Mojave Crossing

The Sacketts #9

by Louis L'Amour

Louis L’Amour takes William Tell Sackett on a treacherous passage from the Arizona goldfields to the booming town of Los Angeles. Tell Sackett was no ladies’ man, but he could spot trouble easily enough. And Dorinda Robiseau was the kind of trouble he wanted to avoid at any time—even more so when he had thirty pounds of gold in his saddlebags and a long way to travel. But when she begged him for safe passage to Los Angeles, Sackett reluctantly agreed. Now he’s on a perilous journey through the most brutal desert on the continent, traveling with a companion he doesn’t trust . . . and headed for a confrontation with a deadly gunman who also bears the name of Sackett.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adventure, Audiobook, Classics, Action

160 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1964

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

[Henry Avila · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Wild West story from the matchless writer of Westerns Mr. Louis L' Amour and set in the wildest town on the frontier, I kid you not Los Angeles during the 1870s. Where there were more hangings both legal and illegal, outlaws shot in bars, lawmen too drunk to do their jobs. Hollywood ignored since it didn't fit in their category, the outdoors of brutal dry deserts, towering snow-capped mountains , impenetrable green forests and treacherous rivers, as lonely men and women transverse the hostile land full of unfriendly Indians. Urban battles are not conducive to romantic tales of the struggle for survival too much like modern times on our dear blue planet Earth. Readers want beautiful scenery with different kinds of action , the intense, life, death, black and white of good guys, bad guys numerous, bloody , tense scrimmages with the fake mirage of always though utterly untrue, the inevitable hero's, never gives up , no matter the odds, brave, relentless, a man , not a thinker but a doer,
victorious , the virtuous but not easy or very factual. Nevertheless things are more complicated as Tell Sackett who just wants to get back to Arizona with his mules, horses and oh yes, a sack of gold from Nevada sadly not all his, friends had more in the bag. The complications endless , unsurprisingly occur, a beautiful woman Dorinda not noted for honesty the old damsel in distress but that's an illusion. Poor Sackett afraid of the ladies and has reason for it, no beauty himself. The trip over the excruciating sands of the Mojave desert after swimming the mighty Colorado River to California, the lady for unstated purposes needs to arrive in Los Angeles. The problem outlaws follow for more then the mules, horses and gold, he has the feeling the main object the woman, she seems to be escaping an unhinged man. She bats her lovely eyes and Sackett's face turns bright red and everything else becomes unimportant, the mysterious woman seems sincere. Tell from the far away mountains of east Tennessee is uneasy can he trust? Read over twenty Louis L' Amour novels and have never been disappointed, the action, characters while seldom deep, dull they're not, plots simple yet interesting, the appeal is the atmosphere, the reader can smell fear, sounds of horses hoofs striking ground, guns shattering the quiet, fists hitting the soft belly and then smashing a face. Primitive, unbelievable nonsense of pure fun. What's wrong with that?

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much, much better than the last couple, though not quite as good as some. This is very much like what little I remember from my youth. Tell has all those Western virtues of integrity, grit, determination, and a willingness to stand up for what's his in the face of overwhelming opposition. We don't see so much of his dry wit from his last book, though, and I missed that.

The story was way stronger in this one than in his other earlier works, as well. Way, way stronger. Not only is it well-paced, but it starts strong and never lets up. That and a unified through-line make this a gripping tale well-told.

I didn't care much for Dorinda, but at least her character was pretty well forecast right from the start. Yeah, she's scheming and all, and twisty like a snake, but she wasn't really a threat—at least, not in any way that mattered (i.e. to Tell's integrity or standing as a man of honesty and courage). Packing Ange away (his girl from Sackett) was kind of cheap, though, so I have to call this the weakest show for romance (which is surprisingly strong in the rest of L'Amour's work).

I'm not sure if all four of those stars are fully earned; I may simply be relieved that the downward dive of the last couple was aborted and this book benefited from the comparison. At any rate, I'm back on board with this whole Sackett experiment and am looking forward to the next book.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sackett book. A very good one.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tell Sackett is my favorite Sackett. This one was odd in he agreed to take a beautiful woman across a desert pursued by outlaws. Even though his gut tells him she is bad news. A good chase between water holes and after Tell is ambushed he recovers to find his enemies.

The treasure and appearance of Nolan Sackett add tension. Overall an enjoyable read as Tell goes to meet Ange. A bit bizarre that he is separated from Angie and his unconcern for her. The quantity of gold he transported seemed small and for mules??

[Laur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent old west tale - fast pace - great ending!

[Gerhard · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you find a L'Amour that you don't have you buy it and read it immediately! Even if the book was printed when you were born it's still a great read. Absolutely love Louis L'Amour and especially the Sackets, read them all when I was still at school. So great to find an 'old' friend and read it in one lazy cold afternoon.

[MissBecka Gee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Louis L'Amour takes no time getting into the adventure and doesn't slow down.
It's one exciting escapade after another, everything I could ask for in a western.
Tell is a fun character and I look forward to checking out more of the Sacketts stories.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Typical L'Amour with what used to be one of my favorite characters, Tell Sackett. I can't say that any more. While I used to admire his manners toward women, this time I was just flabbergasted at his stupidity. The last scene was especially awful. Other than too much convenience in the plot, it was a fun read. Nice scenery & incredibly tough horses plus a lot of action.

I originally shelved this with 3 stars when I joined GR, but it had been a while since I'd read it. I reread it because the ISFDB has it listed as having a parallel universe in it. I didn't recall that & didn't see any sign of it this time through, either. I did read through it pretty fast, but it could not have been any sort of major element. I think whoever put it there misread the old man's journey to his gold cache or something.

It's going to be a long while before I read another one of L'Amour's novels. I have fond memories of many, but I don't think they suit me any more.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sackett novels are such fun. L'Amour is wonderful at depicting the southwest: its beauty, its danger, its allure. They do get a little formulaic at times, but L'Amour is such a master it doesn't matter.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one wasn't as good as the others. It took me a while to finish it.

[Teri-K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good, solid story by L'Amour, giving me the adventure and sense of place I look for from him. I think I'm not rating it higher because the portrayal of Tell didn't seem as strong here as in his other books. It almost felt like L'Amour wrote the story then decided to make the MC Tell, rather than the other way around. The plot also depended on several big coincidences, which always makes a book less satisfying, and the length was more novella than novel. Still, I read it in two days and enjoyed every page.

[Alan Tomkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced classic western thriller by the best writer of the genre. Great fun to read, this was one of the best in the Sackett series.

[Brian Fagan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mojave Crossing is the ninth book in L'Amours The Sacketts series, stories about a clan of Tennesseans. In this episode Tell Sackett is about to carry 30 pounds of gold west across the treacherous Mojave Desert so that he can get the highest price for it in Los Angeles. He is starting from Hardyville, a town on the Colorado River near the junction of Arizona, Nevada and California. A beautiful woman there asks him if he'll escort her to Los Angeles, and he agrees, against his better judgment. "There's more snares in a woman's long lashes than in all the creek bottoms of Tennessee." As he is readying to leave, a dark cloud is cast over his trip when a saloonkeeper warns him that she is big trouble - a band of men are after her. I thought the book jacket blurb was a pretty good sales pitch:

"Trouble ... looked like a black-eyed woman, pretty as a young filly and a hundred times more set to buck any man. It looked like a gang of hardcases with ideas about other folks' gold. And trouble looked like the other side of the river - the hottest, driest, most brutal desert on the continent."

The few other Sacketts novels I've read haven't been my favorite L'Amours, but this one was quite good. The "black-eyed woman" plays a larger part than most of L'Amour's female characters, who usually seem to be included mainly for motivational purposes for the hero.

I always enjoy coffee references - here's a good one:

"... the blackest coffee this side of Hell itself. I drank my own share, but I was used to cow-camp coffee which will float a horseshoe."

I wonder if this is the only novel of L'Amour's that features his adopted home town of Los Angeles. For readers familiar with L.A., it's pretty interesting to read place names that go back to those 19th century days, including Laurel Canyon, Santa Monica, Malibu, Lake Sherwood, La Brea and San Bernardino. And I always enjoy L'Amour's cowboy lingo, at least when I can understand it, but this one has me stumped: what does it mean to refer to a man as a "shorthorn" ?

[ValeReads Kyriosity]

It's a bummer that, with all of the gaps in the Sackett saga that I wish Louis could have filled before he died, he wrote this one, instead. Just didn't do much for me.

Was fun to finally realize that I recognized the narrator, th0ugh (only took me three books!). David Strathairn isn't a top-tier Hollywood name, but he's got about 140 credits under his belt, including a best-actor Oscar nomination and an Emmy win for the role I best know him in — Dr. Carlock in "Temple Grandin." One of those actors who is obviously good at his job...not the kind that's just good at showing up in the tabloids. Somehow that feels like an appropriate choice to narrate some Sackett novels.

[Foxfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been on a massive Louis L'Amour binge, reading around 30 of his books in a row. I really enjoy them - the simple writing style, the detailed descriptions, the philosophical pondering, the western settings, the old fashioned values, the rich historical detail.

However, there is one aspect that is really starting to annoy me - the depiction of female characters.

Women are either saints or devils, and there is very little in between.

Mostly, the heroines are good and true, from respectable families, brought up protected by their fathers or brothers or uncles, and yet they have enough gumption to defend themselves if fate puts them into some kind of a dangerous situation. These women are tall, slender, educated, dignified, and usually have auburn hair.

Then we have, in some of the stories, female villains. Utterly beautiful, usually blonde or voluptuous brunette, they are pure evil. They scheme, they plot, and they are cold blooded murderers.

The male characters often are killers and gunfighters, but they eventually want to settle down and the love of a good woman (the auburn-haired heroine) helps them to become good, peace loving citizens and family men.

The female villains are never offered a chance of redemption. Even if they may have drifted into bad company due to financial necessity (a single woman without money in those days had few choices) or have been under the influence of their tyrannical fathers, they are always pure evil. I long to read a story where one of the rugged Louis L'Amour heroes takes a woman out of a bad situation and offers her a chance of happiness.

It is annoying to have women portrayed in such black and white extremes. Most women are somewhere in between. Sometimes necessity dictates action which a woman would prefer to avoid, and there should be scope for women who may have made mistakes to still end up with the hero. In this story, I would have liked to see Dorinda be given a chance to redeem herself and end up happy.

[Anne Patkau · Rating 4 out of 5]

ISBN from 1980 Bantam https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A mystery strings along until the very last page. The surprise whammy makes me want to start from the beginning and read all over again. I have already re-read many L'Amour, and not tired yet of real heroes. Every glimpse of Dorinda brings back memories of Tennessee home. The connection does not click until the very end.

"All the Sacketts, even those no-account Sacketts from Clinch Mountain, run to boy-children. They had a saying over yonder that if you flung a stone into the brush you'd hit a Sackett boy, and likely, although it wasn't said, a Trelawney girl" p 373. A "wild harum-scarum lot .. eight .. all of them pretty" p 462.

Sackett men have soft spot for girls, and leave them free to work more mischief every time. Her "witch-black eyes could see right through the leather of my saddlebags" to thirty pounds of gold p 373. To her " 'I had no idea you were from the mountains' .. I knew she lied" p 433.

Dorinda is obviously bad, but her wickedness worsens until fatal. She cons old Ben Mandrin nearly out of his land, directs thugs to torture Tell, abandons Tell in desert with no water, horse, nothing. She hires Nolan Sackett, from Clinch Mountains "first time I'd ever laid eyes on kinfolk of mine when I wasn't pleased" p 434.

Sackett "blood runs thicker than branch water" p 466. Nolan grins, tosses gun to Tell. Even Nolan offers the evil witch "You want to come with us, Abigail? .. one of those no-account Trelawney girls from back yonder in the hills."

"Well I'll be damned! So that was Abigail Trelawney. But it was kind of dark back of the schoolhouse that night, and I never could tell those Trelawney girls apart" p 467. The End.

[Becca brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I personally didn't think this book was well written compared to Louis L'Amour's other novels. Part of it might be because I hadn't read the Sackett series (because i didn't know it was part of the series) but I think that I didn't like it mainly because I didn't enjoy the characters and wasn't really interested in the story. Sure, there was some exciting parts, but over all I thought it was a waist of time. I'd much rather read on of his better books.

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was a typical Louis L'Amour Sackett read, but I like the detailed descriptions of the scenery in each of his books. I also like how he places his characters in actual places and tells us where they are located today.
This story is a continuation of the Sackett brothers, this one is about William Tell Sackett who manages to get himself involved with a woman who supposedly needs help.

[Travis Haselton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book. I grew up on a mining property deep in the mojave (Aztec wash to be exact)All of the spring and washes in this book are real and are described very well. I can say that because they essentially where my backyard. The rest of the book is a great example of Louis Lamour's sence of action, Honesty, honor, and historical precision. Great and short read!

[Kaitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't care for this one as much as some of the others, but it was still a very fun read! Tell's no nonsense, matter-of-fact, sarcastic narration is quite fun to read. I liked the element of Nolan Sackett, that gave an interesting twist to the whole thing. Definitely look forward to further reading in the series.

3 stars

[Monty · Rating 1 out of 5]

The problem with this book and the series as a whole is that the author all to often breaks continuity in every way, and especially damning in this book he breaks that of his main character. He also leaves large gaping plot holes and things most of the time do not make any sense from one book to another.

Slight spoilers ahead.....

In this book for some unfathomable reason the author has William Tell Sackett's fiancé/wife relegated to non existence by the contrivance of having her go on a trip to the east coast and when contact is broken somewhere somehow and letters are unanswered the MC Tell just apparently doesn't care one whit, ignoring the many possible and probable causes for such things. He behaves in a manner that someone of today conceivably might do, if his phone calls where ignored, and he finds a social media vid of his fiancé giving some guy an around the world or some such.
Its as if contact being broken in the 1876 was an unusual occurrence. Which I am rather sure was not the case.
He then proceeds to go on a dangerous trip to sell/trade-in a piddling amount of gold ore in Los Angeles, gold ore apparently being worth a small %age more in LA, all with the intent of acquiring some mules and what not for his ventures with the funds. There is no hint whatsoever about the whole fiancé bit, its as if that's not happened at all. This conflicts in the extreme with the happenings and storyline of the Book: Sackett, which is set the year prior to that of the Mojave Crossing storyline.
What is worse is the fact that this is not mentioned until the end of the story/last hour of the audiobook and then only at first as a somewhat flippant aside when the main female character in this book asks him if he has another woman in his life. It just doesn't hold water. I will leave the spoiler part at that and just state that I found it far to Stupid to be believed.

Furthermore the author has his main character behave both actively and inactively in the most retarded and unbelievable manner possible, a purpose. This also mostly contradicts with the prior books, in which William Tell Sackett has a role. The main character went from understandable to Not from that book to this.
I could have figured the issues as somewhat understandable if like many another of the books in this series, they where written/published out of order, but as far as I can find out this book was written AFTER the Sackett book.

I also consider the basic premise for Mojave Crossing to be awfully weak. Seriously the man extracted buttloads of gold ore out of his claim in the prior book and for some reason he is now riding alone to cash in on a small amount of it all the way over in Los Angeles California to buy mules and sundries? The story is so short on basic logic and sense that I just do not understand wtf is going on with this series! Some are really good, but then there are these total stinkers that have a body mumbling wtf under the breath.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am mostly enjoying the Sackett series, and this one follows William "Tell" Sackett on another adventure. When I think of Tell, I think of Sam Elliot, who played Tell in a couple of Sackett movies and the main character in some other L'Amour western movies. He makes the perfect Tell.

Tell is carrying gold to Los Angeles for some other people (and some of it is his own), when he is drawn into the difficulty of a young woman who has missed the stage for LA (which was held up and demolished). She seems desperate to find another way to get there, and even though Tell has some second thoughts about her, he agrees she can ride along with him on his trip across the desert.

But now, whoever is chasing her is also chasing him, and his saddlebags full of gold were already a danger. Even if they make it through the desert, and that's a big "if," there are a lot of people in LA who would be happy to relieve him of his gold, and his life. And the black-eyed woman may be at the bottom of it all.

[Lovmelovmycats Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminiscing books I read as a teen

[Nsquared · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Louis L’Mour especially while driving Highway 50 through Nevada, known as The Loneliest Highway”.

[pol · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a cowboy doing cowboy things there’s treasure, betrayal and shootouts what more could you want.

[Cameron Barham]

“Seems to me a man has trouble enough in this world without borrowing more with careless words.”, p. 6

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazingly enough, I had never read this Louis L'Amour book before, although it’s been sitting on my shelf for years. I read it for a reading challenge category: book published in the year you were born.

[Jacque · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical Louis L’Amour. I enjoy his tough characters and the story line. This book made the previous one make more sense.

[Philip Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love reading L'Amour books for the descriptions of the old west, wishing one was there to see it in its pristine time!

[Terry Yaceyko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. William Tell Sackett is one of my favorite Sackett's. I really liked this story.