The Englishman's Boy by Guy Vanderhaeghe

Another Canadian author!  I really enjoyed this one as it wove together historical events that I have seldom read about in an facinating time period.  The novel opens with a scene in which two Native American braves 'liberate" a herd of horses from their white cowboy owners - simple incident that triggers this whole book.  The Englishmans' boy, later known as Shorty McAdoo, is recruited to join the posse to recover the stolen horses and witnesses the Cypress Hills Massacre.  Harry Vincent, a Hollywood script writer working in the tumultuous years of movie-making and star-producing of the 1920's, is tasked to find Shorty, now well into retirement, interview him, and write the script that will make Shorty into a movie star.

The resulted twisted strands of storyline make for a fascinating look at the seeming randomness of history, the way we shape our future by re-telling our past, heroism and fame, power and greed, and standing up for what you believe it. A challenging novel based on historical events - put this one on the "must-read" list!