Bring Me the Head of Joaquin Murrieta: The Bandit Chief Who Terrorized California and Launched the Legend of Zorro

New York Times bestselling author and award-winning historian John Boessenecker--as seen on Netflix’s Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War--debunks over 150 years of myth surrounding the Wild West’s most notorious Latino bandit, Joaquin Murrieta

The story of Joaquin Murietta is the stuff of legends--in the face of adversity, the Latino outlaw embarked on a noble career as a rebel, fighting against injustice. He later became popularly known as "El Patrio" (the Patriot) and the "Robin Hood of El Dorado." However, though Joaquin Murietta remains a folk hero to many, his checkered past has been hidden behind layers upon layers of myth--until now. Joaquin arrived in the gold mines in 1849, and his brother-in-law, Claudio Feliz, turned to crime, driven by far more sinister ambitions than righteousness. By the following year, Claudio Feliz and Joaquin Murrieta ruled over one of the biggest and bloodiest outlaw gangs of the Old West. Despite Murrieta’s grisly death, members of his gang continued to raid and kill for more than twenty years thereafter. The Pistoleros tells the infamous story of Joaquin’s life, his bloody career, and his gruesome fate. Carefully researched, with never-before-told stories of the violent trail he and his gang left in their wake, award-winning author and definitive Wild West historian John Boessenecker separates fact from fiction in this gripping portrait of the California Gold Rush era, for readers of Tom Clavin and H.W. Brands.

About the Author

John Boessenecker is the author of eleven books, including the New York Times bestseller Texas Ranger: The Epic Life of Frank Hamer, the Man Who Killed Bonnie and Clyde. He has received the Spur award from Western Writers of America, the Best Book award from Westerners International, and in 2011 and 2013 True West named him Best Nonfiction Writer. He has appeared frequently as a historical commentator on PBS, The History Channel, A&E, and most recently, Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War. He lives near San Francisco, California.