Many times I have written-- fiction books are always fiction. I know how much readers want to think otherwise about the great literary works-- ah so true to life. Except they are fiction made to convince readers they are true to life.
Recently I've written about romantic heroes-- realistic and otherwise. It seemed an apropos time to discuss how real life actually works out-- from a non-fiction book which attracted my interest for a lot of reasons.
Its story is not how we want to think life happens. It's definitely not how it would in a romance or mystery, but it is what actually happens when murderers do sometimes get away with it and investigations are not tidily wrapped up by the last chapter.
In 1994, I remember reading in the newspapers when this cowboy was shot. It seemed unexplainable then and the details were sketchy as to what even happened. The first article that I read indicated he was shot off his horse. Very cowboy like but not what happened.
The country in which the murder happened is a region where I have spent a lot of time. The writer does a good job of personalizing what happened and bringing forth anecdotes that make you feel you understand better not only the events but the nature of the people.
When we read of something like this, a young man cut down in the prime of life, deliberately murdered, it is upsetting. It's not how it's supposed to be. Then the uneasiness doubles down when the one who did it got away with it-- at least as far as the legal system is concerned.
Tidy, rewarding endings too often do not belong to real life. And heroes don't always survive. We see that time and again. If I am going to take the time though to read about this kind of event and investigation, I want it to be in a book clearly labeled non-fiction.
Rick Steber's determined research led to an interesting story about that part of Oregon, many character studies of those who could have held the gun that day, and of what can go wrong in an investigation.
There were even psychics to add to the mix. When the only living witnesses are the killer, a horse and dog, psychics are a place some turn for answers. We always want answers, but this book won't give it to us. It will just tell us what can be known, and you can do your own deciding what did happen when one individual sighted down a rifle and deliberately killed another human being. Of all the possible explanations, the one I don't remotely believe is it was an accident. It was deliberate murder, but the question of why may never be answered.
The story was another reminder of why I enjoy writing romances. I get enough of these kind of tragedies in the newspaper and non-fiction. It isn't that I don't want to know they happen. It's just I like having a break from it to a world where it will work out-- even if it takes awhile.
