Boomtown: The True Story of the Wickedest Town in Texas
Apr 2026 · Sold by St. Martin's Press
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320
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About this ebook
The true story of the corrupt and violent town of Borger, Texas in 1927―and the legendary Texas Ranger tasked with taming it.
Just a year after the town of Borger, Texas was founded, the press already called it “the wickedest in the state." The town, sprung into existence overnight to support new oilfields, was a lawless haven for bootleggers, pimps and gamblers, run by a crooked city hall and corrupt police. The town also became a haven for those seeking second chances, including dance hall operators, storeowners, wrestlers, lawyers and freelance oil well firefighters.
But the raucous environment attracted some of the most unsavory characters in prohibition America, including a gang of murderous bank robbers who head into Borger to spend their money on booze, gambling and prostitutes. In the span of weeks, the robbers killed three law enforcement officers, bringing the worst heat imaginable: iconic Texas Ranger Captain Frank Hamer, just a few years before his takedown of Bonnie and Clyde. His arrival threatens to break the hardest boomtown in America―if it doesn't kill him first.
Just a year after the town of Borger, Texas was founded, the press already called it “the wickedest in the state." The town, sprung into existence overnight to support new oilfields, was a lawless haven for bootleggers, pimps and gamblers, run by a crooked city hall and corrupt police. The town also became a haven for those seeking second chances, including dance hall operators, storeowners, wrestlers, lawyers and freelance oil well firefighters.
But the raucous environment attracted some of the most unsavory characters in prohibition America, including a gang of murderous bank robbers who head into Borger to spend their money on booze, gambling and prostitutes. In the span of weeks, the robbers killed three law enforcement officers, bringing the worst heat imaginable: iconic Texas Ranger Captain Frank Hamer, just a few years before his takedown of Bonnie and Clyde. His arrival threatens to break the hardest boomtown in America―if it doesn't kill him first.
The true story of the corrupt and violent town of Borger, Texas in 1927―and the legendary Texas Ranger tasked with taming it.
Just a year after the town of Borger, Texas was founded, the press already called it “the wickedest in the state." The town, sprung into existence overnight to support ne...
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Ratings and reviews
2 reviews
Texas Texan
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April 22, 2026
BOOMTOWN - An interesting, well written story set in a small Texas town, in 1927. How it was created and who did what, when, where, why, and how. Interesting people (a town full) and a bit of history. Source: NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishing. 4*
About the author
JOE PAPPALARDO is the author of the critically acclaimed books Red Sky Morning: The Epic True Story of Texas Ranger Company F; Inferno: The True Story of a B-17 Gunner’s Heroism and the Bloodiest Military Campaign in Aviation History; Sunflowers: The Secret History and Spaceport Earth: The Reinvention of Spaceflight. Pappalardo is a freelance journalist and former associate editor of Air & Space Smithsonian magazine, a writing contributor to National Geographic magazine, a contributor to Texas Monthly, and a former senior editor at Popular Mechanics. He has appeared on C-Span, CNN, Fox News and television shows on the Science Channel and the History Channel.
JOE PAPPALARDO is the author of the critically acclaimed books Red Sky Morning: The Epic True Story of Texas Ranger Company F; Inferno: The True Story of a B-17 Gunner’s Heroism and the Bloodiest Military Campaign in Aviation History; Sunflowers: The Secret History and Spaceport Earth: The Reinve...
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