Listening to the Silence

Continuing where Doc left off, Epitaph follows the Earps and Doc Holliday to Tombstone, site of the famous battle at the OK Corral, an event that would shape our perception of the American West. So much happens in this book for any summary to do it justice, but at the center is a nation divided by politics, on the verge of war with Mexico, and the town that epitomized all of these differences.
Russell is a fantastic storyteller. She has that special ability that only comes along every once in a while. She is also meticulous with her details. It is clear this book was thoroughly researched as it peels away the layers of myth and lies that cloud this story. I am beyond impressed at her ability to breath new life into the most famous 30 seconds of the West, as well as bring all of her characters to life. I had the pleasure of listening to this on audio and I found it to be quite well done. I do think the accents of the Mexicans sounded a bit too similar to the accents of the Austrian Kate, but otherwise each voice was well differentiated and it was never hard to follow along.
Unfortunately for me, I had to return the audio partway through my reading and couldn't get it back for another three weeks. That long break broke the story up too much for me and likely without it this book would have definitely garnered 5 stars. If you haven't yet read this book and the previous one in the series, Doc, I highly recommend you do. I promise, even you if you aren't a fan of westerns, you will still enjoy these two novels.