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Reviewed by Steve Leshin for Readers' Favorite
Holliday by Matthew Di Paoli can be read as historical fiction about a popular figure of the old American West, yet it also serves as a mystical tale of salvation. Doc Holliday needs no introduction to the average reader. He has been portrayed in countless movies, on television, and in literature. In this story, Holliday is searching for a cure for his tuberculosis based on a myth about a magical fountain or wellspring somewhere out west. A place that may be home to a veritable fountain of youth leads the gambler through Texas, Dodge City, New Mexico, Tombstone, and finally Colorado. Along the way, the sickly razor-thin gunman finds he is a big-time celebrity with an entourage of youthful followers that hound him in every town. Newspaper reporters looking for fame and fortune latch onto Doc Holliday’s celebrity with front-page stories and photographs that contribute greatly to Doc’s mystique, much like the paparazzi of our time. Di Paoli knows his subject’s history very well, and Holliday fans will recognize most of the references to major participants in Doc’s time including Wyatt Earp, his brothers Virgil and Morgan Earp, Kate Elder, Sadie Marcus, Ike Clanton, Curly Bill, Ringo, and others.
What makes Holliday different from other historical fiction accounts of the gunslinger is the encounters with a reporter named Wentworth, who seems to haunt him from place to place, as well as the search for the cure. Di Paoli peppers the story with authentic Old West dialogue, especially between “Big Nose” Kate Elder and Doc. She wants him to find the cure for his tuberculosis by locating the magical spring. In the author’s rendering, there is a difficult but deep love story between the two, even though Holliday still carries a torch for his beloved female cousin, with whom he had an affair years ago. The reader should be aware of graphic violence and sex scenes. Overall, Holliday by Matthew Di Paoli is a fine read for any Doc Holliday or Western fan.
