Follow Me to Hell

McNelly's Texas Rangers and the Rise of Frontier Justice

By: Tom Clavin

Narrated by: George Newbern

"[Narrator George] Newbern's clear voice and appealing staccato delivery move well from phrase to phrase, keeping listeners' interest." —AudioFile on The Heart of Everything That Is

Tom Clavin's Follow Me to Hell is the explosive true story of how legendary Ranger Leander McNelly and his men brought justice to a lawless Texan frontier.

In turbulent 1870s Texas, the revered and fearless Ranger Leander McNelly led his men in one dramatic campaign after another, throwing cattle thieves, desperadoes, border ruffians, and other dangerous criminals into jail or, if that's how they wanted it, six feet under. They would stop at nothing in pursuit of justice, even sending 26 Rangers across the border to retrieve stolen cattle—taking on hundreds of Mexican troops with nothing but their Sharps rifles and six-guns. The nation came to call them “McNelly’s Rangers.”

Set against the backdrop of 200 years of thrilling Texas Rangers history, this spine-tingler takes listeners into the tough life along the Texas border that was tamed by a courageous, yet doomed, captain and his team of fearless men.

It was one hell of a ride!

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

Critic reviews

Praise for Tom Clavin:

"Clavin knows Western history ... [he] tells a good story." —Library Journal on Follow Me to Hell

"‘Lightning Down’ has an overarching positivity and celebration of resilience.” —AP News

"Absorbing...Fun and revealing." —The Wall Street Journal on Dodge City

"Clavin tacks up the truth like wanted posters in every chapter." —The New York Times Book Review on Wild Bill

"Breezy narrative style...fascinating lore." —NPR on Tombstone

A lot of information.

It is very hard to follow. Any one story. But I found the information about the Rangers and south Texas. Very interesting. Just not exactly what I was expecting. It is worth the listen.

Emersive History

A must read for TX history. Well researched and masterfully written, it is hard to put down. History was truly alive in these pages.

not a fan of George Newburn

Story was good and informative, but i do not like George Newbern as reader. He mispronounces so many words it gets distracting (Bexar, Kiowa, beeves to name a few).

More of history than a story

I guess I expected more of a story about McNelly. Instead, this was more of a history of Texas and it’s colorful characters and the story of McNelly didn’t come until well into the book. I still enjoyed it but it felt a little disjointed

Detailed personal stories

Excellent stories of the lives of early Texan leaders, gangsters and brave settlers. Follows the developing state of Texas through some of the most dangerous and outragious events!