Wilde West

by Walter Satterthwait

Midway through his triumphant 1882 lecture tour of the American West, Oscar Wilde discovers that someone in his entourage has been savagely murdering prostitutes - and he himself is the suspect. He therefore sets out to discover who the madman is. By the author of "At Ease With the Dead".

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical, Victorian

376 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Walter Satterthwait (b. 1946) was an author of mysteries and historical fiction. A fan of mystery novels from a young age, he spent high school immersed in the works of Dashiell Hammett and Mickey Spillane. While working as a bartender in New York in the late 1970s, he wrote his first book: an adventure novel, Cocaine Blues (1979), about a drug dealer on the run from a pair of killers.

After his second thriller, The Aegean Affair (1982), Satterthwait created his best-known character, Santa Fe private detective Joshua Croft. Beginning with Wall of Glass (1988), Satterthwait wrote five Croft novels, concluding the series with 1996’s Accustomed to the Dark. In between Croft books, he wrote mysteries starring historical figures, including Miss Lizzie (1989), a novel about Lizzie Borden, and Wilde West (1991), a western mystery starring Oscar Wilde. His most recent novel is Dead Horse (2007), an account of the mysterious death of Depression-era pulp writer Raoul Whitfield. 

Reviews

[Mike Wilson]

This is a very fun spin on a person we all know and love. I have to say for a somewhat old book, as good as it was, that I'm suprised that I didn't know about it from word of mouth. Suprise ending! No spoilers...

My ancestor, not sure if that applies since it is recent history, is Luke Short who hung around with the Earps and Doc Holiday. Wonder if he was...... Ooops, trying to keep the spoilers to myself. Could explain alot though.

Mike aka Altigenman

[Kathy]

What a great listen! It is so well written and so well narrated! I think I'll listen to it again. Can a person OD on Satterthwait raucous stories and Frank Muller's superlative narrative? I'll let you know.

[Laurie]

A hoot of a book, offering an alternative version of Oscar Wilde’s travels in the United States. A very alternative version.

[Geraldine]

I'm happy to have discovered Satterthwait's fanciful spin on Oscar Wilde's 1882 lecture tour of the U.S. Witty writing worthy of Oscar Wilde, intelligent plot which became more fascinating as I googled various historical characters and clues and, I believe, found a private literary joke or two. A great read. I'll be reading more of this author.

[Bettie]

Bettie's Books

[Dvora Treisman]

This was a strange book based on wit and an odd portrayal of Oscar Wilde. There were a few parts (of dialogue) that made me laugh, but what I couldn't get past was the portrayal of Wilde as a heterosexual who fell head over heels in love with a beautiful woman on his American lecture tour. I don't know what Wilde knew or felt before he came out when his marriage fell apart. However, for me, he is one of the most famous of homosexuals who paid dearly for it. So it was a great leap for me to read about him lusting after the beautiful Doe. But then, the book is full of twists and turns (of plot and phrase) and surprises. Read it for yourself and find out.

[Sue Foster]

Western crime story

I really enjoyed the book its a little graphic on the first murder chapter but then settles down. Wilde is on a tour of the West giving lectures and the author cleverly weaves in a murder story round the tour. He includes real people like Doc Holliday nicely written would recommend.

[Glen J]

A tour d'farce....

What a wonderful read. Oscar Wilde and troupe touring American ; Mr Wilde delivering lectures and members of the entourage engaging in various forms of legal and illegal behavior. Satire, hilarity and a satisfying conclusion await the reader.

[Jim]

I loved this book. A very creative concept and well executed. The characters were both fanciful and believable and the story kept me going. I've recommended this book to several friends.

[Regine]

Over the top.

[Perry Whitford]

I had never heard of the author and only bought this book, as I suspect many others must have done, purely for the anticipation of reading a novel which features Oscar Wilde was cast as the main character.

The action follows Wilde and an unusual entourage during his lecture tour of America in 1882. In their wake a maniac is leaving a trail of gruesomely murdered prostitutes, butchered Ripper-style.

A gruff, alcoholic Colorado lawman, Bob Grigsby, has linked the murders to the towns the tour is visiting and risks his job by following Wilde and his cohorts westward. Wilde himself is suspected, as is famous gunfighter and gambler Doc Holliday, who is also following the tour with his own agenda.

So it's a serial killer murder mystery with celebrity trimmings, and an enjoyable concoction it is too. Satterthwait does a pretty good Wilde, replete with the expected epigrams and bon mots to go alongside the decadence.

He has him turn his hand to detecting for a while, but quite rightly it turns out to be too much like hard work for him!

Worth checking out.

[Almeta]

How wonderful to be so surprised at my enjoyment of this book. I had not anticipated its pleasure. The book starts with horrifyingly visceral suspense, quickly transitions into sketches of the principal characters, sprinkles in historic hints and adds clever levity, all with vicarious adjectives and adverbs, no metaphors necessary!

[Rashid]

When I started his I feared i would be one of those gimmicky novels.. but as I got into it.. simply loved it. Its got everything.. romance, mystery, some life philosophy nad most of all HUMOR with memorable characters . ooh the end.. well Shhhh....

[Barbara]

What an imagination the author has! Loved the concept of what "if" in this story.

[Debbie]

Fun and amusing but a rather different view of Doc Holliday than I or anyone knows of.

[Sem]

Bizarre but likeable.

[PJ]

mystery, romance, clever conversation, interesting characters -- oh ,my!