Manhunters

by Elmer Kelton

As he flees to the sanctuary of Mexico, Chacho Fernandez is unaware of the fuel he has added to the already simmering racial hatreds in and around the quiet town of Domingo, Texas. Through events set in motion by a misunderstanding, Chacho becomes a folk hero to his people and a dangerous fugitive to a group of zealous lawmen. Manhunters, the tale of Chacho's legendary flight, was inspired by the story of controversial Mexican fugitive Gregorio Cortez. In 1901 Cortez, a young horseman, shot a sheriff during an argument, leading to the largest concerted manhunt in Texas history.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction

196 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1994

About the author

Elmer Kelton (1926-2009) was award-winning author of more than forty novels, including The Time It Never Rained, Other Men’s Horses, Texas Standoff and Hard Trail to Follow. He grew up on a ranch near Crane, Texas, and earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas. His first novel, Hot Iron, was published in 1956. Among his awards have been seven Spurs from Western Writers of America and four Western Heritage awards from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. His novel The Good Old Boys was made into a television film starring Tommy Lee Jones. In addition to his novels, Kelton worked as an agricultural journalist for 42 years. He served in the infantry in World War II. He died in 2009.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/elmerk...

Reviews

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Texas Rangers track a Mexican fugitive for ten days after he killed a sheriff, hoping to catch him before he makes Mexico. Sounds simple and predictable, right? Boring even.

But that is not Elmer Kelton's way. The killing was not simple at all, and there is doubt about the guilt of the accused. Consequently, there is doubt about whether they will catch him--a quick hanging and the gringos win--or whether he will cross the Rio Grande and the Mexicans win.

But then, even the ending is not that simple. Against a genre known for black hats and white hats, Kelton crafts a story where nothing is quite as predictable as it might seem.

And that is what makes this a gripping tale.

--That, and the fact that it is based in part on true events, on an actual manhunt across Texas that likewise took some ten days and in the end the facts were so decorated by the legends that it was difficult for anyone to know what really happened.


Kelton is Louis L'Amour, only better.

[Joel Ortiz-Quintanilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very well written book. I have read this story before, but from a chicano point of view, and this one now comes from a white man point of view. Or as Kelton puts it, he just wrote a story that has no point of view, but the book was a good read. The characters are well painted, the Spanish is in spanish, not some hackneyed version, it was pretty historical with the real story of Gregorio Cortez. It was a quick read, once I started it, I could not put it down. I loved this book. It has made me write my own western of the part of Texas I live in.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Quick read because it was a page turner. Recommend to others.

[Ward G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read.
Set during time period, of hostilties. Between Mexico and United States.

Based on some actual events of the time.
Mistakes made, and a manhunt begins.
The opening gives you some of the base truths to it.
Not a lot of action. More a study of view points and ideology.
Between the different peoples, and cultures.

By the end you kind of know the finish. Due to the early spoiler by author.
Yet actual story, ends short of some. Of the resolutions, of events.
Like had a bit more to tell, yet ended anyways.

If you are fan of that time period American history. May help you enjoy it more.

[Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before you pose a finger over the delete key sighing audibly about the fact
that I've reviewed yet another silly western here, please read on to try to
understand why this one is different.

I've read a couple of Kelton books in the last three weeks or so-this one
and one other-and what I've discovered is that his subject matter is so
thought provoking and far more complex than cowboy gets reluctant girl stuff
that is so much of a plague in terms of that genre.

This book is very loosely based on a true incident in Texas history, as
you'll read if you read the introductory material. I came away with a
deeper appreciation than ever about the absolute need for clarity in
communication with others. How many times have you and I smarted under the
blows and burdens that result from being misunderstood in terms of our
communication? Have we not all seen circumstances where unclear
communications ended a budding romance or even broke a well-established
relationship?

Open this book and introduce yourself to Chacho Fernandez; go ahead; you'll
like the young man almost instinctively. If you hang out with him even for
more than five minutes, he'll probably regale you with stories of the
beautiful girl up near San Antonio who deserves the best horse he can buy.
You'll note that young Chacho is lovesick, but you'll be impressed by his
positive outlook on the world. He is a young man of peace who will even
learn to coexist peacefully with the gringos who are filling land that was
once part of Mexico. He's been working all summer to break horses for an
Anglo horse trader, and in return for that work, he had been promised a
beautiful mare instead of money. Poor Chacho just wants to impress the girl
and her parents into thinking he's good enough to be part of the family.

But the gringo trader reneges on his promise, and Chacho simply takes the
horse by violence that he had thought would be his by agreement. Naturally,
that sparks a chain of events that involve an aging town sheriff and his
son-in-law Texas Ranger. But the sheriff, knowing that the trader is far
from upstanding, wants to hear young Chacho's story rather than
perfunctorily arrest him for striking a white man. Ah, but the sheriff's
friend, whose skills as an interpreter are severely lacking, mistranslates
something Chacho has said. Anger sparks, and actions are taken that
ultimately leave the aging sheriff dead and young Chacho a fugitive.

This is a great book to teach young people about the immense value of
carefully thought through clear communication. The two men who are most
likely to find Chacho are a young Texas Ranger and an old retired one, he
being retired because the young one misunderstood his abilities despite his
age.

So this is a book that explores the sometimes nightmarish consequences of
miscommunication on a variety of levels and does it wonderfully. It's a short book, but there's
nothing shallow or superficial here.

You see, another kind of communication gets explored here. That's the kind
of powerful nonverbal stuff that goes on between the hunted and the hunter.
The two Texas Rangers who start out tracking young Chacho with single-minded
vengeance ultimately understand his motives better and gain tremendous
respect for the young man. Granted, he killed a sheriff, and there's no way
to explain that away or justify it. But there were so many
misunderstandings on the gringo side of things that they, too, were very
much at fault. That's what makes this a realistic portrayal of the impact
of misunderstandings and miscommunications and even cultural barriers. In
short, I enjoyed this book both for its plot and for the author's skillful
ability to weave words and remind me anew of the value of communicating with
such clarity that one cannot be misunderstood.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is much better than many books in this genre because Elmore's characters are neither all good nor all bad. This was a fun, light read and I'm glad I took the recommendation of a friend who also enjoyed it.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you read the authors note first, then you do not need to read the book. You will know what is to come. But, it was well written and the main characters were well developed. I guess it was just knowing the ending all along that spoiled it for me. A quick read.