cattle Kate to tell her heartbreaking story. Jana Bommersbach's debut novel bares a legend central to the western experience.
Praise
“In her outstanding first novel, a historical mystery, journalist Bommersbach resurrects the name and reputation of real-life Ellen “Ella” Watson…Bommersbach beautifully re-creates the milieu in which Ella struggled to realize her dreams.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Bommersbach’s full account of Watson’s childhood on the Kansas prairie and first marriage to an abusive man is sure to elicit the reader’s sympathy, and fictional portraits of frontier women are still rare…Her colorful realism will reach a large audience.” Booklist
Details
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Release Day | Feb 9, 2015 |
| Release Date | February 10, 2015 |
| Release Date Machine | 1423526400 |
| Imprint | Blackstone Publishing |
| Provider | Blackstone Publishing |
| Categories | Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery, Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction, Historical Fiction, Biographical Fiction, Historical, Fiction - All, Fiction - Adult, Bestselling Mysteries, Bestselling Mystery |
Author Bio
Jana Bommersbach is one of Arizona’s most respected and acclaimed journalists. She has earned numerous national, state, and regional awards, including the prestigious Don Bolles Award for Investigative Reporting for her series of articles on Winnie Ruth Judd that led to the eponymous book. She lives in Phoenix.
Narrator Bio
Laura Hicks is an Obie Award–winning actress who has appeared on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater, film, and television. A native New Yorker and a Juilliard graduate, she has performed throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, Australia, Austria, Italy, and Ireland.
Overview
Cattle Kate is the only woman ever lynched as a cattle rustler. History called it "range-land justice" when she was strung up in Wyoming Territory on July 20, 1889, tarring her as a dirty thief and a filthy whore.
But history was wrong. It was all a lie.
Her real name was Ella Watson. She wasn't a rustler. She wasn't a whore. And she'd never been called Cattle Kate until she was dead and they needed an excuse. She was really a twenty-nine-year-old immigrant homesteader, lynched along with her husband by her rich and powerful cattle-baron neighbors, who wanted her land and its precious water rights. Some people knew the truth from the start. Their voices were drowned out by the all-powerful Wyoming Stock Growers Association. And those who dared speak out—including the eyewitnesses to the hangings—either disappeared or mysteriously died. There was no one left to testify against the vigilantes when the case eventually came to trial. Her six killers walked away scot-free. But the legend was stronger than the truth. For over a century, newspapers, magazines, books, and movies spread her ugly legacy.
Now, on the 125th anniversary of her murder, the real Ella comes alive in Cattle Kate to tell her heartbreaking story. Jana Bommersbach's debut novel bares a legend central to the western experience.
Reviews
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