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topdragon's review against another edition
3.0
Lance Kilkenny is one of Louis L’Amour’s on-going characters although probably not as famous as the Sackets or the Talons. There were a total of three novels featuring this lone drifter gunman as well as a couple of short stories. This is the final novel and it does wrap up his adventures in a happy ending.
We’ve all read this story before, or at least some version close to it. Kilkenny just wants to stop his wandering ways, settle down with a nice woman and become a hard working cattleman. But standing in his way is a rival cattleman with his four sons, supported by a really bad hombre and his gang of thugs that he uses to enforce his unlawful tactics. The local sheriff may have the best of intentions but not the skills with a gun and the allies needed to back him up. Enter the handsome wide-shouldered, narrow-hipped stranger who comes to town looking to tame it and restore peace to the valley.
That is this tale in a nutshell but even though I’ve encountered it before, L’Amour has a way of making it a pleasurable read. Perhaps it is because it’s nice to return to some good ‘ol western storytelling, sort of nostalgic in a way. I enjoy reading books like this in between weightier novels and considering this is the 82nd L’Amour book I have completed, I suppose I must enjoy them. I still have over 20 on my shelf that I still need to get to but I am definitely on the downhill slope of his total body of work. I’m not stopping now!
We’ve all read this story before, or at least some version close to it. Kilkenny just wants to stop his wandering ways, settle down with a nice woman and become a hard working cattleman. But standing in his way is a rival cattleman with his four sons, supported by a really bad hombre and his gang of thugs that he uses to enforce his unlawful tactics. The local sheriff may have the best of intentions but not the skills with a gun and the allies needed to back him up. Enter the handsome wide-shouldered, narrow-hipped stranger who comes to town looking to tame it and restore peace to the valley.
That is this tale in a nutshell but even though I’ve encountered it before, L’Amour has a way of making it a pleasurable read. Perhaps it is because it’s nice to return to some good ‘ol western storytelling, sort of nostalgic in a way. I enjoy reading books like this in between weightier novels and considering this is the 82nd L’Amour book I have completed, I suppose I must enjoy them. I still have over 20 on my shelf that I still need to get to but I am definitely on the downhill slope of his total body of work. I’m not stopping now!
stanleys1's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
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