Looking for gift ideas for the historical fiction reader on your list? Here are ten suggestions, alphabetized by author. They’re all set in New Mexico, of course.
The Two Valleys Saga by Mary Armstrong
Titles: The Mesilla, The San Augustin, The White Sands, The Bisti Badlands. The Two Valleys Saga is a fictional account of the historical conflict between Colonel Albert J. Fountain and the Texas-transplanted ranchers in southern New Mexico’s Tularosa Valley. It is told as a memoir by Jesús Messi, a fictional nephew of the Colonel, writing many years after the late 1800’s events which left the Colonel and his young son dead. The bodies were never found, and no one ever convicted of their murders. A fascinating look at larger-than-life characters and the complexities of southern New Mexico politics and life during this period. This is a four-volume set, though each of the books can be read as a stand-alone novel. They’re available at bookshop.org, and Amazon, or you can buy directly from the author at maryarmstrongauthor.com.
Rebels Along the Rio Grande trilogy by Jennifer Bohnhoff
Titles: Where Duty Calls, The Worst Enemy, The Famished Country. This three-volume set of Civil War action and drama follows three boys through the conflict in New Mexico. Bohnhoff presents the issues of the war from three sides, the Confederate, the Union, and the New Mexican and portrays that complexity in a way that will appeal to young readers, parents, and people like me who just like a good historical fiction. Links to all three books, as well as information about them, the Civil War, and the opportunity to obtain a signed copy directly from the author, are available at jenniferbohnhoff.com
The Iliad and the Odyssey of Geronimo by W. Michael Farmer Geronimo
Titles: The Iliad of Geronimo, a Song of Blood and Fire; Odyssey of Geronimo. These two books provide a fictional account of the life of Apache leader Geronimo beginning ten years before his final capture and continuing during the twenty-three years of his final captivity. This is a character study as much as a biographical fiction, and provides unique insights into the Apache world, the warriors that filled Americans and Mexicans alike with terror, and the way Geronimo navigated captivity to become a national “superstar,” an astute businessman, a justice of the peace, an army scout, and a speaker of truth to power. Authentic, powerful, and exhaustively researched, award-winning author W. Michael Farmer paints Geronimo with an unflinching eye, presenting the good, the bad, and the ugly of one of history’s most feared and famous warriors.
You can find The Iliad of Geronimo at Bookshop.org and Amazon. The Odyssey of Geronimo is available from the same sources: Bookshop.org and Amazon.
Rosary Without Beads by Diana Holguin Balough
This novel made me see Billy the Kid with new eyes. This back-hills narrative of New Mexico’s Lincoln County War reboots the famous outlaw’s legend by showing us a young man who stands up for the oppressed. When he protects a sheepherder’s daughter, Ambrosia, from a drunken assault, he captures her heart. But life isn’t simple for Bonney or anyone he cares about. This novel reflects those difficulties without any easy answers. It’s beautifully written and left me with a more nuanced picture of “The Kid.” It’s available at Bookshop.org and Amazon.
Happy book shopping!
Fiction and Fact From Old New Mexico 
Thank you so much for that glowing review! As I think you know, I am currently working on the fifth and final book of the saga. There is also a prequel novelette titled, “When the Doves Coo.” Looking forward to reading your next one!
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