Hello:

Just wanted to share the news that we have released a new novel based on the life and times of D.A. "Jelly" Bryce that members of this forum may like to read.

The author, Mike Conti, did a lot of research into the man and his times and the reviews have been strong so far!

If interested please check it out on Amazon, or through the jellybryce.com website that has more information about Jelly Bryce as well as info on the book.

Jelly Bryce: The Legend Begins: Mike Conti: 9780977265978: Amazon.com: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KrbBQ%2BCkL.@@AMEPARAM@@51KrbBQ%2BCkL

Thanks and best regards,
H. Taylor
Saber Press

A novel? No offense, but if he was interesting enough to write about, which he is, isn't what he REALLY did more interesting?

I think I too would prefer a biography. His deeds were amazing enough that they don't need to be fictionalized.

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No good deed goes unpunished.

No offense taken!

For a great biography on Jelly Bryce, you should check out Ron Owens' awesome work, Legendary Lawman. Owens, a retired Oklahoma City Police Captain, wrote this book like an investigation and presents an honest, balanced picture of D.A. Bryce's life.

Legendary Lawman: The Story of Quick Draw Jelly Bryce: Ron Owens: 9781596527577: Amazon.com: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VAinHXO5L.@@AMEPARAM@@51VAinHXO5L

Mr. Conti, a second-generation police officer himself, wrote the novel version of Bryce's life because he was always fascinated by Bryce and other law enforcement officers of that era, and thought people would enjoy a story based on both.

It was also an attempt to make the public more aware of the legendary law enforcement officers like Jelly Bryce who have, for the most part, been relegated to the role of “supporting player” when the tales of the gangster era are told.

So far the feedback shows that people enjoy reading the story and learning about those times through the eyes of the good guys for a change!

Thanks! I read this book mentioned here long ago but forgot to look into it.

I have this book, and it is a very interesting read.

I too read the book, "Legendary Lawman: The Story of Quick Draw Jelly Bryce" by Ron Owens. It was a very good read. I'd like to see someone write a biography of Walter Walsh.

To say he led a very long and very interesting life is quite an understatement.

I'll probably snag that book, I read Owens' story of Bryce. I have been a fan of his and any unknown gunfighter (really never hear of Bryce outside of certain circles) for some time now.

D.A. ?Jelly? Bryce: the F.B.I.?s first Sharpshooter - Guns.com

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Vaya con Dios

In general, I'd be very cautious about fictionalizing an account of a real person.

It's been done, with Davy Crockett and others, and as far as I know, no authors have been sued. But Bryce lived relatively recently, which may be a factor.

Moreover, fiction gets intermingled with truth and may eventually distort the reality of the person portrayed.

I have written stories that included real historical persons, providing a preface that made it clear that their involvement was fiction. But I have not had any do anything that they logically wouldn't have done in real life, such as assigning a couple of pilots to fly a reconnaissance mission and report personally to the general involved. I did have then-Princess Elizabeth attend the wedding of a prominent British subject to a US pilot, but that in no way presented Her Majesty (present title) in any way that might demean or embarrass her. I had Gen. Doolittle have lunch with the US pilot soon after he (the fictional pilot) received the Medal of Honor, but they just discussed the Doolittle raid and a couple of fighters and their impressions of the planes. Nothing that Doolittle might not have really done, and wholly non-controversial...

Overall, I think it's best to create a new character BASED largely on the real one, while making it clear that there is only a resemblance to the real man or woman. Saying that they "inspired" the new character seems best, while making it clear that the character and what he does is wholly fictional and is NOT intended to actually represent the real fellow or what he might have done in a given situation.

That said, if this new book presents Bryce well, I'd be interested in reading it. And I plan to read the actual biography. It must be hard to get enough real data to write an insightful biography of most historical characters, other than recording events that made the news or personal recollections of his acquaintances. And such recollections are subject to the veracity of the individual interviewed and his failing memories.

Thanks for your comments Texas! Please be assured that a great deal of research was conducted to ensure there would be no infringement of anyone's rights and that the depiction of Mr. Bryce was honorable as was he. The story was also based largely on the well-established legend that has grown around him, hence the title of the book.

Best regards and best of luck with your own writing efforts!

While we are talking about Jelly Bryce...what exactly was his "Lucky 44" he used before the advent of the 357 Magnum? Was it a 4" Wolf & Klar?

The Conti book is excellent. Think of it as historical fiction, with the history EXTREMELY well researched, written with the insight of a genuine street cop author. I enjoyed heck out of it and am looking forward to reading the next installment.

According to Ron Owens and other sources, Jelly Bryce's "Lucky Gun" was a .44 Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector, 3RD Model or "Wolf and Klar Model" of 1926 sporting a 4" barrel.

This pistol was reportedly nickel-plated, ornately-engraved, with ivory or MOP grips. The grips had a steer head on the right panel, and a custom-engraved left panel featuring the number "13" and a black cat.

Also according to Ron, there is a photo of the gun in the April 13, 1932 edition of the Oklahoma City Times that accompanied a story about Bryce and his "Lucky Gun."

A search of this forum for ".44 Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector, 3RD Model, Wolf & Klar," will produce several informative threads with photos of representative models.

Unfortunately, the whereabouts of Bryce's Lucky .44 are unknown. If anyone reading this has any information about it, or any photos to share, that would be outstanding!

Thank you for the kind words, Mas! Part two is coming along nicely, the deeper I get into the history of the FBI the more I realize how much I didn't know. Fascinating times, people, and events. Stay well, Sir.

The Legend Begins is only $5.99 for the Kindle ebook. Looks like a good read.

Where can we find an autographed edition?

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

I have never liked fictionalized accounts of history, but good enough for Mr. Ayoob, good enough for me. Mr. Conti chiming in was just extra incentive to purchase the book.

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I'm with the banned ...

Mr. Conti, with all due respect to you as a published author whose work is complimented by folks of the likes of Mr. Ayoob:

Would you care to expound on your choice to make this a novel instead of a biography, and to comment on any efforts you made to portray Mr. Bryce's exploits as they truly occurred and without fictionalizing that would confuse, and perhaps even introduce an element of question into, portions of his legacy? (These are what appear to be the concerns of those, including me, who wonder why your book was done as a novel instead of a biography.)

All due respect to Mr. Taylor as well; however, we have to be understandably questioning of the comments of the publisher of the book who, after all, is unlikely to say anything negative about it and would be expected to be effusive in his praise.

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Ukraine -- now more than ever

Thank you for the inquiry, Jim.

I always try to make personally-signed copies of my books available for those who may want them, simply because I always enjoy having signed copies of books in my own library.

If you or anyone would like a signed/inscribed copy of the Jelly Bryce book or any other of my titles, you can order directly from the website, Saber Group, Inc.

There is a space on the site that you can enter your requested inscription along with the order.

I also have another site, www.jellybryce.com that you can order from, and this site also provides photos/information on the real D.A. Jelly Bryce, as well as a few video clips of the man when he was running for governor of Oklahoma. I also have another video that Ron Owens shared with me that shows a younger Jelly Bryce demonstrating some fast draw moves with his Registered Magnum and FBI hand-to-hand tactics--in color no less! As soon as I can acquire permission from the owner, I plan on posting that as well.

Just for the record, there are no additional charges for a signed copy, and I take care of shipping cost (within the USA) as well. Unfortunately, I cannot match or beat Amazon's price, so the book's retail price of $14.95 will apply.

Thank you again for your interest, Sir.

Mr. Conti ... In your research, did you ever come across comments from Bryce about the purported "fast draw" photo of him and Bill Jordan?

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I'm with the banned ...

[QUOTE=vigil617;138345367]Mr. Conti, with all due respect to you as a published author whose work is complimented by folks of the likes of Mr. Ayoob: Would you care to expound on your choice to make this a novel instead of a biography, and to comment on any efforts you made to portray Mr. Bryce's exploits as they truly occurred and without fictionalizing that would confuse, and perhaps even introduce an element of question into, portions of his legacy? (These are what appear to be the concerns of those, including me, who wonder why your book was done as a novel instead of a biography.)



Thank you for the question, Sir.

Let me respond to this by first stating that I completely understand your question and concerns regarding this book.

I agonized for quite a while over my approach to this project. While I never considered writing another biography about Delf Bryce because I feel that Ron Owens’ book was extremely well-done and I could do no better, I did consider writing a novel about a character based on Mr. Bryce, but using a different name as has been suggested in a previous post on this thread.

For those who may be interested, I will be glad to list the reasons I decided not to go this route but to write about the man using his real name and following the general trajectory of his life.

First, Jelly Bryce and many of the other lawmen of his time were not only extremely interesting characters, but they were real people as well. As I read and learned more about them and their experiences, I came to see them as people with similarities to myself and many police officers I have known.

Bryce in particular was of interest to me because of his story. He was no Hollywood-created killing machine. He was an Oklahoma boy raised in a wild part of the country who eventually—through sheer hard work and natural ability—created a career and life for himself in an exceedingly dangerous and often complicated occupation.

Many of the threads of Bryce’s life that Ron Owens managed to pick up through the cobwebs of time and secrecy indicated that in addition to being a complex and highly-intelligent man, Bryce, like many of us, most likely also suffered from the stresses of his occupation and life in general. This is not to diminish him or his reputation in any way. To the contrary, to do what he was able to do and in the way he did it reveals a man who, though blessed with phenomenal eyesight and an above-average dedication to perfecting his martial skills, was in essence a normal human being who could adapt to and overcome abnormal situations and obstacles to achieve what he did. But undoubtedly, this came with a cost.

My hope in writing a fictionalized version of his actual story was that through him, I could provide a glimpse into the mind and lives of police officers both then and now. Obviously, there are few records of the actual conversations he had and relationships he maintained, but again, there are many indications that these were greatly influenced and affected by his experiences as first, an Oklahoma City Policeman, and later, as an Agent of the FBI.

I based the linear storyline as closely to his actual experiences as I could, though naturally, as it is a work of fiction, I used many other resources to construct the plot, conversations, events, etc. Much of the plot follows the oft-told legends instead of the evidence as Owens’ book uncovered it. Some of the conversations are almost word-for-word conversations that I have had during the years with fellow cops. Even with this, I have been told by people who knew Bryce personally that my portrayal of him is accurate. While pleased, I am not surprised by this. In my experience with good police officers (having been raised by one, lived as one for 24+ years, and having worked closely with many others from a variety of departments across the US, Canada and overseas), I have always found a number of striking similarities in the personalities of those who love the job and do their best to honor it and the tremendous responsibilities that come with the badge.

And that leads me to the main reason I chose to write a novel about Jelly Bryce’s life. I wanted his story to be told from that perspective. From the perspective of a good cop, who looks at the job more as a calling than an occupation. This is the perspective the vast majority of police officers I have known and worked closely with have had. After studying all the evidence available about Jelly Bryce, I am convinced that that was his perspective as well.

Finally, since Jelly Bryce was a public figure, and a high-profile one at that, anyone could have (and can) write about him. He has already been portrayed in a few other fictional publications, by people who may mean well but have no basis of knowledge/experience from which to write. As such, these characterizations tend to be rather superficial. Hollywood also tends to treat people like Bryce, Charles Winstead, and other lawmen of the time like supporting players while they drool over and glamorize the vicious criminals like Dillinger and Bonnie and Clyde. I have tried to do otherwise.

My hope is that people find the story entertaining, and that while being entertained, they also come to see police officers—from the legendary officers of yesteryear to those being pilloried today by the media and some segments of our society—not as creatures alien to themselves, but simply as people who have taken on the responsibility to do full-time what is ideally the responsibility of all members of a civilized society: Keep the peace. Protect the innocent. Follow the laws of the land.

Do all police officers do this without exception? Certainly not, and I make no claims to the contrary.

Do all people do this? Of course not. If they did, there would be no need for the police.

That’s what makes the police profession challenging and life in general interesting. The struggle between good and evil, right and wrong. That, in essence, is what my Jelly Bryce trilogy is about. If you do read it, I’d really love to hear your thoughts.

For what it's worth, I personally believe that if the photo you're referring to is from Jordan's NO SECOND PLACE WINNER (page 56), that it does not picture Bryce next to Jordan.

The face, stance, grip all appear different, things we used to call "clues" in police work, but not conclusive evidence .

While I have nothing documented from Bryce or Jordan to support my belief, I have also never seen any evidence to indicate that it is Bryce.

Many years ago I actually had a telephone conversation with Bill Jordan which was one of the highlights of my early LE career. If I'd only had the foresight I would have asked him then! Unfortunately, I'd never even heard of Bryce until the late 1990's, after Jordan had passed.

At the risk of wearing out my welcome on this forum, and in the interest of full-disclosure, I would like to clarify that I am the publisher and owner of Saber Press. I also sweep up the place.

Mr. Taylor, a WW2 Veteran and character worthy of his own book, has been a friend and supporter for many years, and has tried to take up the slack in getting the word out on my books/projects. Like many authors, I enjoy the writing but not the selling/promoting.

The Smith & Wesson Forum seems like home, though. I enjoy the information and discussions greatly, and appreciate everyone's courtesy and interest.

I would make a request though, please call me Mike.

And thank you for such a quality answer, Mike.

You obviously have the chops -- both as a writer and an experienced officer -- to write about a man of the stature of Jelly Bryce, and to do it with an insight into the man that will add to, not detract from, our understanding of him as an officer, an agent, and most of all, as a human being.

I'll be right proud to read your book.

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Ukraine -- now more than ever

And thanks for the clarification here, too, Mike. Please give my regards to Mr. Taylor along with my thanks and admiration for his service.

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Ukraine -- now more than ever

Just an update on the Jelly Bryce Trilogy I've been working on...

Part 2, FBI ODYSSEY is now available in paperback and on Kindle. More information is available at www.jellybryce.com

Very best regards,
Mike Conti