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Hehe, that's pretty much the same thing my dad said when he read it. I did also wonder/worry if the character sacrifices would strike too close to Finder's failure in that regard, but wasn't sure how to assess that one accurately without reading it (which I'm loathe to do, knowing how that one is handled).

I'm not really sure why I liked the way it ended myself, except that it felt like a neat "what-if" AU prequel to the historical event, as she probably intended. But I'm not gonna lie...I would have liked a bit more of a finish for the original characters, as well. :-/

Apparently, there was supposed to be a sequel written that she never got around to, which might have helped with that sort of dangling, pointless feeling at the end. Knowing that, it makes me look at Territory and sort of wonder if this was one of those ideas (like some of mine) that one has lying around with enough bones to make a passable novel, and just went ahead and got it published--assuming she'd eventually get around to writing the rest later on when other ideas weren't so pressing. I dunno.

Anyway, I am sorry it wasn't a more satisfying read, but glad that perhaps it wasn't as disappointing as Finder.

Gee...there's a sorta depressing statement, though. "Sorry it was unsatisfying, but glad it wasn't more unsatisfying!" Hahaha xD

I think I would've been less disappointed if she hadn't been so talented at telling the story via Mildred and Jesse (and Doc, of course, but he actually gets an ending to his story). She allowed me to care for them, to know them, and then when she performed that little sleight of hand at the end ("Voila! And THAT'S why Wyatt Earp HAD to do his own dirty work!"), I felt as if she'd yanked all that characterization out from under me. If she'd tied up those characters' loose ends, it might still have bugged me a little, but it wouldn't have felt so much like trickery.

I will say, though, that this book's character death was not nearly as aggravating as the one in Finder...probably because there was a lot more interesting stuff going on in this one. It didn't feel as manipulative, as convenient to the plot.

And a sequel certainly would've helped offer a sense of closure, but I still feel as if this idea just...kinda...wasn't going to work the way she wanted it to, no matter how she played with it. If we didn't have a personal attachment to the Villains (if they weren't the Earps), the book wouldn't have felt as unfinished. But if they weren't the Earps, this book wouldn't work as a nifty, clever little prequel. So no matter how she wrote it, it was always going to have this problem.

Still, this was a satisfying read. I just...couldn't give it 4 stars. And then I felt as if I should explain why, hence the review. I'm not sorry I read it, though, not at all. So thank you for both the recommendation and bearing with my not liking it quite as much as I wanted to. :D

I definitely get that. And agree, honestly. I mean, obviously this hit all the right buttons with me when I read it, and I still love it as it is (even if I can't put my finger on why, lol), but can't argue at all that it would have been even better to me, too, had it somehow been more than it was. Particularly if characters like Mildred and Jesse hadn't been totally treated just as a means to a plot-twist ending.

But I think you're right, in that it would have had problems regardless of how she wrote it. Because...yeah, having the villains be who they were was kind of a wrinkle, even though I liked it regardless. Still kind of a weird one to set one's mind around. O.O

Maybe it's like having the first season of a really great show (Firefly, Moonlight, etc.) only to find out that it was cancelled right before the final act. Which endears them to me, but only so long as I know they also could have benefited from the More that they could have been. Satisfying, but leaving us wanting more--not always in a good way.

And no worries!! You never ever have to worry or justify your dislike (Or..less-like?) of a recommendation I've made, just so you know. I don't ever feel hurt or take it personally, because I know that while we have very similar tastes, our reading habits are often quite, quite different. I value that difference very much for the broader world yours lends to my own experiences. For me, this book rec process is like helping you find a similar recipe to one that you remember fondly, but that is difficult to replicate. (Sort of like my Dad's endless quest for his mom's tamale pie) I still love getting to share samples of spices and flavours along the way, even if some of them aren't quite right for the recipe you most enjoy. One might not be as tasty as the one I know is out there somewhere just waiting for you to sample it, but half the fun is in sharing the tasting. :-D