Etta: A Novel

by: Gerald Kolpan

Published by: Ballantine Books

Reviewed by Heather Durow

Lorinda Reese Jameson felt at home on a horse with a rifle in her hand. Having been raised only by her father, it made sense. She was a crack shot and loved to run her black stallion, Bellerophon, across the lawns at her beloved estate home in Philadelphia, while practicing shooting at
paper targets. Unfortunately for Lorinda, her life was about to change in a way she never imagined. Driven to drink by the death of her mother, Lorinda’s father, G. David Jameson,
ends his own life, leaving Lorinda to deal with his many debts.

With all of her worldly possessions sold off at auction, including her beloved Bellerophron, Lorinda is faced with having to start a new life. An old family friend and lawyer informs her of a price on her head, due to her father’s debts, and sends her off to Chicago with an alias.

It is 1898 and there is little else available to Lorinda but to take on this new identity in a new city. And so was born Miss Etta Place.

When the new “Etta” arrives in Chicago to start a position as a waitress at a renowned train stop restaurant, she is surprised to find that Chicago will not be her new home after all. She is sent to Grand Junction, Colorado to work at the restaurant’s post there. As her new life progresses, Etta makes friends and finds her niche. But being the unique beauty that she is, Etta finds the Wild West is so named for a reason.

On the run, after defending her life, Etta takes up with the Wild Bunch, headed by none other than Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. Having such prowess on a horse and the look of a wealthy lady, Etta was quite an asset to the train robbing trade. She would soon be on the West’s most wanted lists, along with her associates–and in the heart of the notorious Sundance Kid.

Gerald Kolpan spins a fabulous tale of Etta’s life, and with so little known of the real outlaw, fills in the blanks with exciting and wondrous detail. Kolpan moves between chapters told in news articles to letters to diary entries with ease and grace that keeps the reader captivated from beginning to end. Using what little knowledge history has of Etta, and what his imagination creates, blends seamlessly and allows the reader to believe that everything is truth.

Armchair Interviews agrees that this author spins a good tale.

Author’s Web site: http://www.GeraldKolpan.com