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The Last Trial of T. Boone Pickens
Silver Winner, IBPA Ben Franklin Award
The true story of an aging oil tycoon, once a household name, who hires a Dallas attorney setting up her own practice to help him recover a lost fortune in West Texas.
T. Boone Pickens, legendary Texas oilman and infamous corporate raider from the 1980s, climbed the steps of the Reeves County courthouse in Pecos, Texas in early November 2016. He entered the solitary courtroom and settled into the witness stand for two days of testimony in what would be the final trial of his life. Pickens, who was 88 by then, had made and lost billions over his long career, but he’d come to Pecos seeking justice from several other oil companies. He claimed they cut him out of what became the biggest oil play he’d ever invested in—in an oil-rich section of far West Texas that was primed for an unprecedented boom. After years of dealing with the media, shareholders and politicians, Pickens would need to win over a dozen West Texas jurors in one last battle. To lead his legal fight, he chose an unlikely advocate—Chrysta Castañeda, a Dallas solo practitioner who had only recently returned to the practice of law after a hiatus borne of disillusionment with big firms. Pickens was a hardline Republican, while Castañeda had run for public office as a Democrat. But they shared an unwavering determination to win and formed a friendship that spanned their differences in age, politics, and gender. In a town where frontier justice was once meted out by Judge Roy Bean—“The Law West of the Pecos”—Pickens would gird for one final courtroom showdown. Sitting through trial every day, he was determined to prevail, even at the cost of his health. The Last Trial of T. Boone Pickens is a high-stakes courtroom drama told through the eyes of Castañeda. It’s the story of an American business legend still fighting in the twilight of his long career, and the lawyer determined to help him make one final stand for justice.
The true story of an aging oil tycoon, once a household name, who hires a Dallas attorney setting up her own practice to help him recover a lost fortune in West Texas.
T. Boone Pickens, legendary Texas oilman and infamous corporate raider from the 1980s, climbed the steps of the Reeves County courthouse in Pecos, Texas in early November 2016. He entered the solitary courtroom and settled into the witness stand for two days of testimony in what would be the final trial of his life. Pickens, who was 88 by then, had made and lost billions over his long career, but he’d come to Pecos seeking justice from several other oil companies. He claimed they cut him out of what became the biggest oil play he’d ever invested in—in an oil-rich section of far West Texas that was primed for an unprecedented boom. After years of dealing with the media, shareholders and politicians, Pickens would need to win over a dozen West Texas jurors in one last battle. To lead his legal fight, he chose an unlikely advocate—Chrysta Castañeda, a Dallas solo practitioner who had only recently returned to the practice of law after a hiatus borne of disillusionment with big firms. Pickens was a hardline Republican, while Castañeda had run for public office as a Democrat. But they shared an unwavering determination to win and formed a friendship that spanned their differences in age, politics, and gender. In a town where frontier justice was once meted out by Judge Roy Bean—“The Law West of the Pecos”—Pickens would gird for one final courtroom showdown. Sitting through trial every day, he was determined to prevail, even at the cost of his health. The Last Trial of T. Boone Pickens is a high-stakes courtroom drama told through the eyes of Castañeda. It’s the story of an American business legend still fighting in the twilight of his long career, and the lawyer determined to help him make one final stand for justice.
- GenresNonfiction
300 pages, Paperback
Published August 22, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 26, 2021
This was a great book about two different political parties working together and eventually finding a deep rooted love for one another even in the midst of the mess of life. I learned a lot about trials and the oil industry and about perspectives on life. Being born and raised in the Texas Panhandle I’ve always known of T Boone and I was excited to learn from the book of this brilliant but also sometimes very difficult man.
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May 22, 2020Excellent story, well-told, which I highly recommend. Boone Pickens never ceases to amaze, especially in his later years showing passion, intelligence, humor, and an overall zest for life. Love him or hate him, the reader gets to know this complex (yet in many ways common) man who made billions, and then gave much of it to charity. Lawyers will enjoy this book, because it explores modern day, high-stakes litigation. Geologists and oil/gas professionals will enjoy this book because it explains the renaissance of the energy industry circa 2008-2015. But most of all, everyone will enjoy the fascinating people behind the courtroom drama. As a bonus, the author tells the story from her perspective, and allows the reader a glimpse into a fascinating person in her own right, author and lead trial lawyer Chrysta Castenada. You will love this book.
March 31, 2020
I live in oilfield country and love reading the stories of the bigger than life characters that built this commodity into the economy driving force that it is. T Boone Pickens is one of only a handful of men that went to legendary lengths to develop the oilfields that gave so many Midwesterners a life outside farming. The fact that he selected a female lawyer to fight in a male dominated courtroom is just one of the many actions that gave him his "unpredictable" label. A really good look at a chapter in the life of an oilfield legend.
July 8, 2022
A Legal thriller and a lesson in the law of oil and gas. Judge seemed to be biased to me, but that did not hamper the prosecution. And the Jury came through in the end. Too bad our legal system does not move promptly to record judgements. The judge took more than a year to enter the jury verdict and damage request. Slow reader?? Finally, the appellate court had deemed he’d had enough time to read the verdict.
Hmmmmm
I think T. Boone Pickens would have voted for Chrysta. He may have been ruthless when it came to money, but I think Mr. Pickens was also fair and did not suffer fools.
Hmmmmm
I think T. Boone Pickens would have voted for Chrysta. He may have been ruthless when it came to money, but I think Mr. Pickens was also fair and did not suffer fools.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2021
I loved this book. It's a tale of a fierce battle by a great man at the end of a long, highly successful career. Ms. Castaneda simplified a complicated business dispute in the courtroom--it's no wonder she won the trial--and wrote an easy to read book about the case. Trying jury cases is difficult. Ms. Castaneda takes us behind the scenes to see the conflicts and problems that occur in long trials. The numerous conflicts create lots of suspense, which makes for a highly interesting story.
August 24, 2022
I just finished this book… It was truly wonderful! I couldn’t put it down! Chrysta is an incredible storyteller and made it easy for someone who knows nothing about oil & gas to understand what some of the technical issues were. I am impressed at the stamina a long trail takes. I can’t believe Pickens stuck it out at his age- incredible! I hope that someday becomes a documovie!! I’d watch in a heartbeat :)
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September 30, 2021Featured on Lone Star Book Blog Tours.
November 14, 2021
Fascinating story
December 29, 2020
A helpful life pro tip is to look up whether a particular author is running for office before you pick up their book. This is to say, this book went in a direction I did not anticipate and the reason for that only dawned on me when the author discussed her forays into politics in the last few pages.
The book is literally about the last trial of T. Boone Pickens. It is not some weighing of his earthly accomplishments or even a courtroom parable of the course of his career. It is nothing more than a description of the last trial T. Boone Pickens was alive to attend and be involved in (naturally, represented by Chrysta Castaneda). I imagine it is exciting to people who get excited about that sort of thing, but left me indifferent. The book is written in a lively manner, so it’s a fairly engaging read even for someone far removed from the world of law and oil drilling such as myself. It offers precious few glimpses of Pickens’ personality, but, mercifully, does not go out of its way to lavishly celebrate candidate Castaneda. It’s thorough, but measured.
Ultimately, I wish I have not invested my time in this book, but not due to any of its specific shortfalls but merely because I have no interest in reading “running for office books” about courtroom minutia.
Anyway, take the title literally, and if it sounds like your cup of tea - this book couldn’t hurt.
The book is literally about the last trial of T. Boone Pickens. It is not some weighing of his earthly accomplishments or even a courtroom parable of the course of his career. It is nothing more than a description of the last trial T. Boone Pickens was alive to attend and be involved in (naturally, represented by Chrysta Castaneda). I imagine it is exciting to people who get excited about that sort of thing, but left me indifferent. The book is written in a lively manner, so it’s a fairly engaging read even for someone far removed from the world of law and oil drilling such as myself. It offers precious few glimpses of Pickens’ personality, but, mercifully, does not go out of its way to lavishly celebrate candidate Castaneda. It’s thorough, but measured.
Ultimately, I wish I have not invested my time in this book, but not due to any of its specific shortfalls but merely because I have no interest in reading “running for office books” about courtroom minutia.
Anyway, take the title literally, and if it sounds like your cup of tea - this book couldn’t hurt.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews