Necessary Deceptions: The Women of Wyatt Earp

by Pamela Nowak

"Deception defined Wyatt Earp and the two women who were married to him longest. Their stories remained elusive, buried by the legend that emerged around Wyatt. Mattie Blaylock lived with him during the years when prostitution and corruption ran their lives, clinging to the lies she told herself and fighting to remain her own woman. Josephine Marcus deceived others her entire life, hiding her less-than-desirable past and opening doors to the role she craved. When Josie met Wyatt, it was easy enough to reinvent him as well. The myth that emerged from her fabrications created a history that destroyed Mattie and left Josie struggling to keep her stories straight"--

459 pages, Hardcover

Published February 16, 2022

Reviews

[David Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Necessary Deceptions is a fascinating and unflinching look behind the legend of Wyatt Earp, focusing on the complex lives of the two women most closely tied to him—Mattie Blaylock and Josephine Marcus. With thorough research and an engaging narrative voice, the book peels back layers of myth, romance, and self-invention to reveal the personal costs of living in the shadow of an American icon.

What makes this book stand out is how deftly it handles the balance between historical fact and compelling storytelling. Rather than getting lost in the minutiae of frontier history, the author brings to life the emotional and psychological realities of both women. Mattie’s struggle to maintain her sense of self amid the corrosive influence of prostitution, addiction, and Wyatt's shifting loyalties is portrayed with sensitivity and grit. In contrast, Josephine's lifelong habit of reinvention—of herself, of Wyatt, and of their shared past—serves as a stark reminder of how history can be manipulated through omission, embellishment, and outright fabrication.

The author doesn't shy away from the darker aspects of these stories, nor does she vilify or romanticize her subjects. Instead, she presents them as deeply human—flawed, resilient, and shaped by the deceptions they embraced or endured. The result is a narrative that not only challenges the traditional portrayal of Wyatt Earp but also gives overdue agency and depth to the women whose lives were entwined with his.

[Sue Ellen Melo]

Everyone has heard the stories of frontier law man Wiet Erp How he never touched whiskey and was solely dedicated to the persuit of justice and was a devoted family man. This story looks it his life from the perspective of the women who loved him, Mattie Blaylock, his lawful wife whom he met in a brothol and married then cheated on regularly while he got into one fix after another usually on the wrong side of the law and Josephine Sady Marcus, aalso a working ggirl when she met Erp but she was as skilled with lies as she was in the bedroom and worked overtime to create the legend of Wiet Erp. They lived as man and wife and may or may not have been his second wife. Using historical facts, MS. Nowak created a narritive of the Erp family and of these two women and their roles in the lives of what was obviously a very complicated man during a time when women had very little control over the course of thier lives. I couldn’t put this book down.

[Jennifer Bohnhoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is clear that Nowak did a lot of research before she started this book, which shows in the details and the timeline. Necessary Deceptions is the story of the two women who were common-law wives of Wyatt Earp: Mattie Blaylock and Josephine Marcus (two of the many names each woman went by.) Nowak had to fill in a lot of gaps in the historical record: Marcus spent her life polishing her husband's reputation until he shined like an American Superhero, but she's filled in the gaps with reasonable speculation built on solid logic and the few hints available. Her characters are life-like and well rounded. My only gripe, and it's really one of personal preference, is that her bedroom scenes are a bit voyeuristic for my preferences. I've never like following characters into the bedroom, and what I see in the bedroom of these two soiled doves is a little too graphic for my taste.

[Patricia Stoltey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pamela Nowak’s research is always meticulous for her historical fiction, and her detailed review of what’s true and what’s not true a gift to the reader. Necessary Deceptions: The Women of Wyatt Earp is a great example of her work. In this novel of frontier fiction, Nowak explores the lives of the two women who were married to Earp the longest, their dashed dreams and their broken lives as they try to survive in brothels, their lies as they attempt to reinvent themselves and Wyatt as well. The brothel scenes were pretty explicit, but they work for the story. Nowak’s writing is excellent.

[Rebecca D’Harlingue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pulled in right from the beginning of this novel! The portrayal of Wyatt Earp's second and third wives, Mattie and Josie, was both engrossing and informative. Nowak carefully builds the story of the two women, and along the way we learn the unsavory truth about the Earp brothers. Even though I sometimes wondered about Mattie and Josie's choices, I was always rooting for them, because Nowak skillfully made me care. I highly recommend this well-researched book!