CITY OF GOLD

Miners, cowboys, outlaws, and lawmen get a genre revival in Hobbs’ new historical adventure.

Owen Hollowell is the man of the house at just 15 since his father’s untimely passing from the scourge of tuberculosis eight months earlier. The Hollowell clan—Owen, Ma, and younger brother Till—are trying to stake a claim on a new life in turn-of-the-20th-century southwestern Colorado when a rustler steals their two prized mules. Without the mules to help plow and cultivate their inherited land, the widow and her boys face destitution. Owen sets off across the San Juan Mountains on the trail of their stolen mules, later joined by Till, who is itching for an adventure to call his own. Along the way they encounter corrupt lawmen, greedy mining corporations, workers advocating for safe and humane work conditions, and two of the most famous outlaws to ever rob a train: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Like a steam locomotive, the story takes a bit to get going, but once it does it chugs right along. While Hobbs at times applies artistic license to the true history of Telluride and surrounding areas, the story is vividly moored to its setting. Tying in true events, real people (most white, like the Hollowells), and a clearly intimate knowledge of the terrain of the Four Corners region, Hobbs weaves a tale that will transport readers back in time and never let them get bored.

A Western romp with anchors in history and geography that will leave readers anxious to explore more.