Badger

by Frank O'Rourke

Paperback

Published January 1, 1977

About the author

Frank O'Rourke was an American writer known for western and mystery novels and sports fiction. O'Rourke wrote more than 60 novels and numerous magazine articles.

Born in Denver, Colorado he attended Kemper Military School. A talented amateur baseball player, he considered trying out for a professional team, but was called up for service in World War II. At the end of the war he decided to become a writer.

Several of O'Rourke's novels were filmed, The Bravados (1958) was the first, and his novel A Mule for the Marquesa was made into a popular movie called The Professionals (1966).

Later in life, O'Rourke turned to writing children's literature. He committed suicide on April 27, 1989.

In addition to his actual name O'Rourke also wrote under the following names: Kevin Connor; Frank O'Malley and Patrick O'Malley

Reviews

[Jerimy Stoll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright, where do I start with this little book. It's not exactly a page turner, yet it is fast paced. The book starts out with a murder and goes from there. The protagonist isn't really developed in the story, he just kind of is. The antagonists are all developed as the story progresses, but there is no real reason to do so. Frank has a strange way of weaving a tale. It's not horrible, it's just odd. I would recommend this book to people who like short books, westerns, or just want something to read that won't bog them down mentally. The vernacular used in the book is talking head style, so it forces a reader to pay attention to determine who is talking, so I wouldn't recommend attempting it in a busy area, unless one is adept at tuning out their surroundings.

[Clement · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been slowly working my way through Frank O'Rourke's Westerns and Badger is an odd one to review. O'Rourke's writing is, unfortunately, worse here than in his earlier works but, plotwise, the story is fantastic. While it does feature a pretty standard revenge narrative, it's refreshing reading a Western that doesn't resolve every problem with a shootout.