When an unnamed biographer of a best-selling book on an obscure, cold-blooded killer of the Old West decides to follow-up that success with another biography on another cold-blooded killer of the Old West called Cooley, the approach to the writing of the new book seems straight-forward: trace Cooley's life and death and locate all the necessary facts for a cohesive narrative. But, this new book on Cooley requires separating reality from myth, carefully negotiating between the first-hand experiences of those that knew Cooley best, working through a sweeping mythology about Cooley that makes the man larger than life, and following all the facts wherever they lead.