Deep West

by Ernest Haycox

Vintage paperback

Genres: Westerns, Fiction

Mass Market Paperback

First published February 2, 1947

Reviews

[Josh Hitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe closer to a 3.5, well written book about friendships and what happens to people when they end. Main theme is of a valley of cattle men and knowing they have a gang of rustlers on their hands. It falls to Benbow, the foreman of the biggest ranch, to find them and to lead the posse after them. However he doesn't know something that everyone else knows and it could end him. Again its very well written, but the pace seems off. There is plenty of action but the pacing seems slow, found myself sort of just slogging through at times. It was so well written that kept me reading and the ending was what you would expect and was done well. Still think Haycox is better at short stories.

I would recommend, just don't go in expecting a normal shoot em up western. Its more and less then that. More in that it delves into much deeper themes, but less in that its not always an entertaining read.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the 1937 Hardback edition. It is a good western but the action doesn't start until near the end. It is also more a romance novel than a tough cowboy action novel, but there is good mingling of the characters and the plot held my attention while I waded through the build up at the end. You can see the end coming; this is why I think it is more a drama/romance story than a good cowboy western.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

long winded bore. seemed like i was reading a screen play, a bad one. i had read one other book by this author which i very much liked. will give him another chance.