The Killer

by Stewart Edward White

During the early 20th century, the frontier was closing as Americans settled the West, and it brought forth a sort of nostalgia for stories about the Wild West, the Plains, and the frontier. Stewart Edward White was one of the authors who helped keep the Western spirit alive with his books.

354 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1919

About the author

From about 1900 until about 1922, he wrote fiction and non-fiction about adventure and travel, with an emphasis on natural history and outdoor living. Starting in 1922, he and his wife Elizabeth "Betty" Grant White wrote numerous books they claimed were received through channelling with spirits. They also wrote of their travels around the state of California. White died in Hillsborough, California.

Reviews

[David Mann · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd, eclectic collection of short stories tacked into the namesake novella, “The Killer”. I don’t know what to make of it. The novella, “The Killer” is an unusual mixture of thriller, horror and comedy. The authentic Old Arizona details are captivating; the prose very well wrought. The second story, “The Road Agent” is a hilarious, tightly drawn, Western prank tale. The third story is a wistful, elegy to the tides of time, chronicling Westward expansion through three generations of a California pioneer family.

It all goes downhill from here...

The remaining stories are tedious travelogues (likely biographical) chronicling in monotonous detail the author’s exploits on goat and duck hunting trips: each entirely devoid of a storyline. How these dry depictions of game hunting made it into a Western short-story collection will ever remain a mystery. Likely, the publisher just pressured the author to add additional content in order to turn the namesake novella into a full length book for publication.

Enjoy the first half of the book, and then put it back on the shelf. Life’s too short to continue with the rest. Better still, read the duck hunting exploits when you’re suffering from a bout of insomnia -instant cure, guaranteed.

[Jay Calk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

Good stories and very clean. Nice to read a book without vulgar language. Stimulating story lines with great characters. Highly suggest reading.