"Joaquín Murieta Was My Friend" is the story of an unlikely friendship forged in the days of the historic 1849 gold rush when California's population exploded with dreamers and rogues. Among the former is Michael Callahan who has survived a perilous ocean voyage around Cape Horn with equally ambitious Paddy Ryan. Both Irishmen are determined to strike it rich in the swift, cold rivers that flow down the western slopes of the High Sierras. During a dramatic chance encounter, Michael Callahan will meet the legendary outlaw Joaquín Murieta who vows vengeance against those who had raped and beaten his beautiful wife to death. "Joaquín Murieta Was My Friend" is about love, courage and above all, an enduring friendship that transcends racial hatred. Historically accurate, told by Michael Callahan who has also become known as "The Gringo Amigo" this is a novel that not only is sure to entertain, but also carry its readers into those wild times of early Gold Rush California.