HUGO N. GERSTL

Europe's King of the Cowboys

STEP RIGHT UP, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THE ENTERTAINMENT IS ABOUT TO BEGIN! THE CIRCUS IS IN TOWN, IN YOUR TOWN, WHEREVER THAT MAY BE!

Billy Jenkins’ career spans the years 1895-1954. He was King of the Cowboys, the most popular act in all Germany, hero of German pulp fiction – the last genuine hero of the “American” Wild West. Yet, like Karl May before him, he never set foot in America...

Billy became one of the world’s earliest superstars. He thrilled millions between the two World Wars, built a palatial mansion on the hill in Berlin, complete with a dude ranch in his backyard.

In 1932, after joining the Nazi Party, he became their favorite, and soon reached the pinnacle of his success – this, despite the fact that he was half-Jewish! As his star waned, not because he was Jewish but because his name sounded too American as Germany entered World War II, Billy rediscovered his Jewish roots, and… but that’s for the reader to find out.

Daredevil artistes and bawdy clowns, wild beasts and untamable women – with best-selling author Hugo Gerstl as ringmaster – make for a novel that is as thrilling as any show on earth. Yet, Billy Jenkins is more than thrilling. It is also a tour of the first half of twentieth-century Europe, from the invention of the motor car and the airplane to the collapse of centuries-old dynasties and – even more – a portrait of a continent on the brink of cataclysmic change, of the death of empires, the emergence of new nations, and a holocaust unmatched in any civilization – in short, the birth of modern Europe.

It is a Europe we see from the Chapiteau, where giantess and dwarf, beauty and monstrosity, charlatan and prince, work together only to entertain. Bright and exotic, Billy Jenkins is filled with circus lore. It is superb entertainment, a novel you will devour with relish and remember long after you put it down.

BILLY JENKINS – HOW THE PINNACLE OF MY WRITING CAME TO BE

If BILLY JENKINS is not my personal favorite of the books I’ve written to date, it’s pretty damned close! Despite lackluster sales, I poured more of my heart into that book than into any other, except, perhaps, LEGACY, my first literary “child.”

I wrote BILLY JENKINS as a salute to my literary mentor, the late Gary Jennings, and to his Spangle, my favorite of all the novels I’ve ever read. (Spangle had similarly disappointing sales. I know of no one who’s even heard of that book today, which is such a terrible waste of a brilliant, troubled talent).

Coming off two credible bestsellers, SCRIBE and AMAZING GRACE, I believed I was headed toward a “can’t miss” success with BILLY JENKINS, given the premises, the plot, and the chafracters.

BILLY JENKINS takes up where Spangle left off, twenty years later, it is meant both as a sequel to that magnificent novel and the carrying forward of Spangle’s world, which marked the beginning of cataclysmic change. It is one of my more complex novels and certainly the most meaningful achievement of my career. Even though SCRIBE became a highly successful international bestseller, BILLY JENKINS and LEGACY are the works for which I hope to be remembered.

BILLY JENKINS-AMAZON COMMENTS

These are genuine reviews from Amazon.com. Names and email addresses have been deleted to protect the privacy rights of those who were kind enough to write in, but feel free to visit Amazon.com to see the originals of these reviews.  Thank you. – Hugh

***** A must-read about the roller coaster life of a cowboy legend. This book provides the reader an opportunity to live the life of an overachiever that attains the pinnacle of success in a very different career and environment; and how he learns to cope with material adversity that alters his values and character. Although fiction, the reader experiences the 1930's and early 1940's in Nazi Germany. The story is a WOW. – March 2014

***** The extraordinary life of a Jewish Nazi cowboy. Billy Jenkins was not your ordinary cowboy. For one thing, he lived in Germany and never even set foot in the United States. For another, he was half-Jewish, yet for many years, a dedicated Nazi sympathizer. When you are finished with this historical novel, you will have a complete picture of this complex human being. Hugo Gerstl is adept at getting to the roots of his characters, making them come alive, and making sure the reader has a fuller understanding of the multiple facets of his characters' lives--and the cast of characters, besides Jenkins, is long and fascinating. Jenkins became famous as King of the Cowboys in Germany, a star in Wild West shows, before the complexities of World War II caught up with him. He reclaimed his Jewish roots after the war, adding another twist to his extraordinary life. Gerstl, with his colorful storytelling skills, offers you the tale of an extraordinary man, a one-in-a-lifetime character living in turbulent times who didn't fit into any ordinary mold. A very enjoyable read. – May 2011

***** Captures the Mind, Envelopes the Reader. The life, wonder, and leadership and multiple talents of Billy Jenkins are given a new threshold of discovery by Hugo Gerstl, who invites the reader to imagine what life must have been life in an age of turbulence, excitement, tragedy, and constant change. The bravery of men and boys alike are demonstrated throughout each chapter, as the author shows what one man can, will, and in fact must do to live, believe, and see life through. Billy Jenkins is an intelligent, thought provoking story which I was, and no doubt other readers will be, completely engrossed from the beginning of page 1. – June 2011.

***** A Must Read. After reading and loving Against All Odds by Hugo Gerstl, I decided to pick up Billy Jenkins. Once again, I was glued to my couch and up through the wee hours of the night unable to put down another Gerstl book. I can see Tom Cruise playing Billy Jenkins in the movie adaptation! Another must read. On to another Gerstl novel! – November 2013

*** Nazi cowboy? Only Hugo Gerstl could paint characters you've never heard of into legends. I'm more than casually familiar with this particular novel and it ranks as one of the best of Gerstl's writing to date. Instead of giving away the story, I suggest you read it and see for yourself. I wanted to give it 3 and a half stars, but there aren't any in this review program. – August 2012

***** Mystery and History rolled into one – fascinating. This is one amazing story about someone that defies description ... and it's all true. Highly entertaining and the main character (a cowboy in Germany) is made believable by the authors brilliant grasp of Nazis Germany and the world of a traveling circus. What a combination! Read it to believe it! Compelling. – May 2011