From the national bestselling author of The Last Crossing, a story that's "by turns a western, a critique of Hollywood, and a novel of ideas" ( The New York Times Book Review). In 1920s Hollywood, elusive producer Damon Ira Chance is obsessed with making movies rooted in American history and experience. So after discovering that small-time actor Shorty McAdoo is a real-life cowboy—and is even rumored to have played a role in the Cypress Hills Massacre—Chance commissions ambitious young screenwriter Harry Vincent to find Shorty and retell his story. But as Harry digs deeper into Shorty's life, he uncovers a surprising tale of survival, power, greed, and the seduction of dreams . . . all with an ending that no one is prepared for. "A wonderful writer . . . The Englishman's Boy is a great accomplishment." —Richard Ford "An epic tale that brings together the American West before the turn of the century with the Hollywood of the 1920s." — Los Angeles Times "Fascinating . . . Vanderhaeghe seamlessly alternates two interconnected stories. . . . Masterful storytelling." — Entertainment Weekly "A compelling yarn that delivers provocative intellectual content about the ways our tendency to mythologize history can prevent us from learning its lessons." — San Francisco Chronicle