Lawman: The Life and Times of Harry Morse, 1835-1912

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Summary: A STORY OF AN UNSUNG HERO OF THE OLD WEST
Review: HARRY MORSE WAS A HERO FORGOTTEN . HIS BRAVERY, TENACITY AND COURAGE FAR OUT SHINES THE OTHER MORE POPULAR WESTERN HEROES LIKE THE EARPS. HIS GUNFIGHT WITH JUAN SOTO IS EDGE OF THE SEAT EXCITEMENT AND HIS TALES OF ORDINARY DAY TO DAY LIFE IN OLD CALIFORNIA GIVES AN INSIGHT TO OUR HISTORY..GREAT READING.

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Summary: Review from Wild West magazine
Review: In telling Morse's fascinating story, Boessenecker, a San Francisco-based attorney, often allows Morse to do the telling. (Yes, Harry was far more prolific with a pen than either Wyatt or Wild Bill). You'll also find plenty of solid insight into California's battle for law and order after the gold rush. . . . From now on, when someone sings of a lawman being "brave, courageous and bold," it just might make sense to think of Harry instead of Wyatt. Wild West Magazine, August 1999.

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Summary: Review from New Mexico Historical Review
Review: This work by an eminent writer on old-time outlaws and lawmen can be viewed from several vantage points: the storied career of Harry Morse, the ins and outs of law enforcement in the Old West, and the interplay between Hispanics and Anglos in Old California. Boessenecker describes Morse as a "gunfighter, manhunter, and sleuth whose career is without parallel in the history of the American frontier." More importantly, the author, like other western historians in recent years, shows the difference between the blood and thunder school of thought about Old West gunfighting lawmen who occasionally pinned on a silver star, and those individuals who saw law enforcement in the American West as a profession. As a career minded peace officer, Morse spent decades learning the techniques needed to investigate crimes and to track and capture outlaws and desperadoes. New Mexico Historical Review, April 1999.