Stranger

by Clifford Irving

By brute force and doggedness, Gavin Roy molded a raw Indian valley into the greatest mining and ranching empire in the lawless West. He ruled the minds and bodies of every man and woman in Diablo Valley. The Guardian called this powerful mythic tale of a ruthless man, his rebellious son - and the beautiful young woman from New York who becomes wife to one and mistress to the other.

Genres: Westerns, Adventure

287 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

Clifford Irving was the author of 20 published books & just released 12 of his works as Kindle/Nook eBooks; he was currently writing a memoir called Around the World in 80 Years.

Reviews

[Strawz93 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

I loved this western, too bad that Gavin was such a mean man. The end was powerful. I' m happy Clayton, was strong enough to save those other men.

[Charles Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Through stubbornness and utter disregard for others, Gavin Roy turned an isolated valley in New Mexico into one of the richest mining and ranching areas in the Old West. He bent everyone, man or woman, to his will—or destroyed them—except for his rebellious son, Clay, and the beautiful woman from New York that he took to his bed after the death of Clay’s mother.

Stranger by acclaimed author Clifford Irving is an epic tale of the western frontier, and the men and women who made it great, told from the point of view of one dysfunctional family and their relationships—among themselves, with others around them, and with the land itself.

Irving, who served 2-1/2 years in prison for his faked autobiography of Howard Hughes, is in fine form in this tale of the Old West with a slightly different take on a beloved genre. There are no white hats versus black hats, and the hero doesn’t kiss his horse and ride off into the sunset. In the real west, people loved and hated, lived and died, and life was sometimes short and brutal, and true to his style, Irving pulls no punches.

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A CI. Western Action Adventure (S) (AENOTW)

CI. has Penned a western action adventure about an man who had everything to gain by being human, but was so intervening his standing in the valley and community that he forgot to be human. He came to the valley and behind doors and through careful planning was able to rule his kingdom. He ruled the roost to such a degree that he destroyed his wife and two children. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS

[Vic]

rwr review

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Bought it a long time ago, after reading the excellent "Tom Mix & Pancho Villa" by the same author. I found the story absorbing and the setting interesting. It's the story of the struggle between a father and son - an overbearing, powerful and evil father, and a son struggling with loyalty vs. independence. As with many westerns I read, I found the female characters more of set-pieces. Would they really do or say the things they did? Doubtful. While I can pick out some flaws when reflecting back on the book, as I read it, I flew right through. I mean flew. What a yarn! I'd recommend it if you're looking for a good absorbing story.

[Kevin Bowser · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book. That is, right up to the end. I really felt it ended with a fizzle. The tension was building throughout the entire story and then to have it end the way that it did was more than a little disappointing to me. I had struggled to stay with and begin to understand Clayton. But in the end, I found the ending to be unsatisfying.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stranger

Very interesting novel about how the west may have been settled . Men of power and ambition bravely settled new territory but for some of them power and control became a way of life. Killing was a way to settle disputes and people just took what they wanted. Some of that still exists in the world today.

[Julie De Somer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Husband read it - apparently not that good.

[Robbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

WESTERN
Jim read this on 6-29-15 and rated it 4.6 stars.

[CARLA]

I lost interest and never really got it back.