What do you think?
Rate this book
Finding Billy Battles: Book 1 in the Finding Billy Battles Trilogy
When a great-grandson inherits two aging trunks and a stack of meticulously detailed journals penned by his great-grandfather, he sets out to fulfill his great-grandfather's last request: to tell the story of an incredible life replete with adventure, violence, and tragedy. The great-grandfather's name is Billy Battles--a man often trapped and overwhelmed by circumstances beyond his control.
For much of his 100-year-long life Billy is a man missing and largely unknown to his descendants. His great-grandson is about to change that. As he works his way through the aging journals and the other possessions he finds in the battered trunks he uncovers the truth about his mysterious great-grandfather--a man whose deeds and misdeeds propelled him on an extraordinary and perilous journey from the untamed American West to the inscrutable Far East, Latin America and Europe.
As he flips through the pages of the handwritten journals he learns of Billy's surprising connections to the Spanish-American War, French Indochina, and revolutions in Mexico and other Latin American countries. But most of all he learns that in finding Billy Battles he has also found a long lost and astonishing link to the past.
For much of his 100-year-long life Billy is a man missing and largely unknown to his descendants. His great-grandson is about to change that. As he works his way through the aging journals and the other possessions he finds in the battered trunks he uncovers the truth about his mysterious great-grandfather--a man whose deeds and misdeeds propelled him on an extraordinary and perilous journey from the untamed American West to the inscrutable Far East, Latin America and Europe.
As he flips through the pages of the handwritten journals he learns of Billy's surprising connections to the Spanish-American War, French Indochina, and revolutions in Mexico and other Latin American countries. But most of all he learns that in finding Billy Battles he has also found a long lost and astonishing link to the past.
299 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 30, 2016
7 people are currently reading
5 people want to read
About the author
Ronald E. Yates
14 books146 followersRonald E. Yates is an award-winning author of historical fiction and action/adventure novels, including the popular and award-winning Finding Billy Battles trilogy. His extraordinarily accurate books have captivated fans the world over who applaud his ability to blend fact and fiction.
Ron is a former award-winning foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune and Professor Emeritus of Journalism at the University of Illinois where he was also the Dean of the College of Media.
His book, "The Improbable Journeys of Billy Battles," is the second in his Finding Billy Battles trilogy of novels and was published in June 2016. It has won multiple awards, including the 2017 KCT International Literary Award, the 2017 John E. Weaver Excellent Reads Award for Historical Fiction, the 2016 New Apple Literary Award in the Action/Adventure category and First Place in the 2016 Chanticleer International Book Awards in the Literary Category. It was also a finalist for the United Kingdom’s Diamond Book Award.
The first book in the trilogy, "Finding Billy Battles," was published in 2014 and was a Kansas Book Festival Selection and a finalist for a Chanticleer Laramie Award. Book 3 of the trilogy (The Lost Years of Billy Battles) was published June 6, 2018.
Ron has been a presenting author at the Kansas Book Festival and the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, among other venues. He is also the author of The Kikkoman Chronicles: A Global Company with A Japanese Soul, published by McGraw-Hill. Other books include Aboard the Tokyo Express: A Foreign Correspondent's Journey through Japan, a collection of columns translated into Japanese, as well as three journalism textbooks: The Journalist's Handbook, International Reporting and Foreign Correspondents, and Business and Financial Reporting in a Global Economy.
Before leaving the world of professional journalism where he toiled 25 years, Ron lived and worked in Japan, Southeast Asia, and both Central and South America where he covered several history-making events including the fall of South Vietnam and Cambodia; the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing; and wars and revolutions in Afghanistan, the Philippines, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala, among other places.
Ron's work as a war correspondent resulted in several awards, including the Inter-American Press Association's Tom Wallace Award for coverage of Central and South America; the Peter Lisagor Award from the Society of Professional Journalists; three Edward Scott Beck Awards for International Reporting, and three Pulitzer nominations.
He lives in Murrieta, California and is a proud graduate of the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas.
Ron is a former award-winning foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune and Professor Emeritus of Journalism at the University of Illinois where he was also the Dean of the College of Media.
His book, "The Improbable Journeys of Billy Battles," is the second in his Finding Billy Battles trilogy of novels and was published in June 2016. It has won multiple awards, including the 2017 KCT International Literary Award, the 2017 John E. Weaver Excellent Reads Award for Historical Fiction, the 2016 New Apple Literary Award in the Action/Adventure category and First Place in the 2016 Chanticleer International Book Awards in the Literary Category. It was also a finalist for the United Kingdom’s Diamond Book Award.
The first book in the trilogy, "Finding Billy Battles," was published in 2014 and was a Kansas Book Festival Selection and a finalist for a Chanticleer Laramie Award. Book 3 of the trilogy (The Lost Years of Billy Battles) was published June 6, 2018.
Ron has been a presenting author at the Kansas Book Festival and the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, among other venues. He is also the author of The Kikkoman Chronicles: A Global Company with A Japanese Soul, published by McGraw-Hill. Other books include Aboard the Tokyo Express: A Foreign Correspondent's Journey through Japan, a collection of columns translated into Japanese, as well as three journalism textbooks: The Journalist's Handbook, International Reporting and Foreign Correspondents, and Business and Financial Reporting in a Global Economy.
Before leaving the world of professional journalism where he toiled 25 years, Ron lived and worked in Japan, Southeast Asia, and both Central and South America where he covered several history-making events including the fall of South Vietnam and Cambodia; the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing; and wars and revolutions in Afghanistan, the Philippines, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala, among other places.
Ron's work as a war correspondent resulted in several awards, including the Inter-American Press Association's Tom Wallace Award for coverage of Central and South America; the Peter Lisagor Award from the Society of Professional Journalists; three Edward Scott Beck Awards for International Reporting, and three Pulitzer nominations.
He lives in Murrieta, California and is a proud graduate of the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 10, 2019
Billy Battles lived the cowboy life Ned Buntline never dreamed existed.
Author Ronald E. Yates created a continent spanning western tale. Young Billy Battle grew up on a hardscrabble farm near Dodge City, Kansas at the peak of its cattle-drive squalor. Along the way, Billy Battle meets every lawman and a bunch of desperados in Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas and includes a visit to Lawrence Kansas (of Quantrill’s Raid fame). A family acquaintance in Lawrence knows Billy wants to cut Momma’s apron strings and suggests he work for a local newspaper that wants to open a newspaper in Dodge city. Billy’s early training in shooting rifle and pistol are a blessing and a curse. His shooting ability saves his and his publishers life but leads to trouble with folks wanting revenge. Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp (and all the Earp boys), and Doc Holiday provide plenty of story and eventually convince Billy to “Get out of Dodge.”
One jump ahead of Kansas Law, Billy goes to Denver to work at a newspaper. The newspaper editor at the request of a friend sends Billy away to write about the Gold or Silver Strike towns as a ploy to keep Billy from courting the friend’s daughter. Billy’s charmed life continues as he falls in with Doc and Wyatt in Tombstone fighting the crooked Sheriff and Ike Clanton’s gang of rustlers. Billy makes it out of Tombstone on the run and returns to Denver, where his dispatches from the field made him popular. When it looks like Billy has settled down and married with a baby on the way, the Kansas bandit who forced Billy from Dodge arrives in Denver and shoots Billy in revenge.
In true cowboy fashion, Billy survives and sets out to hunt his Kansas nemesis. Billy meets more legendary western characters and ends up back at his birthplace in Kansas for the final shootout. Billy has more lives than 3 cats and survives a head wound. With the Kansas nemesis dead and buried on the prairie, Billy returns to Denver to find he has a daughter. Fortune smiles on Billy as he garners fame as a “scribbler” and he’s off to Chicago with his wife to see the World Expo and enjoy his fame. It doesn’t end here as life deals Billy a rough hand and the family of the dead Kansas nemesis have hired Pinkerton’s to prove Billy killed him. There are 2 more books to conclude Billy Battles’ adventure.
This is an off-beat “western” told as a memoir, but it’s so well-written, it becomes an enjoyable yarn about a time gone by.
Author Ronald E. Yates created a continent spanning western tale. Young Billy Battle grew up on a hardscrabble farm near Dodge City, Kansas at the peak of its cattle-drive squalor. Along the way, Billy Battle meets every lawman and a bunch of desperados in Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas and includes a visit to Lawrence Kansas (of Quantrill’s Raid fame). A family acquaintance in Lawrence knows Billy wants to cut Momma’s apron strings and suggests he work for a local newspaper that wants to open a newspaper in Dodge city. Billy’s early training in shooting rifle and pistol are a blessing and a curse. His shooting ability saves his and his publishers life but leads to trouble with folks wanting revenge. Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp (and all the Earp boys), and Doc Holiday provide plenty of story and eventually convince Billy to “Get out of Dodge.”
One jump ahead of Kansas Law, Billy goes to Denver to work at a newspaper. The newspaper editor at the request of a friend sends Billy away to write about the Gold or Silver Strike towns as a ploy to keep Billy from courting the friend’s daughter. Billy’s charmed life continues as he falls in with Doc and Wyatt in Tombstone fighting the crooked Sheriff and Ike Clanton’s gang of rustlers. Billy makes it out of Tombstone on the run and returns to Denver, where his dispatches from the field made him popular. When it looks like Billy has settled down and married with a baby on the way, the Kansas bandit who forced Billy from Dodge arrives in Denver and shoots Billy in revenge.
In true cowboy fashion, Billy survives and sets out to hunt his Kansas nemesis. Billy meets more legendary western characters and ends up back at his birthplace in Kansas for the final shootout. Billy has more lives than 3 cats and survives a head wound. With the Kansas nemesis dead and buried on the prairie, Billy returns to Denver to find he has a daughter. Fortune smiles on Billy as he garners fame as a “scribbler” and he’s off to Chicago with his wife to see the World Expo and enjoy his fame. It doesn’t end here as life deals Billy a rough hand and the family of the dead Kansas nemesis have hired Pinkerton’s to prove Billy killed him. There are 2 more books to conclude Billy Battles’ adventure.
This is an off-beat “western” told as a memoir, but it’s so well-written, it becomes an enjoyable yarn about a time gone by.
March 18, 2020
I must say that I was a bit surprised and delighted as I read this book to get the scoop on some of the most well-known historical figures of the old west. Television does not always paint an accurate and true picture. In fact, sometimes the truth is often distorted.
Billy Battles left a journal full of history for his great grandson; and a history was left for us all. Billy takes us on a journey through the untamed frontier of America where he interacts with the likes of William (Bat) Masterson, Sheriff of Ford County, Dodge City; Deputy City Marshall, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and Diamond Jim Brady.
My only connection to Diamond Jim Brady was a high-end restaurant my boss took me to. I wondered who Jim Brady was, and now I have my answer through Billy Battle’s historical journals of the 1800s. I just remember the wonderful lobster dinner I enjoyed while dining in a fabulous restaurant.
The author, Ron Yates’ ancestors were abolitionists who helped free the slaves on the Underground Railroad through Lawrence, Kansas. Billy Battles and his mother started a friendship with Luther Augustus Langley, a black man, after the death of Billy’s father. A woman couldn’t travel alone in those days and so Luther was dispatched to help them get to their new home and new life.
Around 1879 the Denver Telephone Dispatch Co. became the 17th in the nation to put up lines in an ongoing expansion across the country. As Billy came of age, he left his mother and made his way to Denver to work in the newspaper business as a scribbler as they were called … another name for journalist. He ended up making a good living at it, traveling on assignments to write about the development of towns across the country. He married, had a daughter, and lost his wife after eight years of marriage. Through his acquaintance with an Asian, he ended up traveling to Asia and that is where the story ends.
Billy had altercations with the Bledsoe gang and almost lost his life.
There were tales of the shootout at OK Corral It really did happen in the back of the Corral.
Bat Masterson left the law and became a journalist.
Over the years Wyatt Earp became bitter about the law and how it was being applied (usually lawlessly).
Billy Battles wrote Doc Holliday’s obituary. He was on assignments in various towns to write about their growth and prosperity.
I found the history to be fascinating and loved it for that reason.
Unfortunately I had to give it 3 stars for editing issues that couldn’t be overlooked. The book is written well with good dialogue but it was not always a smooth read.
Billy Battles left a journal full of history for his great grandson; and a history was left for us all. Billy takes us on a journey through the untamed frontier of America where he interacts with the likes of William (Bat) Masterson, Sheriff of Ford County, Dodge City; Deputy City Marshall, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and Diamond Jim Brady.
My only connection to Diamond Jim Brady was a high-end restaurant my boss took me to. I wondered who Jim Brady was, and now I have my answer through Billy Battle’s historical journals of the 1800s. I just remember the wonderful lobster dinner I enjoyed while dining in a fabulous restaurant.
The author, Ron Yates’ ancestors were abolitionists who helped free the slaves on the Underground Railroad through Lawrence, Kansas. Billy Battles and his mother started a friendship with Luther Augustus Langley, a black man, after the death of Billy’s father. A woman couldn’t travel alone in those days and so Luther was dispatched to help them get to their new home and new life.
Around 1879 the Denver Telephone Dispatch Co. became the 17th in the nation to put up lines in an ongoing expansion across the country. As Billy came of age, he left his mother and made his way to Denver to work in the newspaper business as a scribbler as they were called … another name for journalist. He ended up making a good living at it, traveling on assignments to write about the development of towns across the country. He married, had a daughter, and lost his wife after eight years of marriage. Through his acquaintance with an Asian, he ended up traveling to Asia and that is where the story ends.
Billy had altercations with the Bledsoe gang and almost lost his life.
There were tales of the shootout at OK Corral It really did happen in the back of the Corral.
Bat Masterson left the law and became a journalist.
Over the years Wyatt Earp became bitter about the law and how it was being applied (usually lawlessly).
Billy Battles wrote Doc Holliday’s obituary. He was on assignments in various towns to write about their growth and prosperity.
I found the history to be fascinating and loved it for that reason.
Unfortunately I had to give it 3 stars for editing issues that couldn’t be overlooked. The book is written well with good dialogue but it was not always a smooth read.
June 18, 2020
This is the best historical fiction book I have read. And, I have read alot of them! Ron Yates describes events of the 1800's so vividly that I felt I was there in that time frame. Billy Battles is like Forrest Gump. He is in the company of characters of that century that he called friends (people like Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Doc Holliday and more). Billy goes through such awakening moments from his 20's into his 30's which shape him to be a man of integrity and honor.
Though there are faces of evil in this book, I believe it truly portrays the mind of men in the 1800's. There will always be thugs and evil people doing despicable deeds, but Ron Yates puts your emotions on the line.
Yates also vividly describes luxury hotels and old wild west trains with dining rooms of grandeur and excellent menus. Such glamour both in decor and foods.
Billy Battles tells his story beginning in Lawrence, Kansas being born on February 28, 1860. He tells family history and then the real story begins He is a young man of 17 who lives with his widowed mother. He wants to be independent but his mother keeps tight reins on Billy. She finally allows him to works at a newspaper where he starts to become independent, though in mind only. When the opportunity comes, he is asked to head west to help the newspaper owner set up a new printing press in Tombstone, Arizona. And from there Billy gets caught up in live action shootings, hostage taking, rescue operations, etc. This book will keep you glued to your seat.
I dont want to tell the whole story but I encourage you to read this book. I already have purchased Book 2 of the series, The Improbable Journeys of Billy Battles.
Though there are faces of evil in this book, I believe it truly portrays the mind of men in the 1800's. There will always be thugs and evil people doing despicable deeds, but Ron Yates puts your emotions on the line.
Yates also vividly describes luxury hotels and old wild west trains with dining rooms of grandeur and excellent menus. Such glamour both in decor and foods.
Billy Battles tells his story beginning in Lawrence, Kansas being born on February 28, 1860. He tells family history and then the real story begins He is a young man of 17 who lives with his widowed mother. He wants to be independent but his mother keeps tight reins on Billy. She finally allows him to works at a newspaper where he starts to become independent, though in mind only. When the opportunity comes, he is asked to head west to help the newspaper owner set up a new printing press in Tombstone, Arizona. And from there Billy gets caught up in live action shootings, hostage taking, rescue operations, etc. This book will keep you glued to your seat.
I dont want to tell the whole story but I encourage you to read this book. I already have purchased Book 2 of the series, The Improbable Journeys of Billy Battles.
August 28, 2019
Great Escape Into A True Western Story
Finding Billy Battles is an enthralling read that takes you from Kansas to San Francisco during one of the most interesting time periods of our country. This book kept me longing for more time to read about Mr. Battles, his fascinating and famous acquaintances and his amazing life.
You will find yourself lost in the unpredictable frontier while learning more about history and terrain than you could from a textbook. This is one terrific book. I can’t wait to read the 2nd part of Billy Battle’s story.
Finding Billy Battles is an enthralling read that takes you from Kansas to San Francisco during one of the most interesting time periods of our country. This book kept me longing for more time to read about Mr. Battles, his fascinating and famous acquaintances and his amazing life.
You will find yourself lost in the unpredictable frontier while learning more about history and terrain than you could from a textbook. This is one terrific book. I can’t wait to read the 2nd part of Billy Battle’s story.
January 24, 2020
The beginning of a saga
Western fans will like this volume of the Billy Battles Trilogy. It contains a good deal of actual people and events subtly mixed with fiction to keep the reader drawn in. I found it easy to read and looked forward to picking up when taking a break. I will follow the saga in the next volume. Recommended.
Western fans will like this volume of the Billy Battles Trilogy. It contains a good deal of actual people and events subtly mixed with fiction to keep the reader drawn in. I found it easy to read and looked forward to picking up when taking a break. I will follow the saga in the next volume. Recommended.
November 23, 2016
The author leads us on quite an adventure with this story. As a fan of historic novels, I was pleased to have been asked to read and review this book. Written in the vernacular of the time the tale is set in, the reader quickly feels a sense of excitement that leads on into chapter after chapter. It isn't often that I find a book that is different enough to be this entertaining and I would gladly recommend it to anyone looking for an engaging story.
February 1, 2021
At about 75% and loving it. It's a great adventure but all the characters are real. I'm glad it's a trilogy so it won't be ending soon.
May 16, 2017
Not all historical fictions can get you hooked, but this one is definitely an exception. It is a bit out of your realm of familiarity as it begins in 19th century Kansas and ends with Billy headed to Asia in the late 19th century. At first, I wasn't sure I wanted to read hundreds of pages of journal entries, but hey, picking up a book is like putting your hand into a well. You never know what to expect.
"Finding Billy Battles: An Account of Peril, Transgression & Redemption" is a man's story on earth covering his adventures, encounters, and tragedies to name a few. This book made me read for hours straight, which is pretty unusual given I was reading off kindle. The way in which Yates wrote is as though he had truly been there. It literally transports you back in time. What I also loved about the book is Yates's unique use of the language and grammar, the sort of language that was only used in that era. The sort of language that you would only hear from historical movies. I would recommend the book, even if you aren't usually a fan of the genre.
I am now looking forward to reading the next book in this series titled The Improbable Journals of Billy Battles. I expect it will be just as good.
"Finding Billy Battles: An Account of Peril, Transgression & Redemption" is a man's story on earth covering his adventures, encounters, and tragedies to name a few. This book made me read for hours straight, which is pretty unusual given I was reading off kindle. The way in which Yates wrote is as though he had truly been there. It literally transports you back in time. What I also loved about the book is Yates's unique use of the language and grammar, the sort of language that was only used in that era. The sort of language that you would only hear from historical movies. I would recommend the book, even if you aren't usually a fan of the genre.
I am now looking forward to reading the next book in this series titled The Improbable Journals of Billy Battles. I expect it will be just as good.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews