Luck o' the Draw

Irish Gunfighters in the West

By: Karen Wilkes

Narrated by: Karen Wilkes

Luck o' the Draw is a rollicking tale of Irish gunfighters who roamed the remote vastness of 19th century Nevada. In a labor of love, Karen Wilkes takes us into her personal search to uncover the hidden history of the notorious desperadoes who populated her hometown of Pioche—many of whom ended up in the legendary Boot Hill graveyard she could see from her living room window.

Filled with colorful characters who rubbed shoulders with such fabled gunslingers as Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson and set against the backdrop of a vast state with only 40,000 souls, Luck o' the Draw is a delight.

©2023 Karen Wilkes (P)2025 Karen Wilkes

The REAL Wild West!

Having seen all those Western movies and TV shows and read some Western fiction, it was great to read these true stories of real gunfighters in the real Wild West. In this case we are talking about the mining town of Pioche, Nevada, in its heyday. Written by a Pioche native and a fine storyteller, I really enjoyed reading Karen Wilkes’ actual biographies of these men and the world they lived in. There is both fascinating detail about their deeds and misdeeds as well as the social and historical context of how and why they left their native emerald green land to end up in the scorching desert of the American West, sometimes by very circuitous routes. Anyone interested in the Wild West, Nevada history and US history in general should give ‘Luck o’ the Draw’ a listen!

A great listen!

I have heard this author speak before at a book reading. Very engaging and interesting!