Ranger with Attitude

In his sixth Ranger-related book, Whiskey River Ranger: The Old West Life of Baz Outlaw (University of North Texas, $34.95) retired U.S. Treasury agent Bob Alexander of Maypearl, Texas, has produced the definitive biography of this lawman born with an ironic surname. He was at one time Texas Ranger Baz Outlaw, not Bass Outlaw as writers have often incorrectly referred to him for years.  Outlaw clearly had an attitude, which is also what Alexander writes with. While sticking to the facts he clearly works hard to track down in primary sources, Alexander isn’t shy about putting things in perspective. “Bending to whiskey bottles’ pull…” Alexander writes of Outlaw, “would lead to hangovers, headaches, heartbreaks, and headstones.” Saddle up with Whiskey River Ranger for a fine read.

—Mike Cox, author of Time
of the Rangers: Texas Rangers: From 1900 to the Present