"[A] fascinating account of the twisted threads of murder, ethnic violence and mob justice in 19th century Southern California." —Jill Leovy, author of
Ghettoside: A History of Murder in America
, in the
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles is a city founded on blood. Once a small Mexican pueblo teeming with Californios, Indians, and Americans, all armed with Bowie knives and Colt revolvers, it was among the most murderous locales in the Californian frontier. In
Eternity Street: Violence and Justice in Frontier Los Angeles
, "a vivid, disturbing portrait of early Los Angeles" (
Publishers Weekly
), John Mack Faragher weaves a riveting narrative of murder and mayhem, featuring a cast of colorful characters vying for their piece of the city. These include a newspaper editor advocating for lynch laws to enact a crude manner of racial justice and a mob of Latinos preparing to ransack a county jail and murder a Texan outlaw. In this "groundbreaking" (
True West
) look at American history, Faragher shows us how the City of Angels went from a lawless outpost to the sprawling metropolis it is today.