The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers

Amazon Best Books of the Month, January 2010: Set against the bleak backdrop of Depression-era America, The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers is the story of Jason and Whit Fireson, a fictional pair of bank-robbing siblings, and their flirtation with immortality. Famous for daring heists and impossible escapes, the brothers are regarded as either scourges or saviors by followers across the country, but after narrowly surviving a botched ambush, the duo is forced to rely on larger-than-life rumors if they hope to keep themselves (and their legacy) alive. With the American way of life seemingly on the brink of extinction, the dramatic exploits of the Firefly Gang are all that anyone can truly believe in. "Facts make only so much sense on their own," explains the narrator, "when they are laid bare...with nothing to animate them." With characters that practically beg for sepia tone treatments, author Thomas Mullen provides an exciting and provocative tale about the vagaries of justice and truth. --Dave Callanan