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Shot All to Hell: Jesse James, the Northfield Raid, and the Wild West's Greatest Escape Kindle Edition

by Mark Lee Gardner (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 501 ratings
Editors' pick Best History
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Shot All to Hell by Mark Lee Gardner recounts the thrilling life of Jesse James, Frank James, the Younger brothers, and the most famous bank robbery of all time.
 
Follow the Wild West’s most celebrated gang of outlaws as they step inside Northfield’s First National Bank and back out on the streets to square off with heroic citizens who risked their lives to defend justice in Minnesota.
 
With compelling details that chronicle the two-week chase that followed—the near misses, the fateful mistakes, and the bloody final shootout on the Watonwan River, Shot All to Hell is a galloping true tale of frontier justice from the author of To Hell on a Fast Horse: The Untold Story of Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett, Mark Lee Gardner.

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  1. Print length
    324 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Mariner Books
  5. Publication date
    July 23, 2013
  6. File size
    5402 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

There are, of course, many books and films, some serious and some fanciful, on the exploits of the James-Younger gang. Unlike most of them, Gardner, an authority on the American West, has shed considerable light on a neglected aspect of the gang’s life of crime, the escape of Frank and Jesse James from several posses after the debacle of their attempted robbery of the bank in Northfield, Minnesota. In his description of the origins of the gang and their “careers” before Northfield, Gardner provides a useful background for novices on the topic. His narrative picks up steam in his detailed, almost bullet-by-bullet account of the failed robbery. In the planning, the James brothers failed to realize that the well-armed citizens of Northfield would resist the attack on a bank that held their savings. Those who escaped the carnage in the town were the subject of a massive manhunt covering hundreds of miles, and the escape of Frank and Jesse was both exciting and remarkable. This is a well-done reexamination of an episode that has become enshrined in Western lore. --Jay Freeman

Review

“Rollicking. ... Equal parts violent melodrama and meticulous procedural... with enough bloody action to engage readers enthralled by tales of good versus evil.” — New York Times Book Review

“Superb. ... Mr. Gardner earns an A+ for his research and an A++ for his writing. — New York Journal of Books

“An elegant narrative that’s as entertaining as it is historically accurate… A must-read.” — Publishers Weekly

“Action packed…A gripping read and probably tells all there is to tell about a legendary group of psychopaths.” — Kirkus

“[This] bullet-by-bullet account... sheds considerable light on a neglected aspect of the gang’s life of crime... well done.” — Booklist

“Rewarding. ... Gardner’s re-creation of the Northfield Raid... orchestrates the often-unwieldy particulars of the event with considerable virtuosity. ... It would be hard to imagine a more thorough account.” — Washington Post

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B009NGHRA8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mariner Books; Reprint edition (July 23, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 23, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5402 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 324 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 501 ratings

About the author

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Mark Lee Gardner

Mark Lee Gardner

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Mark Lee Gardner is a recipient of the Frank Waters Award for Literary Excellence. His bestselling books include Rough Riders, To Hell on a Fast Horse, and Shot All to Hell, which received multiple awards, including a Spur Award from Western Writers of America. His expertise as an authority on the American West has led to appearances on PBS’s American Experience, the History Channel, AMC, the Travel Channel, and on NPR. In addition to his several books, he's written for National Geographic History, American Heritage, the Los Angeles Times, True West, and American Cowboy. A native of Missouri, he holds an MA in American Studies from the University of Wyoming and lives with his family at the foot of Pikes Peak.

Photo credit: Vance Lee Gardner

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
501 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Brimo
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and Mythbusting
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2024
Verified Purchase
Though I read this some years ago, I decided to reread. Well written and researched and worth the time. I "loaned" my first copy to someone, never do that, so I had to buy another copy. Worth the price.
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E. Nourse
4.0 out of 5 stars Great detail, but does not get mired down in it.
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2023
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To be fair, I was born and raised in Minnesota. About a month ago we went to the Northfield bank robbery museum. Which is very tiny, but really interesting. It is the actual bank as it was on the day of the raid. No reproductions. Inspired me to order this book. I found it interesting. Not to mired down in the minutia of detail, but enough to keep you invested in the story. Felt like it was well researched and true to the facts of.
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R. A. Petro
5.0 out of 5 stars The James/Younger Gang's Last Hurrah
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2013
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Much has been written about the James Brothers and the Younger Clan but if one is interested in a good sketch of all the personel involved in the aborted hold-up and a thorough telling of the bank robbery itself, a reader need look no further than Mr.Gardner's entirely readable account of the robbers, the victims and the outcome of the Northfield, Minnesota battle.
Immortalized in song, film and writing, the Northfield Bank robbery has taken on almost mythical status; Mr.Gardner, through his thorough research and competent telling of the story, strips most of the myth away yet the reader finds the truth just as compelling as the fictions. His accurate depictions of the robbers involved, characters who really need no embelishments, draws the reader on. He describes the actions of all involved with a flair toward their "larger than life" status, allowing the story to move along as if in a novel only everything he depicts is backed with as much verification as available.
The escape of the James Brothers and their subsequent fates draws the reader into a grudging admiration for the toughness and ingenuity of the notorious brothers. The Youngers are also thoroughly described up to their last shoot-out before capture. The equipment, weapons and horses utilized by the gang are analyzed in detail but without burdensome or excess information. As an example, he describes all of the robbers as wearing "dusters", a long coat worn over one's clothing to limit dust and dirt (also, to hide weapons) accumulating on one's clothes; these could be made of canvas but Mr.Gardner mentions the "fine quality linen" of the coats worn by the gunmen. Details like this abound but are not dwelled upon making for a good flow to the story.
As I mentioned earlier, much has been written about Northfield and the characters involved. I've never seen the story told in such a robust and readable fashion until Mr.Gardner's volume. This entirely fascinating book occupies a prominent place on my bookshelf and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the robbers themselves, the era or the attack on Northfield. Rich with detail, abounding in references and as authentic as the era itself, "Shot All To Hell" is, indeed, a five star read!
6 people found this helpful
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KU Fan
5.0 out of 5 stars It's Jesse & Cole, Boys !
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2016
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I would like to recommend what i consider a terrific book on the Northfield Raid and robbery. The book is aptly titled "Shot All To Hell" subtitled "Jesse James, The Northfield Raid, And the Wild West's Greatest Escape" by Mark Lee Gardner. What a fantastic read ! Like the thwarted robbery in my home state (The Dalton gang's demise in Coffeyville, KS) this was another example wherein hard-working citizens in a peaceful American town, stood up to a gang of cutthroats and sent them hightailing it out of town, leaving two of the gang dead in the street. The town did suffer losses, however. A Swedish immigrant, Nicholas Gustavson, was killed in the crossfire, and teller James Haywood died a heroic death by refusing to open the safe, even at gunpoint. Some compelling conclusions (based on extensive research by Mr. Gardner) were:
The robbery was not the original reason for the trip to Minnesota, nor was Northfield itself originally targeted.
The gang spent considerable time in various towns before hitting Northfield. The plan was to avoid killing anyone if at all possible.
The aftermath turned out to be the largest manhunt in US history as to the number of participants.
Pards, I could go on for pages here but you get the drift. How in the blazes did Jesse and Frank James, afoot in a Minnesota swamp, totally lost, with Frank wounded, elude hundreds of searchers and make it all the way back to Missouri ? As I said, this book is FANTASTIC. One last note..there is a great contemporary (fancy word for "at the time of..) photo of the bank's interior on page 71 of the hardback edition. I kept a bookmark on that page cuzz i constantly referred back to it during the narrative on what happened inside. There is also a really good diagram of the escape route out of town. One last point, please take the time to read the Prologue and Epilogue. Most importantly, read the Notes for each chapter. They are a wealth of information, painstakingly researched and added for the reader's benefit ! The notes are numbered corresponding to the page number they refer to. Alright, then. Saddle up & ride to Northfield, circa 1876 by buying and reading Mark Lee Gardner's "Shot All to Hell" You'll be glad you did !
2 people found this helpful
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JES
3.0 out of 5 stars Not great! Just okay!
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2016
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I don't know what I was looking for when I started reading this book. But, but this is not an in depth study of Jesse and Frank James nor Cole Younger and his brothers. It was okay. It was entertaining, but I was disappointed. I don't know any more about Jesse James now than I did before I ever started reading the book. In fact, of all the characters in the book, this book divulged less about Jesse than anybody.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Kevin Donnan
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Service!
Reviewed in Canada on March 22, 2021
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Product was in great shape and sent very quickly. Will now start "seeking out" this vendor. Thanks!
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H. BROLLY
5.0 out of 5 stars Audacious and authentic.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 27, 2018
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Forget the legends and myths created by the Hollywood versions. This is the true story of an adventure seemingly doomd from the outset. The audacity of the raid was startling but poor luck, bad information and some heriocs from the townspeople made it a disaster for the James gang. Escape was made possible by the misplaced ego and lack of cooperation from the chasing posses. This is a first class tale, based on authenticity. The author has really researched his facts and has compiled an important history of this episode of the James Gang.
2 people found this helpful
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Harold McDonnell
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 24, 2019
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I was very pleased with this book , have not had time to read it yet
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 17, 2017
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Fantastic read, possibly the best factual western book I have read. Great attention to even the smallest detail and written in an entertaining and informative style. Can't praise enough. A must read for all western enthusiasts.
One person found this helpful
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Arran
5.0 out of 5 stars I really enjoyed this read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 13, 2016
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I really enjoyed this read, if you're a fan of the wild west and all it's tales then this is a book for you. It sticks with eye witness accounts and verbal evidance. No fantasy writing needed. It is a remarkable book.
One person found this helpful
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