I don't generally hold with real historical individuals being made into characters in (usually mystery) novels set in their historical period, but Oakley Hall's Ambrose Bierce series is one that I quite enjoy, no doubt at least in part because it's set in 1890s San Francisco. In Ambrose Bierce and the Ace of Shoots, the fifth in the series, Ambrose and his sidekick/fellow journalist Tom Redmond, run across Dora Pratt, a "shootist" with a Wild West show who rivals the more famous Annie Oakley; Tom, as is his wont, falls in love with her, but Dora has many dark secrets and a shady past which includes a liaison with the traveling show's owner and a marriage to Oz Bird, the infamous outlaw, bank robber and multiple murderer. When first, then the other of her paramours turns up dead, it's up to Ambrose to sort out the suspects to get to the real killer - before Dora is hanged for the deeds. You don't need to have read the earlier books in this series to enjoy this one, and even having some acquaintance with Bierce's rather acerbic misogyny isn't necessary since Hall thoughtfully heads each chapter with an entry from his famous work, The Devil's Dictionary. Light and fun, definitely recommended! ( )