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Jackson Speed Memoirs #2
Jackson Speed and the Blood Tubs
Jackson Speed, that 19th Century reluctant adventurer and unlikely hero, is back with the second installment of his memoirs.
It is early in 1861. Abraham Lincoln has been elected president and is currently bound by train from his home in Springfield, Illinois, to his inauguration in Washington, D.C. He has planned stops along the way. The last stop before Washington will be in Baltimore.
But in Baltimore waits Cypriano Ferrandini, a sinister Corsican barber who in the hopes of sparking an American Civil War is plotting assassination with his gang of ruffians who call themselves the Blood Tubs.
But America’s Detective, Allan Pinkerton, has sent Jackson Speed to Baltimore to infiltrate the plotters and bring their plans to ruin.
Along the way, Speed will seduce Baltimore’s secessionist Belles with abolitionist poetry, fall for Pinkerton’s prettiest detective Kate Cherry, and – so long as he doesn’t get caught whistling Dixie – Ol’ Speedy will save the president elect and foil the Blood Tubs.
It is early in 1861. Abraham Lincoln has been elected president and is currently bound by train from his home in Springfield, Illinois, to his inauguration in Washington, D.C. He has planned stops along the way. The last stop before Washington will be in Baltimore.
But in Baltimore waits Cypriano Ferrandini, a sinister Corsican barber who in the hopes of sparking an American Civil War is plotting assassination with his gang of ruffians who call themselves the Blood Tubs.
But America’s Detective, Allan Pinkerton, has sent Jackson Speed to Baltimore to infiltrate the plotters and bring their plans to ruin.
Along the way, Speed will seduce Baltimore’s secessionist Belles with abolitionist poetry, fall for Pinkerton’s prettiest detective Kate Cherry, and – so long as he doesn’t get caught whistling Dixie – Ol’ Speedy will save the president elect and foil the Blood Tubs.
232 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 27, 2013
34 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Robert R. Peecher Jr.
26 books16 followersRecently a friend asked me why I write Westerns.
The simple answer is that I love Westerns. I love the history of the 19th Century, and I love the themes of classic Westerns. I write Westerns because I am a fan of Westerns.
But I think there is a deeper reason why I enjoy Westerns, and I’d love to explain it to you.
I am drawn to Westerns because it is the only genre that embodies the ideals that I consider to be truly American: Ideals of freedom, of rugged individualism, and of independence of spirit.
The heroes of Westerns are men and women who understand that justice and the law are sometimes two different things. They are people who make their own way by their own means, they are prideful and stand by what they say.
Readers of Westerns, I think, typically hold dear those same values.
They are “my people,” and I consider it a privilege to write stories for them.
No time or place better exemplifies these ideals than the American West of the 19th and early 20th Centuries. This is why I love reading Westerns, and this is why I love writing Westerns.
When I write Western novels, I’m very aware that these principles are not simply tropes in a genre but dearly held beliefs of a certain caliber of people, Americans generally, Westerners specifically, and me individually.
I strive for historical accuracy in a created world. Typically, my stories start with inspiration from actual events. I read old newspapers and non-fiction, and when I find a true story that moves my imagination, that’s where creation often begins.
Even as a young child I was drawn to Westerns. In preschool I wore a Lone Ranger costume to school every day, and I would only respond if people addressed me as “The Lone Ranger.” Kids in my class told their parents they went to school with the Lone Ranger.
I like to think there’s a bit of that kid still with me.
To be sure, the Old West is part myth and legend, and often my characters are larger than life. Their aim is truer, their horses are faster; the men are tougher, the women are prettier, and the outlaws are meaner. Even so, in my novels a six-shooter only has six rounds (and sometimes just five), and I try to avoid miraculous feats of travel.
Tougher, prettier, and meaner though they are, my characters also tend to be flawed. I want them to be as real as they can get.
But the Old West is not all legend. Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Dangerous Dan Tucker, Charley Parkhurst, Seth Bullock, Billy the Kid, Jesse James and hundreds of other cowpunchers, lawmen, outlaws, buffalo runners, and other individuals great and small were all real people who really did the things that made them famous.
So I try to write novels that exist somewhere between the real and the legend.
I write with a map and a history book beside me.
If you like fast-paced Westerns full of adventure, I hope you’ll enjoy my novels. If you do and you want to connect with me on social media, I’d encourage you to follow me on Facebook and Twitter and to visit my website at robertpeecher.com.
So cinch up your saddle, strap on your gun belt and enjoy the ride in my classic Westerns.
https://twitter.com/PEECHtweets
https://www.facebook.com/RobertPeeche...
The simple answer is that I love Westerns. I love the history of the 19th Century, and I love the themes of classic Westerns. I write Westerns because I am a fan of Westerns.
But I think there is a deeper reason why I enjoy Westerns, and I’d love to explain it to you.
I am drawn to Westerns because it is the only genre that embodies the ideals that I consider to be truly American: Ideals of freedom, of rugged individualism, and of independence of spirit.
The heroes of Westerns are men and women who understand that justice and the law are sometimes two different things. They are people who make their own way by their own means, they are prideful and stand by what they say.
Readers of Westerns, I think, typically hold dear those same values.
They are “my people,” and I consider it a privilege to write stories for them.
No time or place better exemplifies these ideals than the American West of the 19th and early 20th Centuries. This is why I love reading Westerns, and this is why I love writing Westerns.
When I write Western novels, I’m very aware that these principles are not simply tropes in a genre but dearly held beliefs of a certain caliber of people, Americans generally, Westerners specifically, and me individually.
I strive for historical accuracy in a created world. Typically, my stories start with inspiration from actual events. I read old newspapers and non-fiction, and when I find a true story that moves my imagination, that’s where creation often begins.
Even as a young child I was drawn to Westerns. In preschool I wore a Lone Ranger costume to school every day, and I would only respond if people addressed me as “The Lone Ranger.” Kids in my class told their parents they went to school with the Lone Ranger.
I like to think there’s a bit of that kid still with me.
To be sure, the Old West is part myth and legend, and often my characters are larger than life. Their aim is truer, their horses are faster; the men are tougher, the women are prettier, and the outlaws are meaner. Even so, in my novels a six-shooter only has six rounds (and sometimes just five), and I try to avoid miraculous feats of travel.
Tougher, prettier, and meaner though they are, my characters also tend to be flawed. I want them to be as real as they can get.
But the Old West is not all legend. Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Dangerous Dan Tucker, Charley Parkhurst, Seth Bullock, Billy the Kid, Jesse James and hundreds of other cowpunchers, lawmen, outlaws, buffalo runners, and other individuals great and small were all real people who really did the things that made them famous.
So I try to write novels that exist somewhere between the real and the legend.
I write with a map and a history book beside me.
If you like fast-paced Westerns full of adventure, I hope you’ll enjoy my novels. If you do and you want to connect with me on social media, I’d encourage you to follow me on Facebook and Twitter and to visit my website at robertpeecher.com.
So cinch up your saddle, strap on your gun belt and enjoy the ride in my classic Westerns.
https://twitter.com/PEECHtweets
https://www.facebook.com/RobertPeeche...
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 26, 2015
Great book. I eagerly await to see what tight spots Speedy gets into and out of next.
Displaying 1 of 1 review