Finally got around to reading Michael Wallis's take on Billy the Kid. For those who don't know (and I'm guessing that'd be all of you since nobody else I know gives a shit), I'm a lifelong Billy the Kid buff. I've read just about every biography on him, I was a card carrying member of the Billy the Kid Historical Preservation Society until it went tits up (through no fault of my own) and follow a few boards pretty closely. So the fact this book has been out for a year and I haven't gotten around to reading it is somewhat pathetic.
That said, the general consensus in circles of folks who would know such things is that Wallis is actually pretty fair to the kid's reputation (which has been grossly over-exaggerated). A lot of people complain that he focuses too much on the historical context of the times (an entire chapter on PT Barnham for example) and not enough on the Kid himself. I think this actually is a good thing..especially for people who aren't initiated into the Billy the Kid lore. The backdrop of the post-civil war west, Native American forced migration, and the factions in Lincoln county are essential to understanding what engendered the culture at the time. This culture is critical if you are at all interested in learning how somebody like the kid can turn into such a big legend given the cast of characters in Lincoln county at the time. For the uninitiated, and people who only know Billy the Kid because of Young Guns, it's important to understand how the myths around him began (which is what I imagine Wallis's intent was in writing the book).
Does he succeed in this? I'd say yes. There were interviews and newspaper articles he uncovered that I hadn't seen before (everything is cited very well), and a lot of the recollections by various residents of Fort Sumner and/or Lincoln were pretty fascinating. I will say some of the information about the way the army treated native Americans during this time is pretty sick. That was one of the most profound things in the book and it wasn't even a primary focus (to me at least).
Wallis's writing style is casual and fairly down to earth, so it doesn't come across as pompous or overtly intellectual. And it doesn't have the trappings of any of the really old yellow journalism bullshit that came out immediately after the kid died. So you're spared that (btw, if you have read Pat Garrett's book and took what he wrote as gospel, you were duped).
So it's on Amazon...go forth if you need some worthwhile reading material