Orchard

by Jack H. Bailey

self published     2016

364 pages     Fiction

The Shortlist

I am deep into Wuthering Heights this week, but I didn't want to miss telling you about an interesting book that comes out tomorrow.

Orchard by Jack H. Bailey looks good. There are a variety of interesting facets to Orchard that would appeal to readers of history and of westerns. Jack Bailey grew up in Idaho, where the notorious criminal Orchard lived and worked. Bailey became fascinated with him at a young age, and finished this book shortly before his death in 2010. His wife has posthumously published this novel. It will be available July 26 from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Orchard combines mining history and true crime in an incredibly readable page turner. If you are a lover of Longmire, true crime, and history, you will enjoy Orchard. Also check out Shot All To Hell by Mark Lee Gardner about Jesse James and the Northfield Minnesota bank robbery.

Here is the information about Orchard from the publicist:

Description
This much is true. It's 1899. Harry Orchard is a member of the fire-breathing Western Federation of Miners. While other members labor underground to harvest the riches of the earth, Orchard is paid to kill men who are a problem for the union. He's an interesting killer, well-liked by his peers and by the ladies. 
After years of cat-and-mouse pursuit by legendary Pinkerton, Charles Siringo, when he's arrested in 1906 for the murder of Idaho's former Governor, Frank Steunenberg, he's killed nineteen men in Idaho and Colorado. Even today, in the silver mining towns of northern Idaho, his name is spoken in whispers by those familiar with his deeds.
"This much is true: Jack H. Bailey is a damn good writer. In Orchard he mixes facts with fiction as he spins a rollicking yarn of bombers, union busters, and political assassination. A dynamic novel." - Larry Karaszewski
Author Bio
Jack H. Bailey, author of Orchard, descended from gold miners and grew up in and around the locales frequented by Harry Orchard. It was while living in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho that his fascination with Orchard began. Jack joined the navy at seventeen and served in WWII aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lexington until she was sunk in the Battle of the Coral Sea. He graduated from USC with a BA in English and spent sixteen years in aerospace during which time he wrote two critically praised novels, The Number Two Man and The Icarus Complex. Jack wrote prolifically until his death in 2010. Most notably, Jack was an annual participant in the prestigious Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and was one of only a handful of writers to have advanced in the competition seven times. Follow his author page on Facebook. 

Here is Jack Bailey's website