Publication Date: July 3, 2023
Holliday follows the infamous 1880s gambler, dentist, and gunslinger, Doc Holliday. From the outset, Doc has been diagnosed with tuberculosis and is told to head to dryer climates and imbibe to prolong his life. He has also heard of a spring located somewhere along the frontier that could cure him—what he believes to be the mythical Fountain of Youth. The novel portrays Holliday as a rock star, a living legend, increasingly hounded by paparazzi, enamored by death, cards, booze, and women. Doc is a mixture of Clint Eastwood and Jim Morrison, and though he is able to help his friend, Wyatt Earp, exact revenge, his condition worsens, traveling from Arizona to Denver, and finally dying in a sanatorium in Colorado with his boots off. A slow and unfitting end for such a bombastic outlaw.
It’s rare to come across a traditional Western with rowdy cowboys these days, but author Matthew Di Paoli delivers a fascinating trip back to the days of famous gunslingers.
In Holliday, the author showcases the infamous Doc Holliday. Diagnosed with tuberculosis, he leaves Atlanta for a drier climate while searching for a healing spring.
Along the way, he picks up plenty of trouble, drinking and gambling. His exploits with the ladies illustrate his smooth-talking abilities. It’s an opportunity to learn more about a character often overshadowed by his contemporaries, such as Wyatt Earp.
The writing style is crisp, allowing readers to get a multi-faceted look at the life and times of the Wild West.
Holliday serves up a fascinating look into a man whose life earned him a spot in history.
Matthew Di Paoli has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize three times including 2020. He has won the Wilbur & Niso Smith Adventure Writing Prize, the Prism Review, 2 Elizabeth’s, and Momaya Review Short Story Contests. Matthew earned his MFA in Fiction at Columbia University. He has been published in Boulevard, Fjords, Post Road, and Cleaver, among others. He is the author of Killstanbul with El Balazo Press and a forthcoming novel, Holliday, with Sunbury Press.
