Hangtown

by Michael Bailey, Mar Garica (Illustrator)

Returning to his hometown, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated and Bram Stoker Award®-winning writer and editor Michael Bailey fills in the missing pieces of a town’s dark past in this homage to Charles Portis’ TRUE GRIT and Cormac McCarthy’s BLOOD MERIDIAN.

Based on a true story, HANGTOWN is a historical western about the hangings in a placer mining town that once went by that moniker, one of the first established diggings during the chaos of the Gold Rush. Set in 1848 to 1850, the unlawful were punished and hanged swiftly for crimes of theft and violence, haunting forever what is now Placerville, California.

“With testimonies revealed in the whisper of oilskin, stolen from beneath wooden floorboards, or drawn with a finger in the dirt, Bailey unearths a bloody tale [a collection of bloody tales] that seep(s) truth like an open wound. mining themes of avarice, prejudice, injustice, and told in prose as blunt as a shovel, Bailey hits paydirt with HANGTOWN. A veritable tour de force.” – Lee Murray, five-time Bram Stoker Award®-winning author

280 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 4, 2023

About the author

Michael Bailey is a recipient and ten-time nominee of the Bram Stoker Award, a five-time Shirley Jackson Award nominee, and a three-time recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Award, along with several independent publishing accolades. He has written, edited, and published many books of various genres. His latest is Righting Writing, a nonfiction narrative used as curriculum for aspiring writers, and Silent Nightmares: Haunting Stories to Be Told on the Longest Night of the Year, an anthology co-edited with Chuck Palahniuk to be published by Simon & Schuster in fall of 2026. He is also the screenwriter for Madness and Writers, a creative documentary series about writers, and a producer for numerous film projects. Find him online at nettirw.com, or on social media @nettirw. He is represented by Lane Heymont of the Tobias Literary Agency.

Reviews

[John Hinchliffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have listened to the Audible version of this book.
A very well written and interesting book indeed from Michael Bailey. A mixture of fiction and fact it tells the story of a very early settlement during the Californian Goldrush. The main story is fast paced and addictive listening as corrupt officials try to get their own way in a fairly lawless environment. False claims and theft of the gold diggers hard won treasures all add up to a hard life as they struggle to survive and avoid the rope. Some Harrowing scenes may put readers off a bit. Randy McCarten's narration as always is top notch. Highly recommended listen.

[Siobhan D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the narration of Randy McCarten, who brings the characters, and that time to your ears.

We have this plot set in the Californian Goldrush. It is fast paced, with corrupt officials. False claims and theft of the gold the struggles to survive and avoid the rope.

[Amber K · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wasnt for me
I usually like western style or historical stories from the western era, but I just couldn't get into this book 😕 dnf