A New York Lady In Helldorado
About
A notorious killer changed the life of a young Victorian woman. Sarah Herring, now forgotten, was the first woman to win a case in the US Supreme Court without a man’s help. But the young New York schoolteacher didn’t get there overnight. It took hard work and guts.
Arriving in Tombstone in October 1881, Sarah discovers the streets of the Territory’s richest town are not paved in silver but soaked in blood. Finding her purpose here seems crazy. Despite her mother’s schemes, it’s not marriage. But when idealistic, smart Sarah is enlisted by her attorney father to help Wyatt Earp, charged with murder, her perspective begins to change. The horrific news reported by Thomas Sorin, Sarah’s friend and an attractive distraction, makes national headlines while she faces threats from Wyatt’s jealous mistress and deadly outlaws. Wyatt’s shocking honesty opens her mind to her strength and purpose: the law. But Thomas is a surprise. She loves him, too
Believing in Sarah and her dream, Thomas convinces her to pursue the law while he chases his mining ambitions, delaying marriage. But her father coldly refuses to tutor her, treating her request as a passing fancy. Searching out other options, she finds more closed doors and reluctantly returns to teaching. She feels lost and alone. Yet, when tragedy strikes, Sarah demonstrates that a lady of honor and charm can show the men they might have it wrong.
Praise for this book
This richly layered work of historical fiction tells the little-known story of Sarah Herring, who assisted in the legal defense of Wyatt Earp. Williams successfully establishes the setting, blending factual material with a vivid, character-driven narrative. The prose is clearly constructed and quietly immersive. Sarah Herring's voice is poised and polished, but it also conveys the weight of the challenge she faces in being a woman striving for success and notoriety normally reserved for men. This work offers a unique perspective on a historical figure that is unlikely to be known, while the more recognizable character of Wyatt Earp and other figures of the American West provide an additional layer of interest. Sarah Herring emerges as a woman of exceptional talent and intellect who challenges the conventions of gender roles in her era.
A New York Lady in Helldorado” by VC Williams is a fascinating insight into the fabled history of Tombstone, Arizona, and the exploits of the Earp brothers. More than that, its enduring central narrative is the absorbing story of Sarah Herring, a teenager and woman who fights for what she believes in and who ultimately overrode her father’s disapproval to follow him into legal practice. Sarah leaves an enduring legacy for the advancement of women in the practice of law and all who seek to assist those who are wronged. A wonderful read.
A New York Lady in Helldorado” receives 4 stars from The Historical Fiction Company
In this historical novel, a trailblazer discovers that the Old West is the ideal place to prove herself.
Sarah Herring always goes her own way. She can’t fathom why a woman’s worth is contingent on the husband she manages to attract… She is a teacher, but she seeks a more adventurous life. She gets that opportunity thanks to her father’s wanderlust. Col. William Herring, a successful lawyer and politician, chucks it all to work his deceased brother’s stake in a silver mine in the Arizona Territory…The protagonist’s mother and sister move there while Sarah and her younger brother finish the school year in New York City. When they finally go west, Sarah receives the break leading to her destiny. Her father, returning to the law, enlists her to take notes during an inquest following the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral. He is defending Wyatt Earp, his brothers, and Doc Holliday. Sarah is appalled by the wildness of the West but falls in love with the law, as she ends up helping Wyatt craft his testimony. She also falls for the much older Thomas Sorin, who co-owns and operates the weekly newspaper the Tombstone Epitaph. While they are separated for years, love finally brings them back together. Based on the life of Arizona’s first female lawyer, the novel shows the pioneering Sarah who’s ahead of her time, striving to overcome her era’s prejudices. Williams paints an impressive portrait of the attorney. Sarah resolutely follows her love of the law, with the backing of few beyond the mostly absent Thomas. She sacrifices love until later in life, after she and Thomas establish their careers. Her loved ones try to be supportive but can’t comprehend the possibility of a female lawyer. The author’s decision to make such Western touchstones as Tombstone and the legendary shootout a large part of Sarah’s backdrop is astute, as is giving such a substantial role to the real-life figure of Wyatt Earp, who is both flawed and engaging. This choice also allows Sarah to be a stranger in a strange land. What results is a bewitching blend of history and melodrama.
This engrossing, inspiring tale features an intellectual hero unwilling to compromise her career dreams.