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The Proving Trail
They tried to tell him that his father had killed himself, but Kearney McRaven knew better. No matter what life had dealt him, his father would go down fighting. And as he delved deeper into the mystery, he learned that just before his father died, the elder McRaven had experienced a remarkable run of luck: he’d won nearly ten thousand dollars and the deed to a cattle ranch.
Not yet eighteen, Kearney was determined enough to track down his father’s murderer and claim what was rightfully his. Now, followed every step of the way by a shadowy figure, Kearney must solve the mystery of his father’s hidden past—a past that concealed a cold-blooded killer who would stop at nothing to keep a chilling secret.
Not yet eighteen, Kearney was determined enough to track down his father’s murderer and claim what was rightfully his. Now, followed every step of the way by a shadowy figure, Kearney must solve the mystery of his father’s hidden past—a past that concealed a cold-blooded killer who would stop at nothing to keep a chilling secret.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1979
305 people are currently reading
776 people want to read
About the author
Louis L'Amour
995 books3,463 followersLouis 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".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
August 18, 2020
The Proving Trail follows the adventures of Kearney McRaven a young boy whose father is shot in the back after winning a large sum of money in a poker game.
The story follows how Kearney tries to discover who his father was and why he was murdered. It’s a fast paced story as Kearney finds out he comes from a
very wealthy family, who murdered Kearney's father, not knowing that he had a son Kearney. The reason for the murder is a large inheritance of a South Carolina plantation and other properties.
Mr. L'Amour incorporated all kinds of actions, poisons, gun fights, beatings, possible cannibalism and Kearney’s insane family trying to kill him. Kearney is constantly running from the Yant's his violent criminally insane branch of the family who try to unsuccessfully kill him many times loved. He is a very lucky 17 year old with a brother called Pistol.
A bit far fetched in places but I loved the author based the scenery and towns on real places. The Hotel de Paris is still in Georgetown, Silverton has a tourist train to Durango and there even was a Walter Baron von Richthofen am uncle of the famous WW1 flyer.
The story follows how Kearney tries to discover who his father was and why he was murdered. It’s a fast paced story as Kearney finds out he comes from a
very wealthy family, who murdered Kearney's father, not knowing that he had a son Kearney. The reason for the murder is a large inheritance of a South Carolina plantation and other properties.
Mr. L'Amour incorporated all kinds of actions, poisons, gun fights, beatings, possible cannibalism and Kearney’s insane family trying to kill him. Kearney is constantly running from the Yant's his violent criminally insane branch of the family who try to unsuccessfully kill him many times loved. He is a very lucky 17 year old with a brother called Pistol.
A bit far fetched in places but I loved the author based the scenery and towns on real places. The Hotel de Paris is still in Georgetown, Silverton has a tourist train to Durango and there even was a Walter Baron von Richthofen am uncle of the famous WW1 flyer.
August 7, 2014
This is the best Louis L'Amour audiobook I've listened to, and the main reason, besides a stellar story as always, is the reader: Michael Crouch. It was the perfect fit of voice to character. I recommend this book for eight hours of great entertainment.
April 3, 2012
I have to admit that I probably rate Louis L'Amour books a little higher than I should. He was my father's favorite author and I've made a pledge to myself to read all of his books in tribute to my father. That said, I did enjoy this story of a young man ... left an orphan by the killing of his father on the night that his father won a fortune at a saloon card game. It turns out that our 17-year old hero is heir to a Carolina fortune in land, property and money ... but there are many evil cousins looking to kill her before he can take control of his inheritance.
We watch the hero as he grows into his manhood while avoiding the evil ones and learning more and more each day about his father ... who he had taken for granted as a youth.
I can see why my father loves these books. My dad was brought up in Oklahoma and he had family members who were cowboys and loved horses and such. These books give him a glimpse of those times ... although he would acknowledge the reality would be much different for a Black man in those days. L'Amour books usually show a powerful link between a father (often lost or dead) and his son. I like to think that my Dad thought of me and my brother as he read these books. I know that I think of my 12-year old son as I read L'Amour books.
Anyhow, I recommend this for any of you that enjoy westerns (in general) or Louis L'Amour (in particular).
RIP Dad...
We watch the hero as he grows into his manhood while avoiding the evil ones and learning more and more each day about his father ... who he had taken for granted as a youth.
I can see why my father loves these books. My dad was brought up in Oklahoma and he had family members who were cowboys and loved horses and such. These books give him a glimpse of those times ... although he would acknowledge the reality would be much different for a Black man in those days. L'Amour books usually show a powerful link between a father (often lost or dead) and his son. I like to think that my Dad thought of me and my brother as he read these books. I know that I think of my 12-year old son as I read L'Amour books.
Anyhow, I recommend this for any of you that enjoy westerns (in general) or Louis L'Amour (in particular).
RIP Dad...
August 2, 2020
A guy wanders around being obsessed with his dead pa and bumbling into every trap all of his enemies set for him.
This one didn't really do it for me.
This one didn't really do it for me.
February 1, 2020
Fast paced reading, engaging story, and the good guy triumphs. A great western read, an easy recommendation.
July 10, 2012
I am 41 weeks pregnant and can barely move and on top of that suffering from vertigo and medication that basically knocks me out. So, while I am not a big fan of westerns in general, I was desperate for something that could keep my attention while I wallowed in my bathtub like the hippo I feel like. This was that book that someone had left at my house. So, I didn't really buy the coming of age part after the first few chapters where the character can't figure out what is going on and acts goofy in front of girls, he starts having uncanny flashbacks of detailed childhood scenes that he had never before remembered and from there he transforms immediately into a weathered, experienced cowpoke who thinks nothing of shooting down a man in a gunfight (as long as he started it). But aside from that and the fact that all the women in this book were shown in the same vein as the Indians in the other L'amour book I read (plot devices of purest confounding evil or most innocent sweet cleverness), it was quite enjoyable for what it was. The mystery unfolds at a good pace, the characters are compelling if not so believable, and the whole 'western' thing is well executed. I don't regret it.
January 6, 2017
This book is awesome. I guess lately I have been reading all of Louis L'Amour's best books, cause this one is going on my favorite of Louis L'Amour list. :D :) Kearney is awesome, his last name is awesome to McRaven. I mean how cool of a last name is that! ;) Lots of action and adventure, which is my favorite. :D And I say that all the time. ;) I would recommend it to ages 13-14-up.
January 14, 2021
Kearny McRaven was told that his father had committed suicide after losing a fortune that wasn't his. Kearny doesn't believe the story and sets out to recover the money in question and hunt down his father's killer. Along the way he learns about the senior McRaven's mysterious past as distant family tries to kill him.
September 17, 2023
Kearney McRaven returns to town after tending some cattle all winter in the high country to learn his father has been murdered, shot in the back of the head after winning big at the poker table. He goes to retrieve his father’s belongings at the sheriff’s office only to find the sheriff has stolen the winnings. He retrieves them as well, but then the sheriff takes after him, catching him in a cabin in the high country. Kearney escapes.
He is alone in the world or so he thinks. He had lived with his father since he was four years old. He is now seventeen. He slowly learns that he does have family, distant cousins who want his inheritance.
Thus begins a chase across the West. Kearney does not know who he can trust. He does not know at first who wants to kill him. He is betrayed several times but finds a few allies along the way.
This was a good read. A bit longer than other L’Amour books I have read so far. I do not know how his evil relatives have the resources to chase him for so long given they so desperately want his inheritance.
He is alone in the world or so he thinks. He had lived with his father since he was four years old. He is now seventeen. He slowly learns that he does have family, distant cousins who want his inheritance.
Thus begins a chase across the West. Kearney does not know who he can trust. He does not know at first who wants to kill him. He is betrayed several times but finds a few allies along the way.
This was a good read. A bit longer than other L’Amour books I have read so far. I do not know how his evil relatives have the resources to chase him for so long given they so desperately want his inheritance.
August 15, 2025
The young narrator of this tale leaves his job herding cattle to find his father, and learns that his father was murdered after a night of successful gambling.
He was robbed, but then his son realizes that the man who robbed him had found him dead. And he begins to realize something about their own wandering life, where his father went from place to place even when he had to leave a place with a good job.
Adventure through the Wild West, with mystery and a -- well, a touch of Gothic. No mysterious mansion to be sure, but the mysteries of his family unravel along with the rest.
Language is a bit uneven for the character, and a few anachronistic usages grate.
He was robbed, but then his son realizes that the man who robbed him had found him dead. And he begins to realize something about their own wandering life, where his father went from place to place even when he had to leave a place with a good job.
Adventure through the Wild West, with mystery and a -- well, a touch of Gothic. No mysterious mansion to be sure, but the mysteries of his family unravel along with the rest.
Language is a bit uneven for the character, and a few anachronistic usages grate.
August 7, 2025
Wanted to get into reading Louis L’amour and was not disappointed! Such a great build up, but for me a bit lack luster ending. Overall kept me so engaged, going to read another L’amour soon!
October 10, 2018
The book I read is called THE PROVING TRAIL. The author is Louis L’Amour. The setting in the Wild West, in a town called Silverton. The main character is called Kearney McRaven. I found this book because my friend blake recommended it because I like western books.
The main conflict is that young Kearney is being hunted while he is hunting his fathers killer. He soon finds a strange man that seems to follow him around called Felix Yant. He soon finds out that he knows more about him than what he knows . And helps him on the search for his fathers killer, who was shot while gambling.
I think that the book had an ok ending. I think it could of been better because it wasn’t as exciting. My favorite part is when Kearney is pinned on side of the mountain and is in a shoot out with some gang members that’s he ran into. He ends up killing 2 and was able to get away.
I think that this was a good book. Some similar books would have to be about the cowboy days. I think that this would be a good book for people who like to read about the Wild West or any type of cowboy books.
The main conflict is that young Kearney is being hunted while he is hunting his fathers killer. He soon finds a strange man that seems to follow him around called Felix Yant. He soon finds out that he knows more about him than what he knows . And helps him on the search for his fathers killer, who was shot while gambling.
I think that the book had an ok ending. I think it could of been better because it wasn’t as exciting. My favorite part is when Kearney is pinned on side of the mountain and is in a shoot out with some gang members that’s he ran into. He ends up killing 2 and was able to get away.
I think that this was a good book. Some similar books would have to be about the cowboy days. I think that this would be a good book for people who like to read about the Wild West or any type of cowboy books.
April 19, 2024
Good ol western
December 6, 2013
This was an exciting read! I have been on a Louis L'Amour kick for the past month, but keep selecting the average novels and skipping over the really good ones. This is one of the really good ones. The main plot is a 17 year old is up in the mountains with the cows. He comes into town to find that his father has been murdered and that the murder is now stalking him. The 17 year old is trying to piece together why his father was killed all while trying to not get killed as well. There was plenty of action, but also plot development and character development. Definitely a good read.
July 6, 2017
A good coming-of-age story set in the old West. The main character, Carney McRaven, must overcome many obstacles, including his father's death, a near-death beating, and his extended family's attempts to kill him. This book is longer than most Louia L'Amour stories I've read, but was still a very readable Western.
August 19, 2019
The main character is just a boy when the story starts. His father is murdered and the story becomes a whodunit. A young man with character goes out to solve his father's murder and the discoveries are somewhat unpredictable. This is slightly different than most L'Amour books.
December 23, 2008
Good one.
November 7, 2016
Always like Louis L'Amour!
January 29, 2019
KEARNEY MCRAVEN'S QUEST
Kearney McRaven a young boy following his father all over the West. Whatever town the stopped in, they never planted any roots. This is an adventure of a very wealthy family, who poisoned Kearney's father, not knowing that he had a son Kearney. Involved in this dark corruption of humanity is an inheritance of a South Carolina plantation and other properties abroad. Kearney and his father led a nomadic lifestyle, but his father constantly gambling hoping to get enough winnings to buy a ranch, so that at least they would a place of their own.
Mr. L'Amour, the author, incorporated all kinds of actions, poisons which the other kin-folks dealt to both Kearney and father. There's action on each page and through out each chapter. Kearney constantly running from the Yant's a violent criminally insane family who loved to kill. The Yant's were described as a multi racial, that was thru Kearney's grandfather, who was also a seaman who sailed the seas, and one of those stops was Haiti, where he married a woman who had Carib Indian blood and other blood lines that she was known as a practitioner of the"black arts"
his grandfather became sick and died of some unknown malady..scary scary..makes the hairs on your neck stand up.
This is fast moving plot, it also explores the hardships a young man who is now an orphan. So many people helped him along the way as he tried to make his way to South Carolina..tenacity that Kearney shows as he and his Roan fight and survive the elements Mother Nature throws at him as travels the Rocky Mountains and others that Mr. L'Amour points out. Kearney didn't use a map, but had crossed these different mountains with his father. Old timers took a liking to Kearney and helped him all they could..life wasn't easy..people tried cheating Kearney out of his father's winnings, beating almost to death..
Everyone whose ever read Louis L'Amour, knows he is a prolific writer of the West and other places. An enjoyable time, don't forget ride easy everyone..
Kearney McRaven a young boy following his father all over the West. Whatever town the stopped in, they never planted any roots. This is an adventure of a very wealthy family, who poisoned Kearney's father, not knowing that he had a son Kearney. Involved in this dark corruption of humanity is an inheritance of a South Carolina plantation and other properties abroad. Kearney and his father led a nomadic lifestyle, but his father constantly gambling hoping to get enough winnings to buy a ranch, so that at least they would a place of their own.
Mr. L'Amour, the author, incorporated all kinds of actions, poisons which the other kin-folks dealt to both Kearney and father. There's action on each page and through out each chapter. Kearney constantly running from the Yant's a violent criminally insane family who loved to kill. The Yant's were described as a multi racial, that was thru Kearney's grandfather, who was also a seaman who sailed the seas, and one of those stops was Haiti, where he married a woman who had Carib Indian blood and other blood lines that she was known as a practitioner of the"black arts"
his grandfather became sick and died of some unknown malady..scary scary..makes the hairs on your neck stand up.
This is fast moving plot, it also explores the hardships a young man who is now an orphan. So many people helped him along the way as he tried to make his way to South Carolina..tenacity that Kearney shows as he and his Roan fight and survive the elements Mother Nature throws at him as travels the Rocky Mountains and others that Mr. L'Amour points out. Kearney didn't use a map, but had crossed these different mountains with his father. Old timers took a liking to Kearney and helped him all they could..life wasn't easy..people tried cheating Kearney out of his father's winnings, beating almost to death..
Everyone whose ever read Louis L'Amour, knows he is a prolific writer of the West and other places. An enjoyable time, don't forget ride easy everyone..
February 9, 2021
This is a very entertaining story. With a hero's name like Kearney McRaven, how can anything go wrong in an old west narrative? KM learns that his father died. Literally, as he rode into town. At such a young age, 17, KM is now left out to find his own way. To make matters worse, even his much older brother, Pistol, has decided to move on and leave KM to his own wits, as he moves on to a life as an outlaw.
Fortunatley, his father has taught him well and how to handle real life situations. Very soon, he finds himself getting chased by bad hombres. Starting with the local judge. The judge and his cabal beat the bejesus out of him before he escapes from that situation. After a few weeks, he rides back into town, only to realize that he is getting chased by a Felix Yant, and his posse, which includes a femme fatale. The rest of the tale lays out the constant flight that our hero endures in staying alive and working our his future without his father. Or brother. In addition, KM meets Laurie, a local town girl that captures KM's interest and he dreams of making a life together with Laurie in a cattle ranch on the western slope of the Rockies....once he can get away from the tale's villains.
He gets shot at, attacked, even attempted poisoning by the femme fatale. In the end, we find out that the bad guys are trying to rub out KM because they gain a lot from his father's family estate. Lesson Learned: always follow the money.
In the end, KM decides to stop running and stand his ground against the perpetrators. He has a final gun battle with Felix. But the clincher.....he gets "a little help from his friends", in the form of his brother Pistol who shows up in the last minute to help his little brother out of a bad situation. Very much like the Hans Solo character in Star Wars. Hmmm.
Fortunatley, his father has taught him well and how to handle real life situations. Very soon, he finds himself getting chased by bad hombres. Starting with the local judge. The judge and his cabal beat the bejesus out of him before he escapes from that situation. After a few weeks, he rides back into town, only to realize that he is getting chased by a Felix Yant, and his posse, which includes a femme fatale. The rest of the tale lays out the constant flight that our hero endures in staying alive and working our his future without his father. Or brother. In addition, KM meets Laurie, a local town girl that captures KM's interest and he dreams of making a life together with Laurie in a cattle ranch on the western slope of the Rockies....once he can get away from the tale's villains.
He gets shot at, attacked, even attempted poisoning by the femme fatale. In the end, we find out that the bad guys are trying to rub out KM because they gain a lot from his father's family estate. Lesson Learned: always follow the money.
In the end, KM decides to stop running and stand his ground against the perpetrators. He has a final gun battle with Felix. But the clincher.....he gets "a little help from his friends", in the form of his brother Pistol who shows up in the last minute to help his little brother out of a bad situation. Very much like the Hans Solo character in Star Wars. Hmmm.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2025
"The Proving Trail" was the first Louis L'Amour book I have read in a very, very long time. It's been at least 35 years, I'm sure. This book caught my attention right away. The main character is a young man of only 17 years, Kearney McRaven. Unfortunately, for young Mr. McRaven his dad has just been killed during a poker game. Kearney tracks down the local judge and claims his dad's considerable amount of cash and deeds to land. The judge reluctantly hands these items over to Kearney who is the rightful heir. Kearney is young, but shrewd enough to know this won't be the last time he has to showdown the crooked judge. He quickly hides the money and deeds and returns to his dad's cabin to pack and hit the trail. There is met by several area thugs who give him a severe beating in an attempt to steal his cache. Kearney manages to escape with his life and hits the trail on a very cold and snowy morning.
The chase is on! The thugs follow Kearney from town to town. But who are they really? What connection to they have to his dad and the land that Kearney now has claim to?
This book was loaded with action. Many gunfights and slugfests take place along the Proving Trail before Kearney is finally freed from the clutches of evil. He also meets some good folk along the way, including a special young lady who befriends and helps him.
I highly-recommend this book to anyone who enjoys action-packed Western adventures. Saddle up for a rough, but engaging ride through the rugged old West!
The chase is on! The thugs follow Kearney from town to town. But who are they really? What connection to they have to his dad and the land that Kearney now has claim to?
This book was loaded with action. Many gunfights and slugfests take place along the Proving Trail before Kearney is finally freed from the clutches of evil. He also meets some good folk along the way, including a special young lady who befriends and helps him.
I highly-recommend this book to anyone who enjoys action-packed Western adventures. Saddle up for a rough, but engaging ride through the rugged old West!
August 1, 2018
This is one of Louis L'amour's longer and better fleshed out novels-he has a reputation for just kind of banging stories out without a lot of character development, but this one he puts more effort into.
It's a kind of dynastic coming of age story wherein our hero overcomes the death of his not always very well respected dad while facing off with his evil feuding relatives set against the backdrop of the open country of the old west. One of the sneakier aspects of L'amour's writing is that the places, events and people he references did actually exist. Mesa de Maya, the hotel de paris, and french louie (Louis Dupuy ) all were real things and it's entirely worth your time to poke aroud on the interenet and get the backstory to the story. I'm consistently amaze that Louis L'amour never gets credit for these adds. They are not particularly well known history wise, and yet the add scope to his novels that otherwise would not be there.
Anyway this is a growing up coming of age with family issues and overcoming all obstacles (with some violence six gun or otherwise) while being smart and most importantly getting the girl.
This would be a great first book for this genre, but if not it's still a decent casual read.
It's a kind of dynastic coming of age story wherein our hero overcomes the death of his not always very well respected dad while facing off with his evil feuding relatives set against the backdrop of the open country of the old west. One of the sneakier aspects of L'amour's writing is that the places, events and people he references did actually exist. Mesa de Maya, the hotel de paris, and french louie (Louis Dupuy ) all were real things and it's entirely worth your time to poke aroud on the interenet and get the backstory to the story. I'm consistently amaze that Louis L'amour never gets credit for these adds. They are not particularly well known history wise, and yet the add scope to his novels that otherwise would not be there.
Anyway this is a growing up coming of age with family issues and overcoming all obstacles (with some violence six gun or otherwise) while being smart and most importantly getting the girl.
This would be a great first book for this genre, but if not it's still a decent casual read.
March 26, 2021
I have to say this story isn't like the other Louis L'Amour's that I've read. At the risk of trying to out-think the author, I think he was perhaps trying to make the point that good things happen when good people help each other.
Kearney has lived a hand-to-mouth life, complicated by his father's efforts to be a successful gambler. In the rough world of the old West, this often means taking whatever job he can get, including being hired out by his father to tend a herd of cattle in a remote mountain area where a mistake can be fatal.
Upon returning to town, Kearney discovers his father is dead. Nothing adds up until he hears a rumor that his father died "winners."
Throughout the course of the story, Kearney is beaten, shot, chased across country, betrayed, and discovers distant relatives who would cheerfully kill him. Well, not cheerfully, they seem pretty devoid of emotion.
He also discovers good people all along his trail who are willing to help. Thanks to that and a heaping helping of good luck, there is a happy ending.
The story lacked something, though. Either that or it leans heavily on the basic truth that if we scratch the surface of people, we'll usually find a lot more than we expected to.
Kearney has lived a hand-to-mouth life, complicated by his father's efforts to be a successful gambler. In the rough world of the old West, this often means taking whatever job he can get, including being hired out by his father to tend a herd of cattle in a remote mountain area where a mistake can be fatal.
Upon returning to town, Kearney discovers his father is dead. Nothing adds up until he hears a rumor that his father died "winners."
Throughout the course of the story, Kearney is beaten, shot, chased across country, betrayed, and discovers distant relatives who would cheerfully kill him. Well, not cheerfully, they seem pretty devoid of emotion.
He also discovers good people all along his trail who are willing to help. Thanks to that and a heaping helping of good luck, there is a happy ending.
The story lacked something, though. Either that or it leans heavily on the basic truth that if we scratch the surface of people, we'll usually find a lot more than we expected to.
March 2, 2025
finished 2nd march 2025 good read three stars i liked it nothing less nothing more kindle library loaner have read more than two dozen from l'amour enjoyed each one this one no less. more than a few of them have a like-kind exchange of storyline nothing wrong with that and maybe it would pay future readers or people who enjoy variation to make note. this is a story with a bit of variation...as was the last one i read The Iron Marshall and even many of his better-known stories if there is such a thing are a joy to read though the storyline has been well trod...if we're to stay on the trail...hi ho hi ho! and! no freaking politics...no crying over his narcotics world-reknown writer lamenting that some people refuse to wear a mask or some other sinful deed and even if they cloaked their words in religion their faithful would rejoice sitting at the right hand of the throne of the mighty and righteous as they do. i'm on another already and i've no doubt i'll enjoy it
March 8, 2009
“Roland, what is happening?” Mother demanded, smoothing a hand over Gwennie’s hair (I noticed Gwen’s wince though mother did not).
“Something hit our wagon, hard,” I answered, staring out the back of the wagon and seeing nothing but the ubiquitous red dust clouds. The intermittent pops of rifle shots sounded far away here in the wagon. Had she not been injured I’m sure Mother would have already been out and shooting at whatever it was that moved the wagon.
“I’m going to look,” I announced. Though Pa had bade me stay, I couldn’t “cower once more behind my door/ when wolves howled at gibbous moon/ and danger came too soon.” (I’m loathe to quote so popular a play, but I enjoy its earnest themes and it was performed so many times during our journey to New Canaan that I grew up learning its lines. But, since I was born on ship, I’ve never actually heard what a wolf howl sounds like. I imagine Mother at her angriest!)
“Wait!” Mother commanded and I prepared to argue even as the Pop! Pop! Pop! of rifles were arguments in favor of her one-word warning. She produced a pistol from somewhere in her skirts and, for one exciting moment, I thought she was going to hand it to me. I reached out to take it and she swatted away my hand.
“Really, Roland Jefferson, you are much too young for a pistol!” She laughed and I felt my face burn, but, unlike some, I can control my emotions so I didn’t argue or cry. Besides, she didn’t know she wasn’t right about that.
“Gwennie, stay here,” Mother said. “Come on, then, brave Sherriff Roland.”
I sighed, but at least I got to follow. I’m sure she didn’t mean to embarrass me all the time and it was difficult not to admire her own bravery. “’Possessed of Pioneer Spirit/ our race thought long atrophied,’” Father toasted her on the occasion of her fortieth year (the quote was also from that play). Even with her broken leg—one of the shrieks in the night so recognizably hers it had filled me with terror—she emerged from behind the coward’s door. Even if I was following my mother, I felt a little pride at adventuring into unknown danger.
Mother, ineffectually, waved the pistol like a hand fan at the ever-present dust. A Pop! drew our attention to a knot of men perhaps a hundred meters off track—and to the unmoving creature they surrounded. Crossing the distance, I could see that Pa’s “monster” was not unlike the American Bison I’d encountered in our school’s encyclopedia archive. The beast’s coarse, long hair was the maroon of the barren soil; it had no horns and wide, paddle shaped feet instead of hooves, but the resemblance was otherwise remarkable.
Pa’s sideways glance at me was sharp until he caught sight of Mother and quickly assumed a subordinate pose. I’m afraid I smirked a bit, pleased with myself for disobeying. Father caught my look and beckoned me closer. When I reached his side, he raised his pistol to the beast’s head and fired. Pop!
“You okay?” Father asked.
“Fine, Father,” I answered, pleased he hadn’t ordered me back to the wagon and even more that I had seen my Father dispatch the beast with a final bullet. I’d heard Uncle Samuel complain about Father’s sensitivity many a time and everyone knew that was a euphemism for weakness. It was unfortunate Uncle Samuel had traveled to the capital ahead of the caravan: if he could have seen Father in action! Sure, Father is kinder to our servants than most and would lecture when others would whip but that didn’t make him weak. The strength to be kind to inferiors makes a man, he’d say. Mother would snort, but she, strangely, stayed quiet on his methods of teaching the servants lessons. Of course, many a Pa’s misdeed forgiven by Father fell under her jurisprudence when he left, with punishment administered by Uncle Samuel.
A thought occurs to me: this was Mother’s way, then, of silently agreeing with Uncle about Father’s weakness. That she of so many words and aphorisms could employ silent manipulation surprised me. I had always thought Father the enigma; that if only I could cross the distance of his apartness as easily as walking into another room I might understand him better. Not that Mother is simple, of course. Where was I?
A hacking retch drew my attention from admiring my Father’s work: Pa was vomiting and most of the men began to laugh. I smirked a bit more, for I was not similarly affected. Though I suppose it was sad that this wayward creature had found its fate after having the ill luck to cross paths with our wagon. Maybe it wasn’t fair, either, since Pa’s people were vegetarian and unused to dead beasts. I eased around some of the men and put a hand on Pa’s back.
“You okay?” I asked but he didn’t answer, just showed his flat teeth, lips pulled back. His pupils were impossibly small—an evolutionary trait developed for such a bright desert land as I’d learned in school.
“Prolly a cousin o’ his,” one of the bearded men said, prompting many a hearty guffaw. Mother’s smirk outclassed mine, Father frowned, and Pa was suddenly very still.
“Let’s move,” Father said, and the men fell in behind their caravan leader. Returning to our wagon, they checked for damage and to ensure it was still on track. Pa pulled me aside.
“Roland,” he said. It was cheek to call me anything but Master, usually, but Pa looked so grave I didn’t correct him.
“Yes?”
“I am very fond of you and your sister, you realize?”
“Yes, we are fond of you as well,” I answered. He’d lost his mate and two little ones—or was it three?—during The Arrival. I suppose we were a surrogate family for him.
“The person out there-“
“What person?” I interrupted.
“You say ‘beast’, correct?” I nodded and he went on. “That beast may have caused the wagon’s lurch but it was running scared. I have seen many others flying across the desert. They flee, I think, what we might call ‘monster.’ If it catches us, we may not be lucky enough to live to see the village of Harpers.”
go to "Silver Canyon"
“Something hit our wagon, hard,” I answered, staring out the back of the wagon and seeing nothing but the ubiquitous red dust clouds. The intermittent pops of rifle shots sounded far away here in the wagon. Had she not been injured I’m sure Mother would have already been out and shooting at whatever it was that moved the wagon.
“I’m going to look,” I announced. Though Pa had bade me stay, I couldn’t “cower once more behind my door/ when wolves howled at gibbous moon/ and danger came too soon.” (I’m loathe to quote so popular a play, but I enjoy its earnest themes and it was performed so many times during our journey to New Canaan that I grew up learning its lines. But, since I was born on ship, I’ve never actually heard what a wolf howl sounds like. I imagine Mother at her angriest!)
“Wait!” Mother commanded and I prepared to argue even as the Pop! Pop! Pop! of rifles were arguments in favor of her one-word warning. She produced a pistol from somewhere in her skirts and, for one exciting moment, I thought she was going to hand it to me. I reached out to take it and she swatted away my hand.
“Really, Roland Jefferson, you are much too young for a pistol!” She laughed and I felt my face burn, but, unlike some, I can control my emotions so I didn’t argue or cry. Besides, she didn’t know she wasn’t right about that.
“Gwennie, stay here,” Mother said. “Come on, then, brave Sherriff Roland.”
I sighed, but at least I got to follow. I’m sure she didn’t mean to embarrass me all the time and it was difficult not to admire her own bravery. “’Possessed of Pioneer Spirit/ our race thought long atrophied,’” Father toasted her on the occasion of her fortieth year (the quote was also from that play). Even with her broken leg—one of the shrieks in the night so recognizably hers it had filled me with terror—she emerged from behind the coward’s door. Even if I was following my mother, I felt a little pride at adventuring into unknown danger.
Mother, ineffectually, waved the pistol like a hand fan at the ever-present dust. A Pop! drew our attention to a knot of men perhaps a hundred meters off track—and to the unmoving creature they surrounded. Crossing the distance, I could see that Pa’s “monster” was not unlike the American Bison I’d encountered in our school’s encyclopedia archive. The beast’s coarse, long hair was the maroon of the barren soil; it had no horns and wide, paddle shaped feet instead of hooves, but the resemblance was otherwise remarkable.
Pa’s sideways glance at me was sharp until he caught sight of Mother and quickly assumed a subordinate pose. I’m afraid I smirked a bit, pleased with myself for disobeying. Father caught my look and beckoned me closer. When I reached his side, he raised his pistol to the beast’s head and fired. Pop!
“You okay?” Father asked.
“Fine, Father,” I answered, pleased he hadn’t ordered me back to the wagon and even more that I had seen my Father dispatch the beast with a final bullet. I’d heard Uncle Samuel complain about Father’s sensitivity many a time and everyone knew that was a euphemism for weakness. It was unfortunate Uncle Samuel had traveled to the capital ahead of the caravan: if he could have seen Father in action! Sure, Father is kinder to our servants than most and would lecture when others would whip but that didn’t make him weak. The strength to be kind to inferiors makes a man, he’d say. Mother would snort, but she, strangely, stayed quiet on his methods of teaching the servants lessons. Of course, many a Pa’s misdeed forgiven by Father fell under her jurisprudence when he left, with punishment administered by Uncle Samuel.
A thought occurs to me: this was Mother’s way, then, of silently agreeing with Uncle about Father’s weakness. That she of so many words and aphorisms could employ silent manipulation surprised me. I had always thought Father the enigma; that if only I could cross the distance of his apartness as easily as walking into another room I might understand him better. Not that Mother is simple, of course. Where was I?
A hacking retch drew my attention from admiring my Father’s work: Pa was vomiting and most of the men began to laugh. I smirked a bit more, for I was not similarly affected. Though I suppose it was sad that this wayward creature had found its fate after having the ill luck to cross paths with our wagon. Maybe it wasn’t fair, either, since Pa’s people were vegetarian and unused to dead beasts. I eased around some of the men and put a hand on Pa’s back.
“You okay?” I asked but he didn’t answer, just showed his flat teeth, lips pulled back. His pupils were impossibly small—an evolutionary trait developed for such a bright desert land as I’d learned in school.
“Prolly a cousin o’ his,” one of the bearded men said, prompting many a hearty guffaw. Mother’s smirk outclassed mine, Father frowned, and Pa was suddenly very still.
“Let’s move,” Father said, and the men fell in behind their caravan leader. Returning to our wagon, they checked for damage and to ensure it was still on track. Pa pulled me aside.
“Roland,” he said. It was cheek to call me anything but Master, usually, but Pa looked so grave I didn’t correct him.
“Yes?”
“I am very fond of you and your sister, you realize?”
“Yes, we are fond of you as well,” I answered. He’d lost his mate and two little ones—or was it three?—during The Arrival. I suppose we were a surrogate family for him.
“The person out there-“
“What person?” I interrupted.
“You say ‘beast’, correct?” I nodded and he went on. “That beast may have caused the wagon’s lurch but it was running scared. I have seen many others flying across the desert. They flee, I think, what we might call ‘monster.’ If it catches us, we may not be lucky enough to live to see the village of Harpers.”
go to "Silver Canyon"
August 23, 2019
A boy, becoming the man he will be.
His father dying under mysterious circumstance.
Kearney McRaven learns his father had money, when he died. Now gone.
This the first step, in discovering.
Who his father was. Who he himself is.
As well as the inheritance rightly his due back east.
That a dangerous branch of the family.
Wants to kill him for. To gain for themselves.
Not sure of who is against him.
He must put the pieces together. If he is to survive their schemes.
A nice change of pace. As characters come into his life.
That will either aid or hinder his quest.
Decent wrap up. Yet single thing that kept it from 5 star for me.
I know helps build and keep suspense.
Yet trail savvy as he is. Telling nobody his places to go.
Every town or destination he arrives at.
The enemies are either already there ahead of him or coming in right behind him.
They may be good, but this simply got old.
As well as not very likely to happen.
Other than that. This is a very fine read. Keeps you turning pages.
His father dying under mysterious circumstance.
Kearney McRaven learns his father had money, when he died. Now gone.
This the first step, in discovering.
Who his father was. Who he himself is.
As well as the inheritance rightly his due back east.
That a dangerous branch of the family.
Wants to kill him for. To gain for themselves.
Not sure of who is against him.
He must put the pieces together. If he is to survive their schemes.
A nice change of pace. As characters come into his life.
That will either aid or hinder his quest.
Decent wrap up. Yet single thing that kept it from 5 star for me.
I know helps build and keep suspense.
Yet trail savvy as he is. Telling nobody his places to go.
Every town or destination he arrives at.
The enemies are either already there ahead of him or coming in right behind him.
They may be good, but this simply got old.
As well as not very likely to happen.
Other than that. This is a very fine read. Keeps you turning pages.
March 29, 2023
I'd only read this book once before. I won't make that mistake again. L'Amour catches the reader right from the start, and keeps the action moving nicely.
Young Kearny McRaven had been babysitting a herd of cows in a high valley and brings them down at the end of winter to the owner. He collects his wages and heads into town to meet his father. Once there he finds out that his father was killed execution style with a bullet to the back of the head. Before he knows it, he's having to deal with a dishonest judge, and men in long black coats dogging his every step. Before he knows it, he's caught up in an generations old family feud with family he didn't even know he had.
As I mentioned this books is pace beautifully: action, intrigue, mystery, horses, guns and the magnificent western lands. As always, the land here is a character in the story itself. Thoroughly enjoyed it and I will be re-reading it.
Young Kearny McRaven had been babysitting a herd of cows in a high valley and brings them down at the end of winter to the owner. He collects his wages and heads into town to meet his father. Once there he finds out that his father was killed execution style with a bullet to the back of the head. Before he knows it, he's having to deal with a dishonest judge, and men in long black coats dogging his every step. Before he knows it, he's caught up in an generations old family feud with family he didn't even know he had.
As I mentioned this books is pace beautifully: action, intrigue, mystery, horses, guns and the magnificent western lands. As always, the land here is a character in the story itself. Thoroughly enjoyed it and I will be re-reading it.
January 4, 2021
L’Amour is a very fun storyteller, and knows how to keep things moving. This story is no exception, which is essentially a tense chase scene from start to finish. However, the book suffers from too many chance encounters, as if the western towns all sit on a narrow path where everyone comes into contact with each other regardless of time or place. The main protagonist is written to be a teenage loner who doesn’t trust anybody as he is being doggedly pursued. And yet he seems equally adept at living off the land (believable) as he is commanding a roomful of adult strangers (not so believable). There are encounters in the book where the character is reasonably tight-lipped to those he doesn’t know, and others where he inexplicably shares his predicament at the drop of a hat. Still, it’s a rollicking tale and goes by at the pace of a strapping roan.
November 10, 2017
They tried to tell him that his father had killed himself, but Kearney McRaven knew better. No matter what life had dealt him, his father would go down fighting. And as he delved deeper into the mystery, he learned that just before his father died, the elder McRaven had experienced a remarkable run of luck: he’d won nearly ten thousand dollars and the deed to a cattle ranch.
Not yet eighteen, Kearney was determined enough to track down his father’s murderer and claim what was rightfully his. Now, followed every step of the way by a shadowy figure, Kearney must solve the mystery of his father’s hidden past—a past that concealed a cold-blooded killer who would stop at nothing to keep a chilling secret.
Not yet eighteen, Kearney was determined enough to track down his father’s murderer and claim what was rightfully his. Now, followed every step of the way by a shadowy figure, Kearney must solve the mystery of his father’s hidden past—a past that concealed a cold-blooded killer who would stop at nothing to keep a chilling secret.
April 5, 2022
To me this was a great Louis L'Amour story. When I read a story by him it is just a story about good and bad. Now some may think but this isn't how the West was really and I have to say that may be true. However maybe it is how the West should have been. A place that a man has to take care of his own business and where might doesn't make right. This story has a young man, who finds that his father has been killed by a stranger, who now is searching for him to put an end to The McRaven line.
There is a lot of travel in this book as Kearney McRaven races to find a killer and not get killed himself. There is a surprise at the end, but if you have read story like you know what happens. So saddle up and ride the West once more with Louis L'Amour.
There is a lot of travel in this book as Kearney McRaven races to find a killer and not get killed himself. There is a surprise at the end, but if you have read story like you know what happens. So saddle up and ride the West once more with Louis L'Amour.
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