Dead Ringer: A Western Trio

by Louis L'Amour

In the first in this trio of Western stories by Louis L'Amour-"Black Rock"-Jim Gatlin, a Texas trail driver, arrives in the town of Tucker where he finds himself quickly drawn into the middle of an all-out battle for the XY Ranch when, due to a case of mistaken identity, he kills the segundo of Wing Cary's Flying C Ranch. Gatlin is a dead-ringer for Jim Walker, who, like Cary, wants control of the XY. Gatlin is thrown into a situation in which all he can do is fight for his life.

Seventeen-year-old Shandy Gamble in "Gamble of the KT" is in Perigord with plans to buy a new saddle and bridle with the $500 in reward money he had received for catching two horse thieves, but instead he gets conned out of the money. He returns to the KT Ranch never mentioning what happened. But when he learns the con man is back and hanging out with the June gang, he decides it's time to get his money back and even the score.

Always a fighting man, both for the US Army and in battles across the ocean, Tom Kedrick in "Showdown Trail" has been hired to help run off the squatters and outlaws occupying a strip of land claimed to be unusable swamp. When he learns that he is being misled by his new bosses and that the squatters are honest and hardworking settlers, including one of his father's old friends, he has to determine which side he will fight for.

Louis L'Amour is the most decorated author in the history of American letters, and his stories are loved the world over.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Audiobook

173 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 5, 2019

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

[Jocelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good fiction never dies.

I was enthralled from start to finish - that I waited to read a Louis L’Amour this long is the real travesty.

I love a good western, and I loved this.
🎶 should have been a cowboy, shoulda learned to rope and ride 🎶 (also, RIP Toby)

[Carol Tilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't want to enjoy this collection, but it was pretty fun.

[C.W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

With no real expectations, I purchased this on sale and ended up liking it quite a bit. I’d always known of this author throughout the years as having quite a big following, and see why. The characters distinctive and memorable, and the author creates vivid pictures of the environment. It isn’t full of beautiful prose, but well-written and entertaining throughout. I’ll be reading more of the timeless work from this author.

[Noah R · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first two stories lacked emotional depth, but were packed with action. In my opinion, the third and final story was the best. The first two stories should have been connected to the last one. Great book though.

[Cori · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was a wee one, I read everything in our house from my mom's PG rated historical romances to the encyclopedias to Aesop's Fables to my dad's Louis L'Amour books. Anything and everything was fair game. My dad also used to get Louis L'Amour books on tape from our local library and listen to them while he was milking cows on our dairy farm. So it should come as no surprise to myself that, when I saw this three part Audible deal and snatched it up, I felt washed over with nostalgia.

I don't mind that the stories tend to be formulaic and always predictable. Maybe that's part of the charm. The characters have integrity and grit. And they get the job done. Louis L'Amour will always have a special place in my heart.

I'd rate this book a PG-13 for some swearing and violence.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

We listened to this book on audio book and both my husband and I really enjoyed it. It was kind of different than many other books we have read in that the first two stories were short westerns, then the third story was a much longer western that felt the length of a normal western story. I kept expecting all three stories to tie together somehow, but they never did. There were some parts that were fairly predictable, but others that kept us wondering until the very end.

[Andrew Blok]

I blocked out the main spoiler, but there are plenty of unblocked ones too.

I read this book for a family reading challenge. My dad loved (and maybe loves) Louis L'Amour books, so we added it as a category. I read a few when I was a kid, so there's a smaller soft spot in my heart, too.

I don't have much to say about the story. Louis L'Amour writes westerns (and a couple of other things). They're set in ranching/cattle range/mining/recently stolen land. They involve cowboys and gunslingers and usually one woman who is no nonsense and beautiful. The bad guys do a shoot 'em up and then the good guys do a better one.

A few things about Dead Ringer: A Western Trio:

This is not a book Louis L'Amour wrote. It is two stories and a novella that had lapsed copyrights and were thrown together into a new, strictly electronic package. At least this is the best I can find. The copyright info shows the three parts of this book were published individually, all the copyrights lapsed and they were published as an ebook after Louis L'Amour's death. That's a bit shady (and, to be honest, a bit annoying). The three stories definitely didn't have anything to do with each other. It feels a bit like reading a money grab.

The main character, Tom Kedrick, kills two cold hearted villains. One is shot several times and demands a drink at the bar as he's dying. Kedrick pours him a drink, the dying man throws it back, then SHAKES KEDRICK'S HAND and dies. Later, the main villain is outwitted by Tom Kedrick, gets shot to pieces and pays him begrudging respects. Not as egregious as the first, but.... Is there some fantasy about killing people in a way that makes them respect you? What is this? Blam! Blam! Blam! Thanks for killing me!

There are two female characters in the main novella. They both are married by the books end. They have one conversation together where they talk about the allure of the main character. (There's on more, but she's not really anyone.

Here's a quote: "Connie Duane stood in the doorway. They all turned at the sound of her voice. They all turned at the voice. Connie Duane stood in the door." How does that happen?

You could read this if you want, but there are better books out there. I'm sure there are better Louis L'Amour books out there, if you wanna escape into that sort of world.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three hard-bitten western cowboy adventure tales to tantalize and I was not disappointed when I slipped in my earbuds to listen in. The trio of stories are told by a new to me narrator, Lloyd James who did a fine job voicing the distinct characters and drawing me deeply into the stories.

Black Rock, Gamble of the KT, and Showdown Trail were all set in the Old West and among ranching communities, but they are as distinct as could be for the plotting and the cast of characters.

Black Rock had a man minding his own business after selling his cattle at the end of the trail by stopping in a saloon for a drink and getting mistaken for another man whose in the middle of a range war. Jim Gatlin gets riled up after people try to use him and push him around so he picks a side and wades in.

Gamble of the KT introduces a seventeen year old cowhand hero who went to town to buy boots and a saddle with his pay and the reward money he earned only to get suckered by a con artist. When he encounters the rotter again at a robber's hang-out out of the way town, Shandy shows his guns and fists aren't those of a gullible tenderfoot.

Showdown Trail brings a professional fighting man, Tom Kedrick, hired to boss a group of fighting men to drive out squatters from the land of a business group. Tom isn't there long before he's uneasy about the actual situation on the ground- and that was before his old family friend turns up being one of the would-be "squatters". Something isn't adding up with this government land deal or the situation so Tom tries to keep the pot from boiling over into war as he investigates and tries not to be caught between two fighting outfits.

All these were superb stories and I really enjoyed the surprise follow up notes on Louis L'Amour's life and writing career as a special extra.

Western Fiction that sucks the reader right into the place, time, and situation from the first sentence.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first Louis L’Amour book and I would read him again but this one fell short for me.

The first two stories were pretty good but the third, longer one was boring and had no tension. Multiple shallow and undeveloped characters made the story drag along too slowly.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok cowboy stories.

[Steve Martinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Mr. L'Amour's best, but not the worst, either. Trio of typical Western stories. If you're in the mood for some Western action, go with "Rider's Of The Purple Sage"; a true L'Amour classic.

[Steve Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Louie L’amour ever ... really enjoyable, looking forward to reading more!

[Nicholas Driscoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad likes these books and is always reading westerns, so I read this one (or rather listened to it) because I was hoping to talk with him about it. It was a free listen with my Audible subscription, and it's basically two short stories and a novella.

The first story is about a doppelganger arriving in town and causing a lot of chaos accidentally. You see, he looks just like this other fellow who the baddies of the tale want out of the way so as they can nab some valuable land. But when the doppelganger shows up, the baddies start fixing to kill the bloke, and yeehaw, the action's on!

The second story is really short and involves a young bloke who gets cheated out of 500 dollars by a nasty snake and so the bloke done goes and punches and shoots his way to his own kind of justice, pardner. For some reason, this'n might've been my fav'rit of the three.

The last tale was about a right skunk jonesin' for to boot some fine folk off of their own land, and to do that, he hires a posse--including our hero. Things don't go as planned, and there is a love triangle, and a psychotic gunman, and a mysterious ghost-like figure on a horse, and double crosses, and mysteries galore.

This book was read by Sean Pratt, who I previously mostly heard reading Timothy Keller books--basically Christian books. It was really weird for me to hear him read a bunch of western tales. The stories aren't really original or nothing, but they have plumb exciting action scenes and some right tough hombres fighting for the little man. I done had me a grand old time by the end, but took me some time to warm up to it.

[William Barrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having grown up in the West and constantly reading about its history, I love reading L'Amour because of his care for accuracy in his descriptions of cultural items and locations. Aside from that, he is a masterful story teller and keen observer of people and events. I had read "Showdown Trail" before (perhaps under a different title and as a stand-alone publication), but enjoyed reading it again even though I knew what to anticipate each turn of the page. With this kind of read I relax and take my mind off everything crowds into my life. Many scenes I associate with my own experience in walking Western trails and visiting historical sites and locations throughout the West. Saddle up and read.

[Bob Cantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cowboys

If the Old West wasn't like Louis L'Amour wrote about it more the shame. What I like is there are good guys and bad guys and sometimes there are men, who find themselves on the wrong side of a fight. However when that happens they can become good guys. The stories in this collection may seem to some people to too goody goody. But that is what makes them a joy to read. There is no guessing as to who the bad guys are. The main character is going to do what is right and proper. I do have one problem with these collections of stories and that is sometimes you will get some that you have already read, but that is ok. Even if you read a story before they still are a pleasure to read.

[RJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Rock – The man’s name was Jim Gatlin but certain townfolks believed him to be Jim Walker. A case of mistaken identity but potentially fatal for Gatlin. The Kerry Dunn outfit wanted Walker of the XY dead. Bill Trout, Segundo of the Flying-C braced Gatlin in the cafe, and Gatlin shot him dead. The exciting tale continues as Gatlin tries to figure out what is going on and why that man wanted to kill him. Then again, it’s probably best to “get out of Dodge”.
Gamble of the KT – Shandy Gamble was a good-hearted cowboy and feeling good. He had cash in his pocket thinking about a new bridle and some new clothes. Unfortunately, he ran into a confidence man that walked off with his cash. Someday he hoped to come across that man again. The wild tale continues with Shandy’s wish coming true. I liked it, a fun listen.
Showdown Trail (prior review posted)

[Elianastar · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first ever Louis L’Amour novel…

… but won’t be my last. Well written, great characters & storyline, entertaining. May be the first western of any kind I’ve read. Ever. My stepdad used to read Louis L’Amour all the time & read many of his novels more than once, so it is interesting I’ve never read any.

If you’re like me, you may want to consider adding a new genre to your reading list by trying at least one of this author’s novels… just for a change. 👍 By all accounts, Louis L’Amour is “best in class.”

[John Dudley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first two stories of this trio are outstanding, typical Louis L’amour fare, guns blazing, punches flying, everybody’s tough especially the main character. Love that stuff. The third story though was one of the least engaging L’amour stories I have read and is a total pass. So do one and two and have some fun and then use the rest of the book to prop up your lopsided table.

[Micheal Jimerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chivalric
I had forgotten how Louis L'Amour celebrated gender identities positively. Arguably, he may not spend enough time focusing on the tenacious character of frontier women. We see a chivalric view of manhood which demands service above self.
The four stars are because I found a plot twist near the end, a little too convenient pulling me out of the story.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book contains three shortish stories:
Dead Ringer
Gamble of the KT
and Showdown Trail

All three are hugely enjoyable as are all Louis L'Amour's stories.

[John Belcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time and Place for Your Mind and Soul

Louie LaAmours' writing will take you to another time and place within a paragraph with his skill of story telling. Whether it be other desert or in the mountains his descriptive writing will take you instantly. This is one of the very few books that I do not remember reading and so has been a true joy to read again.

[J.W. Grogan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the writing to be extremely dry. Out of the three short stories included, I'd say I enjoyed "Gamble of the KT" the most. I love a good Western; I guess I'm just not a fan of Louis L'Amour's storytelling or style, respectfully. I know he's beloved by many, but this was my first time reading his work and it deterred me from reading more of it.

[J.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun collection of western stories I didn't expect to enjoy as much as I did. This was my second L'Amour outing, and even though it was riddled with cliches ("you calling me a liar!?", etc) it was still fun outing.

[Tim Blackburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great escapism reading from the King of the Westerns. Two short stories and a novel are included in this anthology. Easy to tell the bad guys from the good guys while truth, justice, and the codes of the West are observed. Good stuff in this collection.

[Pam Hurd · Rating 3 out of 5]

L'mour was my mom's and uncle's favorite. Not sure it survives so well with the passage of time. I had to continue to remind myself often that attitudes were just different then. My guess is this was a fairly good example of the western genre during this period of time.

[Rick Farlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

CHIRP AUDIOBOOK

Classic Louis L’Amour… Action, Gunplay, Murder, Mystery and a Range war. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this one and the audio narration by Lloyd James was excellent. If you like westerns, this one is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

[Chad Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a L’Amour book I hadn’t read. The first couple of stories were short and the third could have been a book of its orange. I liked it the best. All them follow the same general pattern of his work that never fails to entertain. These are some of his earlier works and they are fun to read.

[Sawanna Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book gets its title from the first story, which is the shortest one in the collection.

[Lyndon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this trio of stories - two short stories and a novella. Solid storytelling as usual from L'Amour. If you're a fan of his, this will be par for the course, which means well done as usual.

[Brady Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story but too many characters to keep up with.