Wicked Joplin

My latest book, entitled Wicked Joplin, has just been released by History Press (the same company that published my Newtonia book). As the name implies, the book is about the notorious history of Joplin when it was a booming mining town with lots of gambling, saloons, and other vice.
The first chapter is mainly about the very early history of Joplin prior to incorporation in 1873 and the first couple of years after incorporation. During the pre-incorporation days, Joplin experienced what came to be known as the "reign of terror." Because the closest law enforcement officers were at the county seat of Carthage twenty miles away, the rowdy miners infesting the mining camp of Joplin pretty much had things their own way, and the anything-goes atmosphere attracted not only a lot of rough characters who were habitually getting into fights but also a lot of gamblers, prostitutes, and other ne'er-do-wells.