Yesterday
was my father, Richard’s 79th birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!! I have childhood memories of him reading
Louis L’Amour and Zane Grey book all the time.
In my mind, these books were “boy books”, so I never wanted to read
them. I figured they would be filled
with saloon girls, shooting, and cussing, so I never had any desire to read
them. This is the reason I chose a Louis L’Amour book for my May “authors I’ve
avoided” book. Let’s just say that I was
pleasantly surprised.
The
book that I chose to read was Tucker. I
have to admit that I went to the paperback shelf at the Punta Gorda Public
Library, where I work, and chose the smallest book out of our Louis L’Amour
paperback collection. I just didn’t
think I’d make it through a long, boring western and I didn’t want to fail to
read another of my chosen authors (see previous post about trying to read Diana
Gabaldon).
Shell
Tucker and his father were just finished selling some cattle from their ranch
as well as some for their neighbors.
While heading back home, Shell and his father had a disagreement parted
ways a short while. When he cooled down
and went back to meet up with his father, Shell found him with a broken leg
from falling off his spooked horse. His
horse had been stolen, along with the money that they were bringing back to the
neighbors. It seems that two of Shell’s “friends”
Doc Sites and Kid Reese, whom his father did not approve of, had hooked up with
an outlaw and stole the horse and money.
When Shell’s father succumbed to his injuries, he decided that he had to
follow the outlaws and get that money back, saving his father’s reputation as
well as the ranch.
Shell
follows Doc, Kid and Bob Heseltine through the South West, trying to get the
money back. He puts so much pressure on
the outlaws that they can’t even enjoy the money. Several times, Heseltine and his girl, Ruby,
try to have Shell eliminated without success.
Finally, Heseltine says he gives up and hands the money over to Shell
and says to leave him alone. It looks
like the worst is over, but Heseltine comes back and tries to kill Shell again,
but he isn’t as fast as Shell. Finally,
Shell has the money and can head back home.
I
have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will be slipping a Louis L’Amour
book into my reading schedule once in a while.
It wasn’t overtly “guy”-ish. It
was just a good story with well written characters. I’ve become a Louis L’Amour lover and I’m
proud of it!
You should read some of his Sackett family books. There is a whole series starting before they came to America through their journey westward.
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