A Colorado dentist claims to be the infamous gunman while mentoring a boy, romancing a widow, and protecting his friend from angry bootleggers.

Pueblo, Colorado,1932. Bootleggers thrive in a town where the sheriff is on the take and you can kill a man with impunity. In this thrilling narrative, a once-famous outlaw finds himself thrust into the middle of a bootleg war against his will. At stake is nothing less than the life of his best friend and his last chance at true love with the town beauty. But is the legendary gunman who he claims to be, or is he just a retired dentist with a vivid imagination? Peter Meech reimagines the figure of Billy the Kid in a remarkable story told with verve, humor, grit, and grace.

Praise for Billy (the Kid)

“Like a vintage dime novel, Peter Meech imaginatively engages the reader with a once-upon-a-time version of Billy the Kid’s life and legacy.” —Larry McMurtry, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Lonesome Dove

“Some story ideas are so good you just hope the writer doesn’t mess them up, and then there are the ones you read and just wish you’d written them—Billy (the Kid) is both. Peter Meech’s masterful handling of this Western is nothing short of dead on.” —Craig Johnson, New York Times–bestselling author of the Walt Longmire Mysteries

“Vividly imagined, cleverly plotted, and superbly written, Peter Meech’s Billy (the Kid) provides definite and exhilarating proof that a new master of the Western—and the novel—just rode into town. What a wonderful and wonder-filled book!” —Christopher Knowlton, author of Cattle Kingdom: The Hidden History of the Cowboy West"