Red Sky Morning: The Epic True Story of Texas Ranger Company F
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- Create Date：2022-06-29 19:21:37
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Joe Pappalardo
- ISBN：B09CNF7LBD
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Summary
Cowboy outlaws wanted them dead。 Local authorities wanted them in prison。 Joe Pappalardo's Red Sky Morning tells the true story of Texas Rangers Company F’s season of shootouts in 1887。。。
Reviews
Monica
，
I thought this book was going to be really interesting and good。 WRONG！ I found it not interesting， but I kept reading because I thought it would get better。One thing I think is wrong with it is it got bogged down。 So much was thrown at me at once。 Another thing is that most history books are in a chronological order， this was all over the place with dates。 One time you would be in 1887， then 1889 and all the sudden you are back in 1887。 This also told the story of Company F trying to get the Co I thought this book was going to be really interesting and good。 WRONG！ I found it not interesting， but I kept reading because I thought it would get better。One thing I think is wrong with it is it got bogged down。 So much was thrown at me at once。 Another thing is that most history books are in a chronological order， this was all over the place with dates。 One time you would be in 1887， then 1889 and all the sudden you are back in 1887。 This also told the story of Company F trying to get the Connor gang。 I understand that the author wanted us to get to know the members of the Company， but I didn't like his approach。 I'd be reading about the Connors then all of the sudden I would be reading about a Company F member。 It was just all over the place。Thanks to Netgalley， St。 Martin's Press， and the author for the Kindle Version of the book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more
Dee Arr
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Author Joe Pappalardo presents a slice of history in this book dedicated to the story of Texas Ranger company F。 Based upon diaries， news articles， and other pieces of documentation， “Red Sky Morning” gives readers a full look at what times were like back in America’s wilder times。 People wanted justice， and the Texas Rangers recruited men to fill the void。Mr。 Pappalardo does his best to fill in all the blanks， explaining why events happened and how the people involved got caught up in the actio Author Joe Pappalardo presents a slice of history in this book dedicated to the story of Texas Ranger company F。 Based upon diaries， news articles， and other pieces of documentation， “Red Sky Morning” gives readers a full look at what times were like back in America’s wilder times。 People wanted justice， and the Texas Rangers recruited men to fill the void。Mr。 Pappalardo does his best to fill in all the blanks， explaining why events happened and how the people involved got caught up in the action。 At times， this does cause the retelling to jump around a bit （back and forth through the timeline）， but in the end， it was easy to make sense of it all。 One particular chapter dealt with three lawmen who were charged with murder， and it is interesting to see how the court followed the law while being much different than what we are accustomed to see in today’s world。Recommended for lovers of history and those who want to learn more about how the United States was tamed， and the men who were brave enough to step forward and accept the challenge。 Five stars。My thanks to NetGalley and St。 Martin’s Press for a complimentary electronic copy of this book。 。。。more
Jennifer Lara
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Red Sky Morning: The Epic Story of Texas Ranger Company F by Joe Pappalardo is described as the explosive and bloody true history of Texas Rangers Company F。 The hard men who rode hard and risked their lives to bring justice to the lawless frontier in the waning years of the Old West。 Focusing on the years between 1886-1888 as Sergeant James Brooks commanded Company F as they engaged in three fatal gunfights and countless manhunts。 Company F hunted down criminals， killing them if necessary and b Red Sky Morning: The Epic Story of Texas Ranger Company F by Joe Pappalardo is described as the explosive and bloody true history of Texas Rangers Company F。 The hard men who rode hard and risked their lives to bring justice to the lawless frontier in the waning years of the Old West。 Focusing on the years between 1886-1888 as Sergeant James Brooks commanded Company F as they engaged in three fatal gunfights and countless manhunts。 Company F hunted down criminals， killing them if necessary and bringing them to trial when possible。 They were confident in their “Ranger justice。” However， one outfit would give Company F a challenge。 The Conner family were an East Texas family of master hunters and jailbreakers who were wanted for their part in a bloody feud。 An in depth account of the Company F’s showdown with the Conner family that find themselves over their heads and in the fight for their lives。 Did Company F find the Conner family？ And at what cost？ I love history， especially history that I know little about。 Everyone has heard of the Texas Rangers but most do not know the twists and turns of its history。 I was very excited to read Red Sky Morning。 I eagerly dove into the chapters as the men and women of the Old West were introduced。 However， as Mr。 Pappalardo jumps back and forth in time without an apparent reason。 He states in the introduction that he set out to answer the question about who the Texas Rangers really were， I feel he failed。 Red Sky Morning became a tedious read that became more a history of the Texas frontier， all its colorful characters and events rather than just Company F。 I found myself losing focus as I turned pages。 The book lacked cohesiveness as the presentation was very disjointed。 Individuals would be introduced， while famous or infamous in the Old West， seemed to have nothing to do with Company F and their manhunt for the Conner family。 I do not recommend Red Sky Morning。 Red Sky Morning: The Epic Story of Texas Ranger Company Fis available June 28， 2022 in hardcover， eBook， and audiobook 。。。more
Karen
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I received an invitation to read Red Sky Morning by Joe Pappalardo。 I have spent the last month off and on trying to get through this book about the Texas Rangers especially focused on Sgt。 James Brooks who was in Company F of the Texas Rangers。 I have always enjoyed books and shows about the West during the 1800s starting with Westerns of the late 1950s。 Brooks is an interesting figure。 My problem with this book is that I became lost in all of the figures around Brooks and side stories。 I gave I received an invitation to read Red Sky Morning by Joe Pappalardo。 I have spent the last month off and on trying to get through this book about the Texas Rangers especially focused on Sgt。 James Brooks who was in Company F of the Texas Rangers。 I have always enjoyed books and shows about the West during the 1800s starting with Westerns of the late 1950s。 Brooks is an interesting figure。 My problem with this book is that I became lost in all of the figures around Brooks and side stories。 I gave up taking notes。 I can definitely tell the writer did a lot of research。 I think he would have benefited from having a second writer who could have helped make this book easier to read by the average person interested in the West。 My thanks to St， Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book。 The opinions in this review are my own。 。。。more
Debra Pawlak
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I received an advance reading copy （arc） of the book from the publisher and NetGalley。com in return for a fair review。 I knew very little about the Texas Rangers when I was asked to read this book。 It certainly sounded interesting and the unique topic piqued my curiosity。 Unfortunately， the book just fell short for me。 Center stage was the Connor family--a band of outlaws hiding in the Texas range and the lawmen who sought them during the late 1880s。 Led by Sargent James Brooks， the lawmen thems I received an advance reading copy （arc） of the book from the publisher and NetGalley。com in return for a fair review。 I knew very little about the Texas Rangers when I was asked to read this book。 It certainly sounded interesting and the unique topic piqued my curiosity。 Unfortunately， the book just fell short for me。 Center stage was the Connor family--a band of outlaws hiding in the Texas range and the lawmen who sought them during the late 1880s。 Led by Sargent James Brooks， the lawmen themselves came from a wide background of non-drinkers to killers。 They were feared as well as respected。 Author Joe Pappalardo did not focus on the chase for the Connors， however。 He was sidetracked by other cases and other criminals that all jumbled together。 He also switched back and forth between time periods， which I found confusing。 There were way too many characters that were hard to keep track of with way too many details that bogged down what should have been the story。 For example， because one ranger happened to see Belle Starr， the author provided background on the female outlaw that had no bearing on the main story。 While Author Pappalardo certainly did an abundance of research， the telling of the tale fell short for this reader。 。。。more
Teresa
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I love western stories and was so looking forward to this one。 The author has a big story to tell， and he certainly did his research。 The cons: It reads like a history book and I had to keep a log on paper to keep track of who， what， when， and where we were talking about。 So many characters， so many different time frames and we even went back and forth a few times。 But other than those few distractive issues， as I said， this is a big story and I certainly learned a lot。 I can only wish it would I love western stories and was so looking forward to this one。 The author has a big story to tell， and he certainly did his research。 The cons: It reads like a history book and I had to keep a log on paper to keep track of who， what， when， and where we were talking about。 So many characters， so many different time frames and we even went back and forth a few times。 But other than those few distractive issues， as I said， this is a big story and I certainly learned a lot。 I can only wish it would have been told in a more conducive story telling format。 Western lovers， sit back， get ready to learn more than you ever expected。 4 stars is the best I could do since I didn’t care for the writing style。I personally thank the publisher for the privilege to be offered this ARC from St。 Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my unbiased review – This one comes in with 4 stars。 。。。more
Abibliofob
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Red Sky Morning by Joe Paparlardo is not the best book I ever read about the Texas Rangers， it was hard to get into and not very interesting。 I found the long descriptions of people boring。 I thought it was more about criminals and their families than about the rangers。 Still I thank Edelweiss， Macmillan and St。 Martin's Press for letting me read this advance copy。 Red Sky Morning by Joe Paparlardo is not the best book I ever read about the Texas Rangers， it was hard to get into and not very interesting。 I found the long descriptions of people boring。 I thought it was more about criminals and their families than about the rangers。 Still I thank Edelweiss， Macmillan and St。 Martin's Press for letting me read this advance copy。 。。。more
David
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I received a free electronic advance review copy of this book from St。 Martin's Press via Netgalley。Sometimes I read a book and find that someone here at Goodreads has already stated my opinion as well or better than I can。 I recommend the review written by William Harris。 Particularly， I agree with Harris when he says， “the ramshackle approach to the narrative structure makes this a tedious read” and also when he says that the book has “[c]onfusing time jumps， shifts in tense and the extremely I received a free electronic advance review copy of this book from St。 Martin's Press via Netgalley。Sometimes I read a book and find that someone here at Goodreads has already stated my opinion as well or better than I can。 I recommend the review written by William Harris。 Particularly， I agree with Harris when he says， “the ramshackle approach to the narrative structure makes this a tedious read” and also when he says that the book has “[c]onfusing time jumps， shifts in tense and the extremely disjointed and anecdotal presentation of the information available”。The research that went into this book seems to be thorough。In the book's introduction （Kindle location 50）， the author includes the following quote from a 19th-century Texas Ranger: Near everyone has heard of the Texas Rangers， but how many know what the Rangers really are， or what are their duties？ In a general way， everyone knows they are men who ride around on the Texas border， do a good deal of shooting， and now and then get killed or kill someone。 But why they ride around， or why they do the shooting， is a question which might go begging for an answer for a long time without getting a correct one。 A footnote by the author immediately following says:This books [sic] seeks to answer that very question about the Texas Rangers of the late 1800s。 I don't think the author succeeded。In general， the Texas Rangers， during the time that this history covers， seem to be the frontier law enforcement equivalent of firemen， or maybe mobile air cavalry， in the sense that they are dispatched to wherever the mayhem is greatest， without regard to whether doing so fits into some previously-agreed list of appropriate duties。 This book does not cover the period of 1915 – 1920， when the Rangers are accused of atrocities against ethnic Mexicans。Here's a quote from near the end of the book: In the culture wars of the twenty-first century， these men [i。e。， Texas Rangers] are … supposed to be “bright aura” avatars， not overworked cops working a vast， challenging beat。 This heroic shroud obscures the realities of their lives as Texas Rangers and is nearly as unfair and dehumanizing as branding them racists by association。 。。。more
Jan
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The presentation was thoroughly spoiled by the in text listing of sources as opposed to a much less intrusive use of footnotes or endnotes。 Can't fault the research， however。 This is an examination of one troop and their campaign against one particular crime family but carries the characteristics of the Ranger's mentality and mode of operations。 Historically excellent。I requested and received a free e-book copy from St。 Martin's Press via NetGalley。 Thank you The presentation was thoroughly spoiled by the in text listing of sources as opposed to a much less intrusive use of footnotes or endnotes。 Can't fault the research， however。 This is an examination of one troop and their campaign against one particular crime family but carries the characteristics of the Ranger's mentality and mode of operations。 Historically excellent。I requested and received a free e-book copy from St。 Martin's Press via NetGalley。 Thank you 。。。more
Sallie
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I wish to thank NetGalley and St。 Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book。 I have voluntarily read and reviewed it。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。As a Lover of western history I was really looking forward to reading this book。 I am very disappointed to say that as I tried to stay with the story line I could not stay interested。 I found it to be a well researched book about the history of the Texas Ranger Company F in the 1800’s。 However， the style of writing i I wish to thank NetGalley and St。 Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book。 I have voluntarily read and reviewed it。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。As a Lover of western history I was really looking forward to reading this book。 I am very disappointed to say that as I tried to stay with the story line I could not stay interested。 I found it to be a well researched book about the history of the Texas Ranger Company F in the 1800’s。 However， the style of writing is more like a college history presentation written in a disjointed fashion。 Just as I would get interested in the setting it would jump around to another story and different timelines。 There is great information gathered it is just the presentation style that I could not follow。 。。。more
Autumn Danner
，
This is the most interesting history book I have ever read。 There is so much information about these Rangers that you'd think that it was fictional。 The references are extensive， and the accounts are from multiple points of view。 It is a great read about a wild time in our country's past。 The dangers that Ranger's faced on a regular basis are a testimony to their integrity and fortitude。 Although so much has changed in this country over the years， some things still remain the same。 I was impress This is the most interesting history book I have ever read。 There is so much information about these Rangers that you'd think that it was fictional。 The references are extensive， and the accounts are from multiple points of view。 It is a great read about a wild time in our country's past。 The dangers that Ranger's faced on a regular basis are a testimony to their integrity and fortitude。 Although so much has changed in this country over the years， some things still remain the same。 I was impressed with the judicial system in place in that era， as well as the investigative methods used。 So much research went into this book， and this resulted in a read that was informative and entertaining。 I highly recommend this book。 。。。more
John
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Thanks to the publisher， St。 Martin’s Press， and to NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review。 This is the story of Texas Rangers Company F and their role in Texas history。 Company F was formed after the Mexican War， Civil War and most of the Indian wars。 Company F was created for one purpose， to chase robbers， killers， rustlers and fence cutters， and they did their job well。 The primary focus is on two Rangers， James Brooks and Captain Wil Thanks to the publisher， St。 Martin’s Press， and to NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review。 This is the story of Texas Rangers Company F and their role in Texas history。 Company F was formed after the Mexican War， Civil War and most of the Indian wars。 Company F was created for one purpose， to chase robbers， killers， rustlers and fence cutters， and they did their job well。 The primary focus is on two Rangers， James Brooks and Captain William Scott。 It details Brooks involvement in a shooting in the Indian Territory and subsequent trial in Fort Smith， Arkansas。 In even more detail it follows the long search for the feuding Connor family in Sabine county， Texas that involved a major shootout with the Rangers。 In between it touches on the fight against fence cutters and the bitter fight in Texas between the small ranchers who favored an open range and the larger ranchers who supported fences。 At times it reads like a genealogy book as the author goes into painful detail of every character’s family history and who begat who。 And in the middle of the book he throws in a chapter on the modern idiocy of removing a Ranger statue by the woke crowd。 That would have been better held until the end。 On the positive side he does a wonderful job of bringing in historical detail on the old west。 Following a remote shootout where several Rangers were badly injured he discussed field surgeries and roles of the local country doctors in great detail。 I found that fascinating。 There was also much interesting details about the famous court in Fort Smith and the fence cutting war。 But continuing that genealogy bent rather than ending the book with the retirement of the Rangers and end of the company， he follows their post Ranger lives in painful detail until their deaths。 That made the end drag and could have been shortened considerably。 Overall it was an interesting book for anyone interested in Old West， Texas Ranger or Texas history。 。。。more
Ron Baumer
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A truly interesting look at the Texas Rangers。 The story was intriguing and really holds your interest。 A great book for the western fan。Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review。
Patricia Romero
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The Texas Rangers cast a big shadow。 One of myth and legend but not many known facts。This is the story of one group of Rangers。 They did a lot more than hunt down bad guys。 There were land disputes， cattle disputes， Indian problems， and even family feuds。Sergeant James Brooks was with Company F， and between 1886 and 1888， he was in three fatal fights， had many bullet wounds， chased down countless outlaws， and was even convicted of murder！While they may have had a larger-than-life presence， when The Texas Rangers cast a big shadow。 One of myth and legend but not many known facts。This is the story of one group of Rangers。 They did a lot more than hunt down bad guys。 There were land disputes， cattle disputes， Indian problems， and even family feuds。Sergeant James Brooks was with Company F， and between 1886 and 1888， he was in three fatal fights， had many bullet wounds， chased down countless outlaws， and was even convicted of murder！While they may have had a larger-than-life presence， when they meet the Conners， they may be in over their heads。This was a challenge to read。 Timelines jumped。 Obviously， the author did his research， but it just didn’t feel organized to me。 And I did feel lost a few times。NetGalley/June 28th， 2022 by St。 Martin’s Press 。。。more
Jeremy Booty
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This book is a compelling and interesting history of the Texas Rangers， life on the frontier as it lurched toward the 20th century and the murderous feuds that were then part of life in east Texas。 However， the book is so poorly edited as to make it nearly unreadable。 At every point where the narrative really begins to move it comes to a screeching halt because we are taken back another ten or twenty years to tell yet another story。 This is no more true than at what would have been the natural e This book is a compelling and interesting history of the Texas Rangers， life on the frontier as it lurched toward the 20th century and the murderous feuds that were then part of life in east Texas。 However， the book is so poorly edited as to make it nearly unreadable。 At every point where the narrative really begins to move it comes to a screeching halt because we are taken back another ten or twenty years to tell yet another story。 This is no more true than at what would have been the natural end of the story-the retirement of the main characters-we are forced endure what they did literally until they were buried。 It is as if the author， having gathered so much material， felt compelled to use all of it whether or not it contributed to the book。 This book can only be gotten through by liberal page skipping， which is a shame because at the core of the book there lies a terrific story 。。。more
David
，
This book tells a lot of engaging stories about Company F of the Texas Rangers in its heyday， and honestly it makes me more interested in finding a more broad and general history of the Rangers as an overall organization。 I would say that the book could have used a firmer editorial hand when it comes to structure and content。 It meanders a bit and could stand to be tightened up somewhat。 Still， an enjoyable read。Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity！
Dan
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My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher St。 Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this history and biography featuring the Texas Rangers。Texas Rangers exist in that netherworld of both fact and whole lot more known better fiction in the thoughts of most Americans。 Many might know the "One riot， one ranger" comment， but it could have been said by Walker， Texas Ranger。 Many know Bonnie and Clyde， but not know about Frank Hamer who led the posse that led to their death。 And few probably know My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher St。 Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this history and biography featuring the Texas Rangers。Texas Rangers exist in that netherworld of both fact and whole lot more known better fiction in the thoughts of most Americans。 Many might know the "One riot， one ranger" comment， but it could have been said by Walker， Texas Ranger。 Many know Bonnie and Clyde， but not know about Frank Hamer who led the posse that led to their death。 And few probably know about the Porvenir massacre where a group of Rangers， ranchers and some calvary killed 15 unarmed men and boys from Mexico。 The Texas Rangers are in the minds of many brave men who fought gutless desperados and tamed a wild west。 Not men who stood trial for murder， were used as tools by the powerful to close off the west， and at one point planted dynamite traps to stop barbed wire cutters。 These stories and more are told in Joe Pappalardo's Red Sky Morning: The Epic True Story of Texas Ranger Company F， about just one group of rangers and their adventures in slowly changing west。The book focuses on the two Rangers in particular， James Brooks who was a tough as they came with the wounds to show and a murder trial to prove it。 And Captain William Scott who led the Company F in their pursuit of rustlers and fence cutters who fought against the closing of the west by fencing the plains。 Their opposite would be the Connor family， a brutal group whose father had no problem shooting first， and shooting to kill。 These two groups were fated to meet in a way that would change most of their lives forever。 The book takes on a lot of history not just of the Rangers， but of Texas， cattle industry， free range， barb wire cutting， law politics， rustling， the use of informers in law enforcement。 A lot。 The book is interesting but the amount of characters and the points of view changing can get a little much， and might be a tad tough to follow。 I enjoyed the book， but I do have to admit I might have gotten lost a time or two。 There is a lot of detail for just a biography on Company F， and I can see where people might have problems。 Though again， I still admit I liked it。Recommended for Fathers who like the west， and want something more than a good guys， bad guys story。 For readers of Jeff Guinn's The Last Gunfight， or War on the Border， Nathan Gorenstein's The Guns of John Moses Browning， even Bryan Burroughs Forget the Alamo。 。。。more
William Harris
，
I have just finished the rather arduous task of wading through Joe Pappalardo's "Red Sky Morning: The Epic True Story of Texas Ranger Company F" from an ARC graciously provided to me by St。 Martin's Press。 Candidly， I am somewhat at a loss for how to respond here。 In fairness， there is a lot of detail about life in Texas in the late 19th Century here。 On the other hand， and far more important to this reviewer， the ramshackle approach to the narrative structure makes this a tedious read indeed。 I I have just finished the rather arduous task of wading through Joe Pappalardo's "Red Sky Morning: The Epic True Story of Texas Ranger Company F" from an ARC graciously provided to me by St。 Martin's Press。 Candidly， I am somewhat at a loss for how to respond here。 In fairness， there is a lot of detail about life in Texas in the late 19th Century here。 On the other hand， and far more important to this reviewer， the ramshackle approach to the narrative structure makes this a tedious read indeed。 It puts me in mind of a Master's Thesis in search of a thesis。 Its jumping off point， and occasional touchstone， is Company F of the Texas Rangers and their involvement in a number of cases but principally one that reads like a kind of Hatfield and McCoy story set in East Texas with a large cast of colorful characters。 That said， the author's narrative structure often defeats whatever point it is he thinks he is making。 Confusing time jumps， shifts in tense and the extremely disjointed and anecdotal presentation of the information available simply makes this text a "bridge too far" for this reader。 There is useful information here， and the author has made an obvious attempt to document his facts， but the organizational failures here obscure and interfere with any emergent narrative that may be present。 。。。more
Natalie
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Red Sky MorningBy Joe PappalardoThis is a work of non-fiction purportedly about the Texas Ranger Company F in the late 1800s。 Through a string of loosely strung together anecdotes， the author presents bits and pieces of stories about various Texas Rangers at the time - but much more about family feuds， outlaws， the closing off of the open range in Texas and other stories having little direct relevance to the Rangers。There is much information about the Connor family， many of whom were involved in Red Sky MorningBy Joe PappalardoThis is a work of non-fiction purportedly about the Texas Ranger Company F in the late 1800s。 Through a string of loosely strung together anecdotes， the author presents bits and pieces of stories about various Texas Rangers at the time - but much more about family feuds， outlaws， the closing off of the open range in Texas and other stories having little direct relevance to the Rangers。There is much information about the Connor family， many of whom were involved in killings and feuds and several of whom landed in prison for years。 The author spends a great deal of time giving background details about husbands and wives， fathers and sons， and various other family members and neighbors， friends and foes: How long they lived， when they died， where they were buried etc。 The cast of characters becomes unwieldy and I found myself mired down in all this and lost track often of who these people even were。If you are really interested in background about the Texas Rangers of that period， I don't think you will find much to interest you here。 This is just a compendium of extraneous information about life in Texas （Sabine County） and Louisiana during that time。 。。。more
Bonnye Reed
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