Showdown at Yellow Butte: A Novel

Great book to read again and again.

Louis sure does know how to tell a good story. He takes me back to my childhood--growing up in the southwest. His books are all ways so descriptive. The landscape becomes part of the story. For a tactile person, his way of making you feel like you are right there with the character, struggling to scramble up a gravelly slope or standing on the edge of a mesa looking out over the vista of so many southwest locations. But I also like that he usually includes a character or two who do not like the desert southwest and the scary, lonely, desolate feeling it can also have on some people. It's not for many people. It takes a certain type. And for those of us who have been dislocated in huge metropolitan centers, Louis L'Amour and his books are a godsend.

Tom Kedrick earned his stripes during the Civil War, fought Apaches, and even soldiered overseas. But in the high desert country of New Mexico, the battle-hardened Kedrick is entangled in a different kind of war, fueled by greed and deception. Hired by Alton Burwick to drive a pack of renegades and outlaws off the government land recently set aside for an Indian reservation, Kedrick begins to notice that things are not as they seem. As his suspicions grow, he realizes that he may be fighting on the wrong side of a land swindle. Disillusioned and outraged, Kedrick must take action against the very people who hired him–or be forced to witness the bloody massacre of innocent men and women.

A more realistic view of life in the West back in the 1800s.

I have been reading Lamour novels for 40 plus years. I think his knowledge of the geography of the locations he writes about is incredible. He always paints a picture in my eye of the land.

I'm a Louis L'Amour fan. This is probably a very early work or one finished by someone else. I think it's early. It has many of the typical elements of his stories, has some of the smooth flow in places but it's choppy overall and too long. Never thought I'd say that as I'm usually sorry when one of his books ends. It was all right, I finished it. I found it an interesting view into his development as am author (if I'm right that this was an early work). The most glaring difference between this and the L'Amour I'm used to is very little feeling and humanity to the characters. As an example the bad guys made a raid on the town, killed a couple innocent citizens and then the protagonist said something about at least no real trouble had occurred yet. As if the tragedy and hardship of people was not yet very real to him as it was later. This being probably about my hundreth LL book (including rereads), it was interesting to compare this. Do NOT, however, take this as an example of his writing talent.

Here is a 99% Western story about a land grab. Tom kedrick arrives in a small town named Mustang to meet with a group about a Ramrodding job. It seems the group have made a bid on Government swamp land occupied by outlaws and other squatters, and need to be cleared out. Fast guns, killers, ambitious girls, blood and one phantom horse. It's all in here.

Came as detailed

Have read a lot of Louis's cowboy books which I usually throughly enjoy. He is great at paining the scene and the fact that his hero's are all pastiches of the same man does not detract. However, didn't feel like this one hit the spot. Seem to drag and I struggled to finish it.

Quite a good story full of varied characters that must have been around in the 1880's. L'Amour certainly has a way of making you imagine what is happening as you read. I always read one of his books just before going to sleep .No hesitation to recommend this one. Has got the plot,romance,goodies,baddies and lovely descriptions of country as one goes along.

yet again a very good story written from the heart,he creates a vision that you can see in your mind,he was a master writer,and would once again recommend him to anybody.

Another excellent novel by this author. It amazes me how he manages to come up with so many different but spellbinding storylines.

as with all louis l'amour books nail hard to put down reading, loved it will carry on reading his westerns