Under the Sweetwater Rim

by Louis L'Amour

Deep in Indian country, Major Mark Devereaux and his men find a grisly scene: a wagon train savagely attacked, with no survivors. One of the wagons originally with the group is missing; in it is a fortune in gold and Devereaux’s daughter, Mary. The slaughter, Devereaux learns, was not the work of Indians but of a murderous outlaw band. With the stakes rising in a deadly game, the only wild card is Lieutenant Tenadore Brian, who is riding with the missing wagon—against orders. Devereaux knows Brian is a good soldier, but is he good enough to protect a saddlebag full of gold . . . and the life of his daughter?

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adventure, Action, Novels

240 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1971

About the author

Louis Dearborn L'Amour was an American novelist and short story writer. His books consisted primarily of Western novels, though he called his work "frontier stories". His most widely known Western fiction works include Last of the Breed, Hondo, Shalako, and the Sackett series. L'Amour also wrote historical fiction (The Walking Drum), science fiction (The Haunted Mesa), non-fiction (Frontier), and poetry and short-story collections. Many of his stories were made into films. His books remain popular and most have gone through multiple printings. At the time of his death, almost all of his 105 existing works (89 novels, 14 short-story collections, and two full-length works of nonfiction) were still in print, and he was "one of the world's most popular writers".

Reviews

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have sold probably 100s of Louis L’Amour books in garage sales over the years, but I never read one before now. Based on this book, I have been missing out. This was not a heavy literary work, but it was great was escapist reading. The male characters were surprisingly well developed. The female characters ... not so much. The book shows the old west was not a place for the weak of body, spirit, and mind as there were a lot of life and death moments throughout. While this was fiction, all my historical research verifies that the west was a indeed a tough place. L’Amour captured it pretty well.

[Blake B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Under The Sweetwater Rim is a great story by Louis L'Amour. The story is set in the late 1860s/early 1870s it has many characters but the main characters are Tenadore Brian,Mary Deveraux,an Rueben Kelsey. Ruben leads a band of outlaws they raid a wagon train to find a 60,000 dollar shipment of gold but it ain't there. Tenadore Brian swoops in an pulls the medical wagon that was carrying the gold an takes them off trail to hide. This is a great boon if u like suspenful action packed stories.

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thrilling nonstop chase adventure.

[Livia · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Under the Sweetwater Rim' was an enjoyable read. L'Amour gives his audience a feel for the country his characters travel through. Plus, this is a story of two men, Tenadore Brian and Reuben Kelsey, who make different choices in life. I won't spoil the story for anyone, but you see how life turns out for each man. Food for thought for anyone who's considering choices and different ways of doing things.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better L'Amour novels I've read. A complicated plot, a search for stolen payroll gold, old friends on opposite sides of the law. Excellent.

[Christopher Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of L'Amour's more suspenseful and gritty books, this starts out with a massacred wagon train and ends up a desperate chase through the Wind River Range of the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming. The story doesn't ever let up after a bit of a slow start thanks to excessive narration at the beginning to introduce the main character.

The story swaps between several characters, sometimes abruptly, but always with a desperate urgency as fortunes and circumstances keep changing and often going poorly for the main character. The descriptions of the mountains are amazing, with soaring vistas and heart-clutching sequences.

Overall well done, but flawed by some basic mechanical issues in writing, a great story that could have done better with some editing.

[Rod Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who’s read all of L’Amour’s books many times, this is one of my favorites. He weaves together the story from four different vantage points and delves into each of the characters in deeper ways than he often does. Of course, there are also the typical gun battles and fist fights. A fun read.

[Grace McKay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ended up with my aunts entire Louis L’Amour collection recently and was excited to read my first. I love westerns and this didn’t disappoint. Easy read. Suspenseful. Action packed. And so different from what I normally read. I’m immensely loooking forward to the next one.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 would read again

[Elizabeth White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great!

[Todd Coburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great western by Louis L'Amour

[Jarin Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of information about the Native Americans and reading sign. Louis L'Amour really does his homework.

[Allen Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the book follows the standard formula of La'More it's a pretty good story all in all and well worth the short time it takes to read.

[Ardie · Rating 3 out of 5]

L'Amore is great at writing action and adventure but not so great at writing good, strong, believable female characters.

[Izzie Flynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

As i've said many a time -- Louis L'amour is a huge hit or miss kinda writer for me. This one totally missed the mark for me. Lots of back and forth and dragging shit around. Not for me i'm afraid.

[wally · Rating 3 out of 5]

finished 9th march 2025 good read three stars i liked it nothing less nothing more have read forty stories (more if you count the shorts) from l'amour out of 105 so i'm not quite at the halfway point entertaining reads all this one no exception. the storyline of many are interesting for how one could compare contrast to our modern world. when offered a choice there are those who are willing to break whatever law there is to get ahead. when a group has chosen to defend themselves and to survive against those others there is often one or more distrustful of whoever rises among them to lead them. lawbreakers and the law abiding are all capable people. some chose to follow. when a group is assembled there is also among them one of two whose bigotry or racism prevents them from accepting another in the group. when one group of law abiding are trying to help another group cut off from them, there are those in that group who mistrust another from the first group and work to stop the other despite lack of knowledge. who could imagine u.s.a.i.d. providing loans to children in the millions of dollars...of providing millions to whoever...and who if any will find themselves in prison because of this fraud? who will be trusting? who will be bigoted? there is nothing new under the sun.

if you want to carry that forward and use the analogy of readers at goodreads and the world over, remind yourself of stephen king's assuming the role of a hispanic in one of his forewords. he wants to make a deal, "meester"...and he continues in this vein. None of his faithful call him on this. He sits at the right hand of fearless leader. and for one to call him on it...as he is so vocal on calling out against trump...incurs the wrath of the righteous, for they alone among the population know what's right. on top of that, they are "inclusive"...they are "diverse"...blah blah de blah.

in the same way our elected leaders become millionaires while drawing less than two hundred grand a year. and nobody bats an eye. eventually there'll come a day when "all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer...while evils are sufferable..." and the millions (dare we say trillions? why not?) are begun to be accounted for.

i'll hazard there's a western or two where hanging them high is a theme.

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wagon train crossing Wyoming in 1864 along the Oregon Trail between two forts is attacked and the army contingent responsible for their protection is late to arrive. The commander is Major Devereaux and the initial impression that an Indian war party made the attack is quickly dismissed when Devereaux learns that one of his men was telling a group of white raiders where the wagon train was going and what it was carrying. There is a Confederate raider named Kelsey who is in the Quantril / Anderson mold, a large, smart and capable killer leading a loose gang of bandits. An army officer named Tenadore Brian is suspected to be involved in the wagon attack because he is late getting back from leave and was seen in the area. Devereaux's daughter was on the wagon train and it is an open secret that she and Brian are sweet on each other, but she is not among the victims.

I did a bad job of summarizing the setup above, I realize. It makes more sense when you get into it. There are a lot of players but L'Amour does a good job introducing them and then slowly filling in backstory as we make our way through the opening sequence. It is well done. The story moves along with real stakes and worries, heroic intentions and failures, some changes of heart and double-crossing, and L'Amour's western immersion making that trek through the snowy mountains almost more worrisome than the bandits at their heels.

Verdict: A fun western mystery, survival tale, manhunt and treasure hunt.

Jeff's Rating: 3 / 5 (Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG

[Rock · Rating 2 out of 5]

Majority of the plot simply makes no sense. It was a quick read and the plot could have been more good , except that there were plenty of plot holes that made me questioned myself if I have been reading the book correctly? Or to ask myself what I have been reading?

Dorsey tricked West into running away with the pot of gold, and there were no explanation of his sudden turn to become bad guy.

Ironhide slipped away from the camp to hunt for the gold alone, and there were no inkling idea why the heck did he want to go on a suicide mission alone against a dozen cruel men who would not hesistate to kill on sight?

Why would Kelsey kill his own men and go head-to-head with Brian alone and eventually lose the fight? He could have killed Brian with his men and kill them right after.

I was without words after the last page. It felt like reading a short pulp sci-fi novel without having any expectation of what's coming. Yet again, we were talking about a best selling author who sold 270 million books worldwide. There should not be any reason for a book to be bad if it was sold this much. It was my first book from Louis L'amour, and I don't know if I still want to read any of his books.

[Rosabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable read. Excellent characters, wonderful plot, and edge of your seat adventure and suspense...mingled with philosophical gems like, "There are always dangers, even when you believe them to be far away. Men have lived with both danger and beauty from the beginning...The trouble is that most of us live in anticipation or in memory, never in the present moment. There must always be times like this when you just sit still and listen, feel, see. You live longer and live infinitely better." (pp. 78-79)

and,

"Men make too much of their problems...So many things grow small and petty when you see them through the window of time. I started out when I was a youngster, and sometimes it seems as if I've lived two or three lives; and I see the youngsters now excited about the same things, all wanting to change the world overnight, when it never changes that way--well, not often. And when it does change that way it changes with fire and blood, and it goes back further into what we're trying to grow out of." (pp. 109-110)

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in 1863 Wyoming, this 1971 L'Amour western begins with the aftermath of a wagon train massacre. Although the point of view is omniscient and shifts around frequently, it mostly sticks with Tenadore Brian, ex-mercenary, but now a Lieutenant in the Cavalry. The renegades are led by Reuben Kelsey, a mad-skilled villain. Complications abound. Brian and Kelsey knew each other as boys when they survived a wagon train massacre together. One of the women in the wagon train is the daughter of the Cavalry Major tracking down the renegades. There's missing US Military payroll, in gold. With the stakes set sufficiently high, L'Amour launches into a chase and escape driven plot as Kelsey's renegades pursue a wagon, led by Brian, that escaped with the gold and the Major's daughter. Pretty much non-stop action and gun battles for 150 pages to the end, with occasional character analysis in service of the cat and mouse plot, as each character is trying to figure out what the other will do. I'd place this in the upper tier of L'Amour's books.

[Mike Futcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's nothing better than a Bantam paperback Western on a Sunday afternoon, and nobody better to provide that experience than Louis L'Amour. Bought for 20p from a charity shop, my yellowed, dog-eared copy of Under the Sweetwater Rim doesn't seem like much (though I love the front cover). But it's that which makes it endearing: you know more or less how it's going to go, but you know it won't disappoint you either, and you're happy to sink an hour or two. The plot is good, the characters steady and the writing quick. Books like this need one stand-out element, and Sweetwater Rim's is the setting. The Wind River mountain ranges of Wyoming in winter are beautiful and compelling, even in L'Amour's limited, plot-driven prose. This is effortless pulp reading.

[Sean Cozart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Western from the legend Louis L'Amour. This one was certainly one of his best novels I've read so far, despite it be a difficult read for me because of it's complex plot. I also thought it was awesome reading the novel after I visited the Wind River Mountains two summers ago and how seeing those mountains with my own eyes, helped me visual the novel and making it ten times more intriguing. I also think the story presents an important morale too, of how two men of similar backgrounds have two completely different outcomes in their life, by the decisions they made. Overall, I thought it was a great book.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been quite a while since I had read a Louis L'Amour novel, so I thought "why not?" Under The Sweetwater Rim was not as engaging nor entertaining as some of my favorite L'Amour novels, such as Jubal Sackett.

Nevertheless, one pretty much knows what to expect from these stories, and this one delivers along those lines. It just seemed as though the action in this particular book was sparse and only at the end does the book feel like classic L'Amour.

There are better L'Amour novels out there (goodness knows he's written a few), but this was a pleasant enough way to while away a few hours in the saddle, riding the mountain trails of a bygone era.

[Aimee Morales Clear · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised to be so familiar with the terrain in this book. Wyoming with its Wind River Range, Fort Bridger, Snake River, the Green, etc. LL takes his readers through some beautiful country while even identifying some wildflowers and bird life. As the story line unfolds the reader is left to guess who did what and for what motives, and as you're left contemplating there are twists and turns that take place that leave you pinned to the book. Indians, outlaws, beaver trappers, soldiers, and a lieutenants daughter all make up one great novel by LL.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

A re-read, first in the 1980s. Classic L'Amour western with a twist: First impressions *are not* always lasting. Here's a couple of my favorite quotes ...

"A man can get information and education at any age; you can only get wisdom from experience."

"The trouble is that most of us live in anticipation or in memory, never on the present moment. There must always be times like this when you just sit still and listen, feel, see. You live longer and live infinitely better."

[K.F. Thérèse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great read, I loved a lot of the secondary characters. The relationship between Reub and Ten was a great angle to add to the tension. Honestly, my favourite character was Turpenning! I want a whole book on him!

Only reason it wasn’t a 5 star was because I found some pieces dragged and I caught myself skimming a few sections.

Otherwise really great, I enjoyed the military perspective in this one aswell!

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, exciting western, this novel is a very quick read. I finished it in 3 1/2 hours. Nevertheless, it is well plotted with good action scenes and some plot twists, although the finish is never in doubt. Army man must go after a wagon that is being chased by a band of outlaws for the gold it is carrying, and for the women who are along. Highly recommended to western fans.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a fairly entertaining adventure story, but very predictable. I could easily picture this book as an old western movie. The plot was pretty close to every western you’ve ever seen. The author obviously knows a lot about the subject and it shows. Go ahead and grab it if you see it in a thrift store for 50 cents and are in the mood to buy books.

[Oleta Blaylock · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is lots of action in this story more than what is usual in a novel by Mr. Louis L'Amour. Lots of interaction between several different groups. I have a hard time writing anything about the story because I don't want to give anything away. I enjoyed this book as much as any other book he wrote.

[Delonna Oskouee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I'd read this one already, but I was wrong!

I like the description of the surrounding country and the sweet way that our hero protected his true love. He only ever touched her arm and once kissed her on the cheek. How Mr. L'Amour kept writing such crazy amazing stories I'll never know, but I truly appreciate his awesome skill.