Review by Renee Storteboom -- The McCoys Before The Feud
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Renee Storteboom
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Review by Renee Storteboom -- The McCoys Before The Feud
[Following is a volunteer review of "The McCoys Before The Feud" by Thomas McCoy.]
2 out of 4 stars.
Descended from the original McCoys—as in the Hatfields and McCoys of folk history—Thomas McCoy gives us The McCoys Before the Feud, the first book in a trilogy about the legendary clan. One of the strongest elements of the book comes from the fact that a real McCoy researched and wrote it. (Yes, I said “Real McCoy”.) The story is written as a fictionalized account of true events at the close of the Civil War. I gave the book two stars due to the clearly extensive research the author completed but no more than two stars due to the lack of narrative fire that he gave his story.
Immediately after the guns of the Civil War fall silent, Tommy McCoy and the rest of the Confederate Army head for a ‘pass in review’ by conquering Union generals. Tommy has information from his pre-war fiancée that large lots of goods stolen from Southern property owner are being held under guard by Northern officers for their own enrichment in at least four locations. Tommy hatches a plan with his father, Thomas, Sr., and sends out word for all the McCoys who can to meet up and relieve said caches of their booty. They meet, they plan, and then they engage in four heists. It is a little bit like Ocean’s 11, but this story involves at least twice as many people in 1860’s Kansas.
The author’s thorough research is evident. This is a strong element to his fictionalized account. However, he takes his attention to detail to new heights in describing each heist: the planning, then the execution, then the repeat of similar tactics in subsequent heists. This grew a bit tedious and repetitive. At the same time, I appreciate the author’s efforts at presenting such details. I simple wish that he had taken advantage of the fictionalized nature of his narrative to liven up those details.
It became important to the gang of McCoys—and likely to their descendants—that they were not stealing for their own sakes. While the bounty they liberated would certainly help set them each up in a post-war South, they wanted to be more and better than the Northern officers who had stolen silver, horses, gold and goods in the first place. They were determined that small nearby communities, at least, would also benefit from their adventure.
There are two more books in the trilogy and I fully intend to read them. I find I need to know more and hope that I will find more in the next installments of the story. I want more about Terry and Tommy; more about Terry’s family and their land More personal stories of the men who fought in the Civil War in various parts or the South and in various capacities: snipers, scouts, artillery, infantry, and so on. More about their various reasons for joining the fight, since Tommy, at least, did not feel it to be so much “his” war. More about some of the personalities of the other McCoys of which I counted at least two dozen distinct individuals.
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The McCoys Before The Feud
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
2 out of 4 stars.
Descended from the original McCoys—as in the Hatfields and McCoys of folk history—Thomas McCoy gives us The McCoys Before the Feud, the first book in a trilogy about the legendary clan. One of the strongest elements of the book comes from the fact that a real McCoy researched and wrote it. (Yes, I said “Real McCoy”.) The story is written as a fictionalized account of true events at the close of the Civil War. I gave the book two stars due to the clearly extensive research the author completed but no more than two stars due to the lack of narrative fire that he gave his story.
Immediately after the guns of the Civil War fall silent, Tommy McCoy and the rest of the Confederate Army head for a ‘pass in review’ by conquering Union generals. Tommy has information from his pre-war fiancée that large lots of goods stolen from Southern property owner are being held under guard by Northern officers for their own enrichment in at least four locations. Tommy hatches a plan with his father, Thomas, Sr., and sends out word for all the McCoys who can to meet up and relieve said caches of their booty. They meet, they plan, and then they engage in four heists. It is a little bit like Ocean’s 11, but this story involves at least twice as many people in 1860’s Kansas.
The author’s thorough research is evident. This is a strong element to his fictionalized account. However, he takes his attention to detail to new heights in describing each heist: the planning, then the execution, then the repeat of similar tactics in subsequent heists. This grew a bit tedious and repetitive. At the same time, I appreciate the author’s efforts at presenting such details. I simple wish that he had taken advantage of the fictionalized nature of his narrative to liven up those details.
It became important to the gang of McCoys—and likely to their descendants—that they were not stealing for their own sakes. While the bounty they liberated would certainly help set them each up in a post-war South, they wanted to be more and better than the Northern officers who had stolen silver, horses, gold and goods in the first place. They were determined that small nearby communities, at least, would also benefit from their adventure.
There are two more books in the trilogy and I fully intend to read them. I find I need to know more and hope that I will find more in the next installments of the story. I want more about Terry and Tommy; more about Terry’s family and their land More personal stories of the men who fought in the Civil War in various parts or the South and in various capacities: snipers, scouts, artillery, infantry, and so on. More about their various reasons for joining the fight, since Tommy, at least, did not feel it to be so much “his” war. More about some of the personalities of the other McCoys of which I counted at least two dozen distinct individuals.
******
The McCoys Before The Feud
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Apollo's Raven by Linnea Tanner
