From New York Times bestselling author Amy Harmon comes a sweepingly romantic tale of risk, redemption, and what happens when America’s most famous outlaw falls in love.
When infamous outlaw Butch Cassidy decides to go straight, he discovers that too many of the powerful men he crossed won’t let bygones be bygones. To have a chance at a new life, he’ll have to become someone else entirely.
A brief, fateful encounter with the celebrated singer Jane Touissant on the eve of his escape offers a glimpse of what might have been, but Butch disappears, leaving her behind, until their paths unexpectedly converge again in Paris.
Despite having discovered his true identity, Jane trusts the outlaw and enlists his protection on her upcoming American tour. Although Butch is reluctant to agree, fearing his sordid past may put the woman and her young son in danger, the salvation she offers is too hard to resist.
As they set forth on their journey, Butch’s past and Jane’s secrets put them at risk from threats far greater than the law, and this legend of the American West will have to decide what matters most—his life, his legacy, or the woman he loves.
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By many accounts, outlaw Butch Cassidy never took a life. And while he did rob trains and banks, he was also something of a folk hero for using some his of ill-gotten gains to help others (paying off a widow's mortgage, helping farmers who could not pay their bills). In The Outlaw Noble Salt, Amy Harmon reimagined a life for Butch Cassidy where he fell in love with a beautiful and talented singer and turned his life inside out to protect her and her young son.
The whole world weighed heavily on Noble, yet he bore it and asked nothing in return.
Just after the turn of the 20th century, Butch Cassidy meets the famous singer Jane Toussaint. In a case of mistaken identity, Butch takes the pseudonym Noble Salt and neither forgot their brief encounter. A serendipitous meeting six years later brings them back together and changes the course of both their lives.
"I'm giving it to you as straight as I can. I'm a lawyer, but I try not to be a liar."
Butch Cassidy smiled at that. "And I'm an outlaw, but I try not to be a crook."
At a glance, Butch and Jane were an unlikely pairing and had nothing in common, but both were attempting to escape their past, just as they continued to be plagued by it. Harmon painted Cassidy as an introspective man, reflecting on has past, and unhappy with where his choices had led him. Jane’s life, despite outward appearances, had not been easy and she was escaping a gilded cage. Her hard exterior and cold demeanor, along with her incredible resilience, were all for the protection of her son and herself. And speaking of her son, Augustus (Gus) was remarkably precocious and the purest of souls. Born with a facial disfigurement that made him susceptible to harsh judgement and outright cruelty, Gus was still an empathetic soul. I adored his sweetness, his curiosity, and forthrightness. And his relationship with Butch was so honest and heartfelt, making it one of my favorite aspects of the story.
"Butch Cassidy is an outlaw," Butch said. "And Augustus Toussaint is the real Noble Salt. As noble as they come."
The secondary characters were just as vividly drawn, some fictionalized figures (like Harry “the Sundance Kid” Longabaugh), and others invented by Harmon. Butch’s complex relationship with his brother Van was an interesting addition to the story, and so many of the ancillary characters felt so real that I was certain I could look them up in history books.
He'd always told himself that doing bad things didn't make him a bad man. But he'd come to believe that bad things was the only measure that mattered. Doing good things didn't make you good, he supposed, but if good was done, what was the difference?
As always, Harmon’s writing was simply beautiful. With just a few words she could make my heart ache, make me smile, or make me stop and ponder the truth in her words. One addition that I adored was Butch’s penchant for hokku. These were used throughout the novel, including being used as chapter headings, and were often poignant and added to the story.
"I've always been good at taking care of people. But I've taken care of the wrong people and hurt the people who needed me most. I don't deserve you. I know I don't. But the way I love you... I don't even care if you love me back."
This mix of historical fiction/alternate history and romance was everything I love in a book. Amy Harmon had me utterly entranced by the gentleman outlaw, and I found myself wishing for another hundred pages because I was not ready to say goodbye. This redemptive story with its oh so flawed characters will stay with me for a very long time.
