The James Boys
A Novel Account of Four Desperate Brothers

A really fun read. Every page is full of big vocabulary words that you don't often see but whose meaning can be approximately ascertained by the context without resorting to the dictionary. The author lampoons everyone but especially the intellectual snobs of the 2nd half of the 19th century. Althou......more

(copied review) What if two of the most notorious outlaws of the 19th century--brothers Frank and Jesse James--were related to two of the era's greatest minds: novelist Henry James and his philosopher brother William? That's the premise of this thought-provoking and hilarious debut novel, which chro......more

novel Rocky Cut train robbery California MO, William Henry east Jesse Frank west, private eye we never sleep, union guerilla to confederate guerilla, identity swaps played fast and loose with truth, Northfield individuals defend town with own guns, Henry left in MN, William in MA, guns whores horses......more

The book itself was an interesting concept. However the swing from novel/storytelling to historic fact providing was jarring. As soon as I felt invested in the story Liebmann-Smith would swing off on a non-fictional monologue. I like both styles of writing separately, I just could not reconcile them......more

A historical novel that pulls together two famous sets of James brothers (Jesse and Frank (outlaws) and Henry and William (psychologist/author)) into one unpredictable life. An entertaining read more for it's audacity than for plot or character development. I think this book would have been a lot mo......more