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Texas Ranger: The Epic Life of Frank Hamer, the Man Who Killed Bonnie and Clyde by John Boessenecker
rross374's review
4.0
The Epic Life of Frank Hamer is a must read for anyone interested in the old West to modern law enforcement. Frank Hamer (pronounced HAY-MER) was a Texas Ranger involved in several of the notorious tales of Texas from dealing with the corruption of the Ma and Pa Ferguson governor era to the 1948 LBJ Senator ballot stuffing to win by fraud his first Senate Seat for LBJ. Hamer is probably best remembered as the Law man that planned the capture of Bonnie & Clyde which became their death in Louisiana. Unfortunately, Hamer is probably remembered in the fictitious 1967 movie about Bonnie & Clyde where Bonnie (played by Faye Dunaway) and Clyde Barrow (played by Warren Beatty) played the good guys and Hamer (played by Denver Pyle) played the bad guy the law. This movie failed to state that Bonnie and Clyde had killed 9 law enforcement officers in cold-blood as well as several innocent people. The author gives a full account of Frank Hamer’s life the good and the bad, he explains how times have changed in the South and dealing with the Klan and the rights of all people. This book is about 500 pages and a quick read, very well researched and hard to put down.
socraticgadfly's review
4.0
Excellent book for anybody wanting a good overview of Hamer, honest and detailed alike, and also something that does good cutting through some Texas Ranger myths.
Boessenecker is honest to even rightly finding fault with Hamer over the Sherman riot and his tardiness in calling for more help from Austin.
He otherwise rightly notes that Hamer was a cut above the Ranger of yore in not having as much prejudice, at least, and being a bit more under control of himself.
That said, Boessenecker, per Stephen Harrington's new "Big Wonderful Thing," probably still turd-polishes Hamer's pre-Sherman history too much. I've cropped it a star.
Boessenecker is honest to even rightly finding fault with Hamer over the Sherman riot and his tardiness in calling for more help from Austin.
He otherwise rightly notes that Hamer was a cut above the Ranger of yore in not having as much prejudice, at least, and being a bit more under control of himself.
That said, Boessenecker, per Stephen Harrington's new "Big Wonderful Thing," probably still turd-polishes Hamer's pre-Sherman history too much. I've cropped it a star.
doowopapocalypse's review
3.0
This book is fun. Lots of fairly well written anecdotes. But. The author mentions a few times how he wants to restore Hamer's name to its proper place in history, and the thing that keeps holding him back is...Hamer. Good gun fighter, maybe not such a good cop. Not when you shoot first and ask questions later. Or get personally involved in a blood feud that you were assigned to stop. I get it was a different time, but there are things Hamer did that were not even ok in a sly wink sort of way. Like assault reporters. Or "accidentally" join, however briefly, the KKK. The author also makes some VERY tenuous suggestions-notably that Hamer's trying to stop LBJ getting elected in Texas on behalf of a friend somehow led to the Civil Rights Act. But I could read the gun fights all day.
yulelogue's review
4.0
This is a good book. I think the author takes the Texas Rangers to task for their many sins and I don’t think he exonerates Hamer for his known misdeeds or takes him off the hook for anything he may or may not have been a part of.
I think it’s fact that Hamer was probably one of a kind (pockmarks and all) for his profession at the time of his life in Texas, which was still a relative wild frontier through the Second World War.
I think it’s fact that Hamer was probably one of a kind (pockmarks and all) for his profession at the time of his life in Texas, which was still a relative wild frontier through the Second World War.
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