"A novel as compelling as the incredible true story it's based on." James Wade, two-time Spur Award-winning author of Beasts of the Earth.
When Santa Claus enters a Texas bank just before Christmas in 1927, no one expects him to pull a gun.
The fake white beard hides his identity from his neighbors while he and three others take everything. But their easy heist goes sideways fast when armed lawmen and citizens assemble to claim a new reward for dead bank robbers.
Taking hostages, the gang forces a path through a frenzied and bloody shootout, setting the whole Lone Star state on their trail.
One bandit dies in the getaway. One is executed in the electric chair. One swings from a rope in a mob lynching. The last man finds a life he always hoped for … if only he can keep it.
Closely based on a true crime, The Last Man is a gritty Prohibition-era Western novel filled with flawed characters and second chances.
"Do not miss this fabulous Texas tale!” Kathleen Y’Barbo, Publishers Weekly bestselling author of The Black Midnight and the Bayou Nouvelle series.
"The characters emerge off the page through distinct dialog and authentic descriptions of people and places in the story.... I highly recommend this book for readers who like inspirational, crime, and historical stories."
Joni M. Fisher, author of The Compass Crimes series
“Through gripping action scenes and slow-burn character studies, Goodman delivers an authentic Texas story that will keep readers turning the pages. At its core, though, The Last Man is more than the tale of a botched heist. It is a haunting exploration of man's inherent brokenness and the longing for redemption and liberation.”
Eileen Flynn, Austin American-Statesman staff writer and editor 2007-2020, and University of Texas adjunct journalism professor 2007-2019
“This novel brings these four convicts to life in a way that, despite their flaws and frailties or perhaps because of them, we care about what happens to them.”
Historical Novel Society
