Etta

October 6, 2008
The sketchy details of the life of Etta Place, outlaw and paramour of William “Sundance Kid” Longabaugh, are imaginatively filled in by first-time novelist Kolpan in this winning tale of the Wild West. After her wealthy father's disgrace and demise, Etta departs Philadelphia society and heads west to become a Harvey Girl on the railroad in Colorado, where a series of misadventures leads her to the Hole-in-the-Wall gang. Romanced by Longabaugh and the fugitive lifestyle, Place earns an integral part in the gang through her shooting and riding skills as well as her beauty and sophistication. Pursued by the police, Pinkertons, the Black Hand and rival desperado Kid Curry, Etta and the Sundance Kid make their way across the country, diving from one daring adventure to another. The novel is not without its flaws: Etta's friendship with a young Eleanor Roosevelt and her encounters with other luminaries can seem precious, and her proto-feminism feels too canned. But the wide-screen drama of Etta's life makes these choices forgivable, and Kolpan's snappy storytelling makes it impossible not to want to ride along as the characters careen toward their tragic ends.

Starred review from March 1, 2009
Emmy Award–winning TV journalist Kolpan extends his resume impressively with this picaresque debut novel, focused on"the woman" who knew Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Born Lorinda Jameson and forced to flee her Pennsylvania home when Sicilian"Black Hand" gangsters plot revenge for her late father's gambling defaults, she moves to the West, first working as a Harvey Girl waiting tables at a Colorado railroad restaurant. Thereafter, the plot thickens every several pages, as the fugitive beauty now known as Etta Place turns her gun-toting and equestrian skills to violence, dispatching a would-be rapist, then hightailing it to Wyoming, where she falls for charming bad man Harry Longbaugh (aka"Sundance"); joins the notorious Hole in the Wall gang; and accompanies an ill-gotten treasure to safety in New York. There Etta encounters a virginal Eleanor Roosevelt (who, soon enough, becomes her beloved"Little Nell"), and she joins Colonel William Cody's Wild West show (where she subs for the departed Annie Oakley). Are there more adventures yet to come? Yes there are. Reconnecting with"Sundance," Etta joins him in Argentina, where Harry's newfound revolutionary ardor does not dissuade him from attempting one last robbery. Consequently, Etta returns to respectability, fortune and the matured and muted love of"Little Nell," who has been reinvented—as First Lady. Technically, there's too much muchness in this sprawling narrative, which is festooned with newspaper stories, letters (Harry's, sent to his respectable dad, are particularly delightful), journal entries and communiqus detailing investigations conducted by busy Pinkerton agents. But any reader who cherishes the beguiling tall tales spun by such masters as Charles Portis and Thomas Berger is unlikely to object. Few will have any more success resisting Etta than do the many men, women and other critters encountered during her memorable adventures.

Great fun and—beneath the hijinks—a surprisingly substantial novel.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

December 15, 2008
Etta Place was not only the paramour of the infamous Sundance Kid. Knowing her way around horses and guns, she became a key member of Butch Cassidy's notorious outlaw gang, the Wild Bunch. But her name was an alias, and no one knows where she really came from. Emmy Award-winning Philadelphia television reporter Kolpan steps into the historical void, penning a novel that speculates on Etta's life. He gives her a privileged Philadelphia background interrupted by family scandal and sends her out West as a Harvey Girl. But when her good looks get her into trouble, she falls in with the Wild Bunch. Hiding out at the encampment of the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang in Wyoming Territory, she ends up a one-woman banker for the group. Later, she goes undercover in New York City, becoming dear friends with Eleanor Roosevelt and working as a stand-in for Annie Oakley in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Incorporating Etta's diary entries, telegraph messages, and news clippings into the narrative, Kolpan vividly tells a tale that is both outrageous and entertaining, sure to be compared favorably with Larry McMurtry's novels of the Wild West. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 11/1/08.]Keddy Ann Outlaw, Harris Cty. P.L., Houston, TX

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2009
Thanks to the tremendous success and enduring popularity of the Paul Newman and Robert Redford film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Etta Place is a name that history has not entirely forgotten. She has, however, been relegated to the back burner, a footnote character famous for her connection to Sundance and Butch. Kolpan rescues Etta from second-banana status, providing her with a fictional story to rival that of her more notorious male companions. Since little or nothing is known about Place, the author exercises free reign creating a richly detailed backstory for the enigmatic Etta. A former debutante forced to change her name and identity, the newly rechristened Etta is a woman on the run who heads west to carve out a new life for herself. Instead of eluding danger, she plunges directly into it when she embarks on an exhilarating odyssey fueled by both necessity and passion. Kolpan falters a bit when he introduces Eleanor Roosevelt and other historical characters unnecessarily into the mix, but on the whole, he paints an intriguing portrait of an indomitable character.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)