Until I finished this book, my only real notion of 'Doc' Holliday was of a gaunt, thin, possibly drug addicted gun fighter and cohort of Wyatt Earp. This biographical novel, the first in a trilogy, totally blew my mind and changed that whole perception.

Spanning 1862 to 1873, this book details the early life of John Henry Holliday, the only son of a commanding, unforgiving war vet and a sweet, polished Southern woman. Desperate for his father's approval, but impatient and wild-tempered enough to constantly get himself into trouble, John Henry struggles to find a place in changing, post-war Georgia.

Moderated by his pious and devoted cousin Mattie but chafing under his father's tight control and burning with the desire for his own bold, heroic life, John Henry's first serious misstep is a complicated and potentially devastating foray into revenge when a Northern politician starts stumping in Valdosta, Georgia. After his father saves him from a stint in prison or worse, John Henry finds himself in Yankee territory when he attends dental school in Philadelphia. (The practice of dentistry at this time was evolving from mere tooth extraction to the field as we know it now.)

Hoping to confirm whether or not his childhood sweetheart is indeed interested in him, John Henry returns to Georgia (after a fascinating side trip to St. Louis!), where his tensions with his father reach a crisis point and the worst happens. (Rereading this, I'm afraid I'm making it boring. Seriously, it's fascinating, and I just don't want to ruin the surprises about the boy who ends up being the infamous 'Doc' Holliday!)

Wilcox is an expert on John Henry: she's the founding director of the Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House Museum in Fayetteville, GA and did immense original research for her trilogy. It shows in the wonderfully detailed look at his life. She also managed to cram in those historical tidbits and details that make this genre my favorite: not just armchair travel, but time travel.

I'm not really familiar with Civil War Georgia or the years following the war outside of Gone With the Wind but Wilcox provides rich descriptions of the landscape, towns and cities, houses, clothes, offices and business, and trends of the day in a way that felt effortless. This book is dripping with details but not once did I face the dreaded infodump.

Speaking of the historical details and ambiance, I have to address the treatment of people of color. Historical fiction can be a tricky genre, especially when there are unsavory aspects to an era that shouldn't be whitewashed or ignored. The treatment of people of color in novels set during this time is significant and really hard to ignore, but can be incredibly hard to read as well. Wilcox doesn't ignore the racism and prejudice of the era, for which I'm grateful, but I will admit I had a challenging time with some sections and events. I think they're handled well, though, and Wilcox doesn't excuse her characters or give them an easy out. They're products of their place and time.

I'll be honest, I never expected to love this book. Like it perhaps, but not love it, and that's because I never anticipated liking John Henry. He's a hard figure to genuinely admire and yet, by the end, I was completely taken with him. (Watch Justified? There's a long-standing 'villain', Boyd Crowder, who is pretty despicable; and yet, my wife and I are completely invested in/kind of rooting for him because he's sort of so damaged and vibrant and real. That's about how I felt toward John Henry.) I wanted to loathe him but Wilcox provides enough psychological and emotional insight so that I can't write him off as horrible. He's real and flawed and aspirational and completely stupid -- and so, so compelling to follow.

Fans of rich historical novels will want this, as well as those who like Southern family sagas. (While focused on John Henry, his massive pack of relatives means there's some interesting drama!) And anyone who enjoys a complicated 'hero' should consider spending some time with John Henry. (For those curious, the first chapter is available online for preview. The e-book is currently $5.99 from the publisher -- it clocks in at about 350 pages-- and is totally worth it, I think.) ( )

I knew next to nothing about Doc (John Henry) Holliday until I read last year's fantastic book Doc by Mary Doria Russell. If I had not read that book I would not have been interested in reading this one. Learning about the man behind the legend was fascinating. Inheritance is the first of a three book series detailing the man. This volume deals with his life from his early years through his run West after he commits a very reckless act.

His early life was dominated by an overbearing father and a sick mother. She had what they called consumption but what was really tuberculosis. (This is where he was infected but they didn't know at the time how contagious it was or how it was transmitted.) John Henry was heavily influenced by his uncle, a doctor, so he at first looked to go to medical school but found himself working for a dentist and found he had an aptitude for the fine work involved so he decided to push for the dental college in Philadelphia despite his father's objections.

His father saw him as nothing short of useless and treated him as nothing more than free labor. Nothing John Henry could do would be good enough. His father also saw any kind of illness as weakness and felt that a person could fight it instead of giving in to so this was instilled into John Henry's thinking - much to his future detriment.

John Henry spent his adolescence in love with his cousin, Mattie. He did everything for her; to provide for their future together. When she ultimately refuses his proposal it rocks his world and drives him to an act that will change his life very dramatically.

This is a very detailed and fascinating book about a truly complex man. Most of us know Doc Holliday as the man from Tombstone and the OK Corral. I had no idea of his backstory until my reading of that first book and now this far more in depth second novel. Ms. Wilcox obviously did significant research to present a story so detailed and so interesting. It is full of anecdotes both simple and complex expounding on the life of this very complicated character. So much went into the man who became the legend and it is a very compelling read. I can't wait for the next two books in the trilogy even though I know exactly how it will end.

The writing style is easy to read and the characters and very well developed leading the reader into a complex, antebellum South. ( )

Most everyone has heard of Doc Holliday and the OK Corral...but what most people don't know ( I didn't) is about his young life. This first book, based on fact, in the series tells the reader about John Henry Holliday from the time he was a young boy to when he leaves for Texas as a young man. We learn about his love for his cousin Mattie. He wants to marry her but she declines and tells him that since they are first cousins and she being Catholic said it was against her religion. John Henry's relationship with his father, especially after his mother dies, is tenuous at best. Nothing that John Henry could do would make his father happy but that didn't stop him from trying. The book tells of the large family that he spends a lot of time with, I think that despite his father, John Henry had a good childhood surrounded by his aunts, uncles and cousins. He does get himself into trouble on occasion though. At the age of 19 he heads off to study dentistry in Philadelphia and graduates just shy of his 21st birthday. He is considered not old enough to open his own practice until he is 21. The first book ends just before John Henry is moving out west.

I really enjoyed this story which for me is a plus because I am not a wild west lover...The book was full of interesting facts of the Civil War and life in general in the late 1800's and of a legend in America's history. It will be interesting to read the subsequent books in the series. If you are a fan of the wild west, the OK Corral and the other colorful characters in the turbulent times after the Civil War,then this book is for you!! ( )