Follow Me to Hell: McNelly's Texas Rangers and the Rise of Frontier Justice

by Tom Clavin

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Tom Clavin's Follow Me to Hell is the explosive true story of how legendary Ranger Leander McNelly and his men brought justice to a lawless Texan frontier.

In turbulent 1870s Texas, the revered and fearless Ranger Leander McNelly led his men in one dramatic campaign after another, apprehending cattle thieves, desperadoes, border ruffians, and other dangerous criminals and throwing them in jail or, if that's how they wanted it, six feet under. They would stop at nothing in pursuit of justice, even sending twenty-six Rangers across the border to retrieve stolen cattle—taking on hundreds of Mexican troops with nothing but their Sharps rifles and six-guns. The nation came to call them “McNelly’s Rangers.”

Set against the backdrop of 200 years of thrilling Texas Rangers history, this page-turner details the tough life along the Texas border that was tamed by a courageous, yet doomed, captain and his team of fearless men.

New York Times bestselling author Tom Clavin takes readers deep into the heart of Texas and beyond in this thrilling true account of some of the most legendary frontier lawmen of all time.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Westerns, American History, Biography, Audiobook, True Crime

378 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 4, 2023

About the author

Tom Clavin is the author/coauthor of eleven books. His most recent is That Old Black Magic: Louis Prima, Keely Smith, and the Golden Age of Las Vegas.

His articles have appeared in Cosmopolitan, Family Circle, Men's Journal, Parade, Reader's Digest, and others.

He was a contributing reporter for the New York Times for fifteen years.

Reviews

[TXGAL1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating rounded down to 3 from 3.5.

Fascinating insight into the “creation” of Texas and its relationship with Mexico. Many individuals and anecdotes recounted via the numerous sources available for author Clavin.

I love history, but I did not enjoy wading through three chapters devoted to the Civil War when one would have sufficed. FOLLOW ME TO HELL had me nodding off at this point. However, when I finally got to Leander McNelly and his command of Texas Rangers, I was enthralled.

Generally, an easy read for a history book. I would recommend if someone needed reading material about life on the frontier in Texas and/or crime fighting Texas Rangers style.

[Rosann · Rating 2 out of 5]

The description and cover art really pulled me in. Sadly, the text did not live up to my expectations. While stuffed full of Texas/frontier history (particular emphasis upon power struggles and misadventures of those with more enthusiasm than battle prowess). The dramatic "one man leading his devoted followers into hell to protect the innocent and punish the guilty" promise of the title and summary just did not materialize for me. It was as if all of the research done by the author did not yield a story sufficient to stand a book length treatment. I felt that the book was not organized efficiently, and the main subject of the title was not introduced until at least a third of the way through, then without as much detail as I truly was looking for. This book perhaps would satisfy Texas history fans more than myself.

[Brendan (History Nerds United) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here comes Tom Clavin. Putting out another good yarn about the Wild West. For the uninitiated, Clavin is no stranger to the many characters and seemingly unbelievable stories which littered the Old West. The key to fully enjoying the narrative is to buckle up and be prepared for more than a few names and a few shootouts.

Clavin's Wild West books might be a shock to a new reader. Clavin jams in a seemingly endless amount of names as he tries to navigate a time and place where names came and went, changed, and may have been made up in the first place. Very often, it may take a bit of time to get to the main character and Follow Me to Hell follows that blueprint. Leander McNelly doesn't show up until later in the story but there is a reason for it. The history of Texas is vital to understanding the world McNelly inhabited and somehow survived for as long as he did. Plus, as a history nerd, Clavin makes this all as easy to follow as it can be. It also helps that Clavin has a dry sense of humor which will make you laugh out loud. As I wrote, just sit back and enjoy the ride.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and St. Martin's Press. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 4/6/2023.)

[Cynthia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish it contained more action! The author seemed more interested in providing COUNTLESS names, and who married who, etc., etc. And while McNelly did make an appearance in the book, it just wasn't enough.

[Eli - Bookworm & Vine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable as always, I’ve read so many that the stories are starting to cross over.

[Bill Riggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

An informative look at the creation of the legendary Texas Rangers. Full of Wild West history and larger than life characters, however, the narrative did not seem to flow as easy as it should. Too many abrupt departures and overly descriptive personal histories for me. I felt it could have been a much tighter and easier read.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was well titled. It described my experience reading it. Perhaps if I were a descendant of one of Austin’s settlers, I would be interested in the litany of rulers vying for the territory that would become Texas. For anyone else, it was just too much.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Follow me to hell is the rip rolling origin story of the Texas Rangers in how well-known names brought justice and the law to Texas. From Steve Austin‘s unwanted duty left to him by his father to John Bastrop, Sam Houston and many other names we know today as towns and cities in Texas and Louisiana. The author tells the good the bad and the ugly, This is a well researched well told story. It reads exactly like what it is a story straight out of the wild west and man was it wild. From Mexico‘s lackadaisical governing style From the Canuck Indian greeting visitors to their village only to be slaughtered to the stories that make you proud to be an American. It’s all in this book and I know I’ve said it before but what a great book it is. I thoroughly enjoyed this historical account of the making of the Texas rangers and will probably read this book again in the future. I can’t say enough great things about this book and all the stories I’ve had not heard before and that is always a plus because I am an avid reader of western history. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving the review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

[Jocelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love Tom Calvin’s books and the way he tells history.

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a complimentary ARC of this detailed history of the Territory of Texas from Netgalley, Tom Clavin, and St. Martin's Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read Follow Me of my own volition and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to recommend Tom Clavin to friends and family. His prose can take you there.

And it's a place you will want to go. Despite raising two children through the educational system in Texas, there was a great deal in this book that I was not aware of. My family and I spent over 30 years near coastal Texas, but we were not aware of the Long Territory, the role of Steven Austin's father, and much of the Indian background portrayed in this history. Thank you Tom Clavin for rounding out the information available in the past. It is good to get a more complex but less weighted down by prejudice look into those stalwart pioneers who tamed Spanish and Mexican Texas. It is a book I will keep, and add to my research shelf.
pub date April 4, 2023
St. Martin's Press
Reviewed on December 31, 2022, at Goodreads and Netgalley. Reviewed on April 5, 2023, to AmazonSmile Barnes&Noble, BookBub, and Kobo.

To all my Ancestry KetnerLink relatives - my Mom, Dorothy Jane Ketner Reed, spoke often of her red-headed, very tall, Uncle, Clarence Elmer 'Slim' Mardis, 1899-1984, and many of her stories concerned these skirmishes along the Texas and New Mexico borders with Mexico. Slim joined McNelly's Cavalry when he was 17 and fought through those border battles from the first battle against Pancho Villa in Columbus, NM, on to Texas, and when TExas independence was settled he went to Florida with McNelly's Cavalry to ship, minus their horses, to Cuba, for that battle led by Teddy Roosevelt before the cavalry folded into the US army in time for WWI. Slim came home at the end of World War I to New Mexico-Arizona, settled near Sister Irene Mardis Miller Buchanan near Prescott, AZ and worked as a hard-rock miner most of the rest of his life. He was well-loved by all of his sisters and brothers, half, step, and full. They were all true pioneers, making the world a better place for all of us who followed.

[Allyn Voorhees · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF (51%)

As with other reviewers, while there is a lot of info on early conflicts in Texas and the efforts to make Texas a State, my journey with this book was disappointing because the lead (title) subject of the book, McNelly, was barely addressed until almost halfway through.

I have no past experience with this Author, but it sounds like he is very good with this kind of subject matter. It is just that the Title of the book gave me certain expectations, and the Author provided a wealth of information (at least in the first half - which is all I read) on "The Rise of Frontier Justice" and not much to do with "Follow Me To Hell: McNelly's Texas Rangers". If you catch my drift, you can see that the Title led me on to certain expectations. If I had an infinite amount of patience I probably would have seen this book through and given it 4 or 5 Stars. But sadly, I do not.
Happy reading.

[Dan Banana · Rating 2 out of 5]

History, names, dates, actually quite boring with a little picking up towards the end. Texas story with this, that and the other thing and murder to expand territory.

[Sue]

This is a well-written history of the Texas Rangers and how they came to be. The book is easy to read and full of authentic and interesting characters. It does take a while to get to the story of Leander McNelly and his men. By 1874, McNelly was in charge of his Texas Ranger unit in Washington County, Texas. ‘McNelly’s Rangers’ as they came to be known performed heroically, following their Captain into perilous situations. McNelly became known for his courage in fulfilling his duty. Weighted down a little by the complex history preceding McNelly’s rise, the book was still an interesting look into the man himself. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

[Don Kerr · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this book as a free advance readers' edition. As such, it seems harsh not to rave. However, this book is a lot of work. The story of Texas Ranger seems ripe with opportunity for a rollicking true story. Unfortunately, the rollicking starts and concludes with the promotional copy on the outside back cover. Unless you're a real fan of ancestry.com and obscure elements of Texan history I'm afraid Follow Me to Hell will leave you wanting.
Finally, a pet peeve and perhaps this will be remedied with additional proofing but there are several typographical errors throughout. Who cares? Me. It shows a lack of attention and commitment.
I appreciate the opportunity to read this but can't recommend the investment of time required to wade through the chapters.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed history of the Texas Rangers from before the Republic of Texas until the retirement of Leander McNelly in 1877. The early chapters of the book cover the settlement of Texas by American immigrants and the battle for independence from Mexico. The latter chapters cover the role of McNelly's Rangers in dealing with criminals after the Indian threat had been eliminated.
The book tends to be a bit dry in places, but has much factual information. If you are a fan of Texas history, this book is for you.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Jay Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a work of fiction. It is not quite a history of McNelly, but instead covers the early history of the Texas Rangers culminating with McNelly. It is well researched, but is simply picking tidbits of Texas history with any connection to the Rangers. It is interesting, but the lack of continuity between items covered leaves it somewhat perplexing. Still, it is an easy read and entertaining.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a while to get into this, but it had some good stories about the Texas Rangers.

[Oneof Thecoolkids · Rating 2 out of 5]

More like a dry history text book. It meanders through almost half way before the subject appears in earnest, and then it is a series of asides and flashbacks. Difficult book to read.

[Brandon Carpenter · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 50%

[Sara Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saddle up for one heck of a ride along the border of Mexico and Texas in the 19th Century. Full of historical facts and stories peppered with colorful characters.

Many names will seem familiar and the author very kindly ties them all together. There are times when the amount of information is almost overwhelming. But you understand why the author feels it is important to the reader as you push through. It is worth it though as the author does a good job of setting the scene to help the reader prepare for when McNelly arrives as a Texas Ranger.

The groundwork really helps to understand the dynamics of what he and his peers were dealing with. The politics on both sides of the border, the personal struggles, the spying and double-crossing. And yet, this particular man kept to his personal morals and compass. Brave to the point of craziness at times, it is hard to comprehend men like this existed in our history. Other than Hollywood heroes in movies, we rarely encounter individuals like this our day to day. The loyalty he inspired is truly worth learning about. His actions, and those of a few others, changed the course of our nation’s history; not just Texas history.

I found this book picks up pace as you turn the pages and get absorbed into the time and places you are reading about. After I finished reading it, I find myself still thinking about it. It is an inspiring read about an incredible man. I have not previously read any of Mr. Clavin’s other books, but I know some of them will be in my future read pile.

[Tim Schneider · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick review just in case I forget to do more later.

I DNF'd this at the half-way point. I've read a number of books by Clavin (alone and with writing partner Bob Drury). I've generally liked them quite well, so I grabbed this when the e-version was very cheap. I'd noted in the past that Clavin has a habit of going down rabbit-holes in his writing and adding in stuff that's extraneous to the actual story. In the past that wasn't egregious. In this one that seemed to be the entire book. It feels as if he just desperately wanted to write a book about Leander McNelly, found there wasn't enough there there and started grafting on extras until it became monograph length.

I put up with it when we got a history of the, the Mexican Revolt against Spain, the influx of Americans in to Texas, the Texas War for Independence, The Mexican-American War, the Civil War, etc. But when we got a chapter about John Wesley Hardin, I finally had to call it quits. If you want to write a book about Texas history, call it that and I'll be mentally prepared. But when you're half-way done and McNelly has barely done anything...I have to be out. There's following rabbit-holes and then there's falling in face first.

The digressions ate the focus of the book. Sometimes a meandering trail just takes to damn long.

[Ben Adams · Rating 2 out of 5]

McNelly is a fiery and mysterious character in Texas ranger history— even going so far to invade Mexico with his small band of followers to recover cattle stolen by bandits. Given these exploits, I was looking forward to getting to know him better and seeing how his leadership changed the Ranger organization.

Clavin does a good job of doing just what he says he will in the prologue— making you feel like you’re around a campfire hearing great Western stories. It was comfortable and endearing to hear the many hijinks, tall tales, and moments fraught with potential gunfights. In this area I offer praise.

Unfortunately, I just didn’t get enough out of this book to satisfy the twin desires expressed in my first paragraph. The author does a good job quickly recapping Texas history for those unfamiliar, but as someone who already was, it felt frustrating to read one third of the book before finally getting to the section that introduced McNelly. Additionally, even though the author catalogues many details and his actions as he served in the Confederacy and the Rangers, I just didn’t come away feeling like I knew him any better. In SC Gwynne’s Rebel Fury or Andrew Robert’s Napoleon, I finished the biography with a distinct melancholic echo, feeling like I was putting away time with a good friend. A certain romanticism infused the pages, though that is not to say the author’s ignored their subjects flaws.

Here, though, I just didn’t get that, much to the detriment of my enjoyment. And perhaps it’s not the author’s fault— we might just lack the detail about McNelly to ever paint a portrait like that. Regardless, though I respect the author’s effort, I was left wanting.

Another criticism, though perhaps it might be related more to the book’s presentation in audiobook form rather than written, was the author’s tangential tendency. Tense moments and interesting events were constantly interrupted to tell the reader a parenthetical story about a figure’s death, relatives, backstory, or even what actors played the person in future movies. This often felt like a whiplash effect, tearing me through decades of time and then back again, interrupting the flow of the reading. Again, that might be just due to listening rather than reading. And perhaps my judgment might be currently harsh in this manner, as I just read Herodotus’ Histories, which is famous for its artful rabbit trails that always manage to feel welcome rather than frustrating.

Lastly, the author didn’t seem to have much of a thesis regarding how exactly McNelly changed justice on the frontier. He records the events, but doesn’t explain how they affected the ranger’ or Texas’ future in a far reaching way.

Overall, this is a good book for those who want to understand what the Texas Ranger’s are or who are more curious about McNelly specifically. However, expect an appetizer, not a full meal.

[mikaela (spinebreaker) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something about these western history books is really working for me right now, especially as audiobooks. Clavin is a great storyteller, and the way he takes a big idea (Texas Rangers in this instance) and breaks it down into individual people, both familiar and not, is really attention-grabbing (and keeping). I love learning about this and Clavin makes it easy. It'll be interesting to see how this shapes up against the other Texas Ranger book I have, Texas Rising: The Epic True Story of the Lone Star Republic and the Rise of the Texas Rangers, 1836-1846

[MM Suarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Courageous and gentlemanly, utterly devoted to his men and his mission, a remorseless killer, and dead himself by the holy age of thirty-three. From McNelly flows the rich blood of Ranger lore."—Texas Monthly

More like 3.5⭐ rounded up just because of my love of all history of the American West. This book was not exactly was I was expecting, while I enjoyed the history of early Texas I feel like the great title leads one to believe McNelly and his Rangers would be featured more prominently and earlier on in the book then they actually were. In addition, organization and better editing would have improved the reading experience. Having said all that if you like this type of book it is still worth the reading time.

[Robb R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Club selection for Oct.


Meh. The author spends so much time running down side paths and rabbit trails that the book loses much of its impact. It’s really more of a history of Texas than anything else. Finally — well past the halfway point of the book, we finally meet the McNelly character. And we read a few exploits and then he dies. No real insight into his impact on the Texas Rangers of today — or even who they are in current day law enforcement.

This is the written equivalent of someone who just loves the sound of their own voice.

[Amy Curtiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, dare I say rolicking, overview of Texas Ranger history. The author does a great job of introducing all the colorful characters and events of circa 1800s Texas. There is a LOT of information here, and there are people who will love it because of all the minutiae, but it really doesn't bog down the story elements. The career of Leander McNelly is of course the focus, but there so much more here than just that 33 year patch of history. Fascinatingly, the author covers a lot about the women in Texas history, and does so with real reverence for their place in the big picture. There are many places where well known events are really fleshed out and new information gives perspective to stuff I thought I already knew. All around fun, informative non-fiction. Thank you to Edelweiss for the ebook!

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

384 pages

5 stars

This is an interesting and colorful book about the formation of the Texas Rangers. There is a great deal of history before the reader gets to read about the exploits of Leander McNelly.

I found the book very informative. I’ve read all of Larry McMurtry’s novels about the Rangers, but this is my first actual history book. I learned much that I did not know about the organization, especially their participation in the Civil War.

The book is very well written in a casual, easy-to-read style. I strongly recommend it for anyone who is interested in the settlement of the west, or the history and adventures of the Texas Rangers. Mr. Clavin is a talented writer with a talent for bringing history to life.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

[Jack Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent chronology of a fascinating portion of Texas history and one of our unlikely heroes. The author does a great job of reporting facts without editorializing. His syntax, however, is wordy and often surprisingly cliche, which makes reading stilted. Clavin has a long, brilliant career of solid writing. This one surprised me; it seems to lack the usual editing that one might expect from St. Martin’s Press.

[Cagefighter18 · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting account of how the Texas Rangers started, focusing principally on the originally leader.

[Mike Worley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars