Cattle Kate by Jane Bommersbach

In Cattle Kate, we meet Ella Watson, a young woman who was hanged along with her husband on July 20, 1889, by prominent cattlemen.  History has managed to portray this lynching as a type of case of "range land justice," with "Cattle Kate" tarred as not only a notorious rustler, but, also a filthy whore.  Could this be possibly true?

No, in fact, it was all a lie.  She was not in fact a rustler, and she was not a whore.  She was in fact, a 28-year-old immigrant homesteader that was murdered by her powerful and rich neighbors that wanted her land and the precious water rights it possessed that she refused to sell to them.  She was never called "Cattle Kate" until after she was dead and there was an excuse needed in order to cover up their crime of murder.

Over the years, there have been dozens of movies and books that have spread her ugly legacy.  Now, upon the 125th anniversary of her murder, Ella is brought back to live again in Cattle Kate to tell her devastating story, a heart wrenching story that is central to a western experience.

I'm not a big western reader, however, I am a big mystery/murder/thriller reader and I loved this.  It was not what I expected.  I enjoyed it from start-to-finished.  This is a real page-turner that you won't want to put down. Bommersbach grabbed my attention at the very first page and held it till the end.  Well done!