True Tales of the Wild West — Clive Sinclair

From the author of Meet the Wife, a gripping account of one man's search for the real wild west . . . Today's Wild West is not what it was, though it wishes that it were. The old certainties are gone, leaving only questions -- but can anyone separate truth from legend, fact from fiction? Two cousins set out to attempt just that: the one is Peppercorn, a fading photo-journalist in search of his inner cowboy; the other is Saltzman, lecturer in American Studies at the University of St Albans. On their travels they encounter many of the great heroes of the Wild West or at least the men and women who impersonate them as well as other larger-than-life characters such as innocent Mercy Sweetbriar, runner-up in the 'Appearance, Personality, and Photogenics' category of South Dakota's Miss Rodeo contest, not-so-innocent Miami Bitch, Kevin Costner, and Bill Janklow, Governor of South Dakota, and latter-day Indian fighter. In order to fully capture the extravagance of these people and the landscapes they inhabit, Clive Sinclair has been driven to invent a new genre. He calls it Dodgy Realism, a melange of fact, fantasy, and fiction. Call it what you will, his new book is both an erudite investigation of, and a glorious romp through, the heartland of America.