I honestly cannot remember how I heard of Thomas's book, but not long before the holidays, the title caught my eye--was it on Amazon? Facebook? Goodreads? I thought, jolly good! With Christmas around the corner, I'll read an uplifting story starring Santa! But little did I know....well, no matter how I found it, I'm glad I did--when reading the synopsis I saw that it was based on a bank robbery that took place in the small town of Cisco, Texas in 1927, and the leader of the pack was dressed as Santa. As a history nut fascinated with true crime books, I couldn't pass this one up! It was captivating to say the least--read my Amazon review--and when I contacted Thomas to invite him as a guest here, he graciously accepted. So read on--then don't miss out on this story that might have given Bonnie & Clyde AND the James Gang a run for their money (no pun intended)....
About Thomas
Thomas closely based his debut novel on a true crime the Associated Press dubbed "The Santa Claus Bank Robbery." He first ran across the story when he lived in the small Texas county where it all took place. He currently lives in Austin, where he has been able to conduct extensive research on the events and characters at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
About THE LAST MAN (2024 Spur Award Winner and 2024 Will Rogers Medallion Award Winner)
When Santa Claus enters a Texas bank just before Christmas in 1927, no one expects him to pull a gun. The fake white beard hides his identity from his neighbors while he and three others take everything. But their easy heist goes sideways fast when armed lawmen and citizens assemble to claim a new reward for dead bank robbers. Taking hostages, the gang forces a path through a frenzied and bloody shootout, setting the whole Lone Star state on their trail. One bandit dies in the getaway. One is executed in the electric chair. One swings from a rope in a mob lynching. The last man finds a life he always hoped for … if only he can keep it. Closely based on a true story, THE LAST MAN is a gritty Prohibition-era Western novel filled with flawed characters and second chances.
Excerpt
The man stood in the midnight shadows for a long time and studied the empty bridge that led into Juárez. Light spilled from the customs booth closest to him on the American side of the river. Two hundred yards away, a bare incandescent bulb glowed in a booth on the Mexican side.
Slow and casual, he told himself, and approached the bridge. He turned up his collar as if to block the chill wind, but mostly to keep his face hidden from the customs officer sitting behind the glass of the stateside cubicle. He kept moving. He wasn’t required to stop on this side.
He was halfway across the Rio Grande when headlamps from a car behind him lit up the bridge. In the beams, his silhouette stretched and wavered toward the Mexican customs booth. Brakes whined faintly as the motor rig slowed to his pace, but he continued walking and kept his face forward. The car advanced into his sidelong view. Lamps like chrome cones rested on wide fenders that curved gracefully down to become running boards. A gold star was painted on the side, encircled with the words “City of El Paso Police Department.”
He sighed and his shoulders slumped. It was going to come to an end sometime anyway, the other three being dead and all.
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