Calamity James

About the book

The incredible, unknown tale of another James brother, told in this lively novel by the acclaimed Johnstones, where reality and fantasy meet in the astonishing account of Jesse James' lesser-known, accident-prone sibling. Known as Calamity for good reason.

Calvin Amadeus James, or Calamity, isn't a criminal like his infamous siblings Jesse and Frank. He's something worse - plagued by misfortune that seems to pursue him relentlessly. Every occupation he tries - whether it's as a scout, a gambler, a cowboy, or a railroad worker - always ends in disaster. In every situation, it appears that Calamity James is cursed to always be on the losing side of events...

The disastrous Great Chicago Fire of 1871? It was Calamity who inadvertently set the lantern near the cow that knocked it down. The infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral? Calamity incited trouble in Tombstone just before everything erupted. The fatal saloon altercation involving Wild Bill Hickock? That's on Calamity James. Some claim he even had a hand in Custer's final stand at Little Big Horn - though Calamity vigorously denies it. He's simply a magnet for bad luck in search of his lucky charm, a lovely dancehall performer called Clumsy Catherine. However, when he foolishly joins his outlaw brothers in the James-Younger Gang, that's when Calamity's already infamous misfortune takes a turn for the worse...