Today's Wild West is not what it was, though it wishes that it were. The old certainties are gone, leaving only questions -- but can anyone separate truth from legend, fact from fiction?

Two cousins set out to attempt just that: the one is Peppercorn, a fading photo-journalist in search of his inner cowboy; the other is Saltzman, lecturer in American Studies at the University of St Albans. On their travels they encounter many of the great heroes of the Wild West - or at least the men and women who impersonate them - as well as other larger-than-life characters such as innocent Mercy Sweetbriar, runner-up in the `Appearance, Personality, and Photogenics' category of South Dakota's Miss Rodeo contest, not-so-innocent Miami Bitch, Kevin Costner, and Bill Janklow, Governor of South Dakota, and latter-day Indian fighter.

In order to fully capture the extravagance of these people and the landscapes they inhabit, Clive Sinclair has been driven to invent a new genre. He calls it Dodgy Realism, a melange of fact, fantasy, and fiction. Call it what you will, his new book is both an erudite investigation of, and a glorious romp through, the heartland of America.