Fort Worth

Leonard Sanders' sweeping epic novel vividly captures the history of Fort Worth, the wild and wooly city "where the West begins," by following the fortunes of one family. The story opens when war-orphaned Travis Scurlock wanders into the new settlement on the bluff overlooking the Trinity River. Within a few years, Scurlock is a well-known trial lawyer. He marries, has a family, helps transform Fort Worth from a sleepy village to a busy commercial center, and serves as a U.S. Senator. But Scurlock has a dark side that brings complexity to these pages.

We follow generations of Scurlocks, the admirable and the less than admirable, as they shepherd the family fortunes through the Civil War, World War I, the oil boom, and World War II. This is often the story of ruthless, fiercely ambitious men, of betrayal and tragedy, but it is also a story of strength and achievement.

Fort Worth is a rich novel for a city with a rich heritage.

First published in 1984 by Delacorte Press.

Fort Worth novelist Leonard Sanders is the author of Sonoma, The Hamlet Warning, Texas Noon (sequel to Fort Worth), The Wooden Horseshoe and How Fort Worth Became the Texasmost City (both reprinted by TCU Press), and several other novels.