Review: "The Last Woman Standing" by Thelma Adams

Thelma Adams leads us through a rollicking tome about another colorful woman from the past, Josephine Sarah Marcus or Mrs. Wyatt Earp. Josie started her life as the daughter of Jewish parents in San Francisco. She made her way to Tombstone in 1880, at the tender age of 19 as the fiancé of Johnny Behan who she met when she ran away with Pauline Markham’s Pinafore troupe. She was young and naïve and he promised to marry her. She met Wyatt as she stepped off the stage coach and immediately sparks flew. She loved Johnny but there was never a wedding ring and many broken promises. When she catches him with his partner’s wife, she decides to leave him. Wyatt steps in and tells her he loves her but there is just a small problem. He already has a common law wife. He sets her up in a hotel and they enjoy stolen moments until he gets free. During this time, she is witness to the gunfight at the Ok Corral. In an act of revenge against Wyatt, Johnny lies about what really went on during the gunfight and Wyatt has a legal fight on his hands to keep him and his brothers from hanging. Josephine goes back to San Francisco to await Wyatt, not sure if they will ever be together again.

I loved the writer’s flair with words and her approach to the story line. The story is told in the first person by Josephine. She begins in her old age as she looks back on her life. She then moves forward chronologically which makes the plot easy to follow. Ms. Adams has a wonderful knack of bringing Josephine to life, you feel as if she is sitting with you chatting, as she would a friend.

This is another great story of a woman behind the man that usually gets overlooked. I recommend this for teenage to adult readers. It is a quick and fast light read that keeps you turning pages. I also was inspired to look up more about Josephine, which is what any great historical fiction should motivate you to do.

I requested and received this book for review from NetGalley.