American Red

In his accomplished debut novel, Fortunate Son, David Marlett introduced readers to a fresh take on historical fiction, built around the transcripts of one of the most momentous legal trials in history. Now he returns with a dramatic new story and an equally dramatic trial. In 1907, deadly, one-eyed union boss "Big Bill" Haywood was accused of ordering the successful assassination-by-bombing of the governor of Idaho the first such assassination in American history. The trial, with Haywood represented by a young Clarence Darrow, was front-page news from coast to coast and across the globe. As it played out, it would present in vivid detail America's doomed thrust toward radical socialism, a "red" revolution that was gaining traction in Russia and other parts of the world. American Red brings the story of the events leading up to this trial and the trial itself to dramatic life. It is a sweeping tale of murder, adultery, corruption, mountain Mafia, the Pinkertons, domestic terrorism, government-sanctioned kidnapping, the last gunslingers, mining unions, and perhaps the greatest train race ever. It is both breathless entertainment and an unforgettable portrait of a younger America at the precipice of great change.