Elizabeth Fackler Books In Order

Publication Order of Seth Strummar Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Elizabeth Fackler
Elizabeth Fackler is an American historical mystery author with a good collection of novels, poetry, and short stories to her name. One of Fackler’s classics, Billy the Kid: The Legend of El Chivato detailing on the Lincoln County War, was recently reissued by Sunstone Press. The book is already causing a stir in the historical fiction world. Western Writers of America considers it a magnificent achievement in its genre. Elizabeth Fackler currently resides in New Mexico with her husband and two kids, Mitchum and Pecos.

Texas Lily
Texas Lily is a recreation of events that took place during the Lincoln County War. The book is set in 1875 in the New Mexico Territory. In the opening act, Emmet Moss, a 50-year-old wealthy rancher, proposes marriage to an old friend’s daughter. Sixteen-year-old Lily Cassidy has just lost her father, and the future for the family looks bleak. When Emmet proposes, everyone thinks it’s the family’s only way out of poverty. At least when the wealthy man marries her, she can help provide for her crippled brother and widowed mother. While Lily is quick to accept Emmet’s proposal, she is not in love with him. Her heart belongs to Jasper Stone. Unfortunately, young Jasper is a desperado, and no one expects him to live for long.

In this marriage of convenience, Lily has only one wish- that Emmett kills the person who murdered her father. Emmett, on the other hand, wants a son. When Lily fulfills her end of the bargain, Emmett fails to honor the agreement. Emmett’s brutish sexual attentions and duplicity are also putting him in Lily’s bad books. When Emmett’s niece’s affair with a gunfighter, another son is added to the family. Emmett kills the illegitimate baby, but Lily is aware that there was a cradle swap. This could only mean that Emmett’s actions amounted to murder.

Through the hardships, Lily grows into a strong and determined woman. She is quick to learn the strengths and weaknesses of those around her and use them to her advantage. In the face of death and devastation, it is surprising how Lily stayed sane through it all. The author’s descriptions through different sections show how life was in New Mexico in the 1870s. The scenes described are breathtaking despite the devastating happening around them.

Elizabeth Fackler weaves an engrossing tale of a bitter feud caused by cattle rights. The people involved in the dispute later turn it into family vendetta and personal tragedies follow soon after. This story depicts pettiness, cruelty, and betrayal. It is heartbreaking to see the lengths people driven by greed will go to get their way. Overall, the story is well-researched, which results in an emotionally compelling tale that paints a perfect picture of the 1870s lifestyle.

Texas Lily spans documents over 20 years of pain, revenge, and hatred. These deep emotions lead to murder, suicide, and insanity. In the end, everyone loses. What starts as a family saga escalates to involve people who were not a party to the original misunderstanding. This book will hook you from the start. The narration is flawless, and the tension continues to rise as the story progresses. If you love historical fiction, you will find this book irresistible. Don’t be surprised to find yourself thinking about Lily and her complicated life long after you are done reading the book

Billy The Kid: The Legend of El Chivato
Billy The Kid, shows the complexities that came with the Lincoln County War witnessed in New Mexico in the 1870s. Young John Tunstall arrived in New Mexico in 1876. Immediately he entered the territory, Tunstall had a deep feeling that he had found the perfect frontier. At the time, Lincoln County was the toughest part of America. Tunstall settled here with the main aim of getting rich. To succeed, Tunstall will need to form alliances with the right people while ensuring that his property is protected from rustlers who rule the land.

Lawyer McSween was careful to coat his ambition with good motives. The same cannot be said of his wife, who was a total disaster. McSween forms an alliance with Tunstall against the Santa Fe Ring’s corrupt local kingpin. This alliance forms the fuse for the gory Lincoln County War. In the violence that follows, Billy Bonney rises to become an American Legend. How does the war work for Tunstall and others like him?

This book follows Billy the Kid’s career up to his death at just 21 years. Billy was a notorious gambler, cattle rustler, and gunman. He is said to have killed 27 men before he was shot in 1888. His hardening started at the age of 14 when young Bonney watched his mother die of tuberculosis. Her death sends Bonney on a downward spiral that leads straight into lawlessness. Bonney and his stepfather were never close, and their relationship immediately Bonny’s mother is buried. The teenager is forced to go out and fend for himself.

Billy is an outlaw of great charm. At times, he acts as the trigger gunslinger who is happy to eliminate anyone who crosses his path. Billy is also easy with women, and this puts him in trouble a couple of times. The young man comes with a wild western spirit, which makes him dread cages. He’s vulnerable and virtue. It easy to understand where he is coming from despite his evil actions. However, to the likes of McSween, Billy is a misled young man who ends up on the wrong side of a bloody war.

Interestingly, the author depicts Billy as a hero who dared to go against the social and political order of that time. While you have the freedom to choose sides, the author’s deep characterization and skillful manipulation will make you see things from her point of view. All the characters in the story are memorable, and it is fun to meet them and get into their lives. Billy The Kid comes loaded with history, mystery, and action. The pace is relentless throughout the story.