Page Count:  161

Author:  Louis L'Amour

Publisher:  Bantam

ISBN:  0-553-24457-4

Category:  Fiction

Genre:  Western/Drama

Dove's (Personal) Review:  This story takes place in Utah. Mike Bastian is the adopted son of an outlaw, Ben Curry. Throughout Mike's young life, his father Ben teaches him the rules of being a good outlaw: when to shoot, when not to shoot, who to rob, who not to rob, how to plan escape routes, when to kill and how to avoid it if possible, which towns offer the best possibilities, which towns offer the strictest law-enforcement, etc., etc., etc. Ben is getting older, and when he dies, he wants his son to take over his outlawing responsibilities.
     Mike is a good guy. He's never broken a law in his life. He knows of his father's plans for him, but - when push comes to shove - he really doesn't want the job of outlaw. He's not interested in "being on the run" for the rest of his life. He much prefers the idea of settling down, perhaps even ranching for a living.
     But Ben is living a double-life. One is the outlawing life, where he's known as Ben Curry. In the other, he's known as Ragan, he owns a ranch, and has a family that Mike knows nothing about. Mike eventually meets one of Ben's daughters, and he can't stop thinking about her. He plans on visiting her at the ranch some day, maybe even getting a job on her ranch, so he can be close to her. But can a relationship with his adopted father's daughter possibly work? Legally, they are siblings... though, thankfully, not by blood.
     Ben's secret life adds an interesting plot twist to the drama that only Louis L'Amour could pull off successfully. It's a short book, but within it's pages you'll discover a finely tuned story.
     Not one of L'Amour's best, but still an entertaining read! I can't really give this one my usual two-thumbs-up, or a gold star rating 'cause I didn't find it that good. I found it to move a little slow at times, and I never encountered the "climatic punch" that's usually delivered in a L'Amour tale. And though I know a lot about Mike, he's a character I was never made to care about. That ruins a story for me. If I don't "care" about the characters, why bother reading it?
     If I was to rank this one on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 5... it's average. I could take it or leave it. I'm glad I read it, but it's nothing to shout about. Other than that, I guess I'll let you decide how good it is. ;-)