Friday, November 23, 2007

The Lonesome Gods, Louis L'Amour Book Review

"The Lonesome Gods" by Louis L'Amour is a great historical fiction around 1820 of the southwestern part of California. L'Amour is very graphic in his stories, with a map of the area of that time. Included in this story is the desert around Palm Springs and Los Angeles. The realism of the area is put into a fictional story that holds one until the book is finished.

At the age of six, Johannes Verne and his father, Zackery, are journeying to LA from Santa Fe by a wagon with six other people. Zack has lunger disease and will die soon and he wants to go to LA where Johannes' grandfather lives. The grandfather felt betrayed for he wanted to keep the blood line of his Spanish heritage. His daughter ran off and married Zack, a common man of the US who was not Spanish. He wanted Zack dead, along with Johannes. Johannes' mother died from an illness, leaving Zack in charge of Johannes. With months to live, Zack heads west with the boy. Arriving at a natural hot spring at the foot of Mt. San Jacinto, Zack was told that his father-in-law was out to kill him, so he stayed in the Palm Springs local. Johannes is befriended by the Cahuilla Indians and learns the way of the Indian. Zack is killed and Johannes goes to LA to live with a lady, Miss Nesselrode, who he met on the wagon out of Santa Fe. Johannes becomes educated and lives a good life until his identity is discovered. His grandfather wants him dead, but Johannes is to smart to let that happen. A chase through out the south deserts, leaves many dead but Johannes prevails and gets to the Palm Springs area where he meets up with an old Indian friend. Now the hunted becomes the hunter and Johannes travels to LA to settle the dispute.

L'Amour has written a good historical account of this time. The development of LA and Palm Springs has brought us what we have today. The story puts it in an interesting and thrilling way! There is mystery through out the story and one does not know until the end.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Hundred Dollar Baby, Robert Parker Book Review

"Hundred Dollar Baby" by Robert Parker is a Spenser detective thriller in Boston. Spenser is approached by April Kyle, an old friend who he saved from the streets and introduced her to a madam of a high class brothel in NY. Utley taught April the whore business. April started her own brothel and was faced with some strong armed men trying to ruin her business. April tells Spenser and he got involved ridding her of this problem, but he thought she was not telling the truth about things. Further probing proved him right. April was trying to develop a franchise of nation wide brothels, catering to the well to do man called "Dreamgirl". In order to do this, she needed funding. Her search led to several murders and the truth finally surfacing in the end.

Parker has produced a good suspenseful thriller where Spenser is in top form as a detective and a friend, but the friendship was not for real. Spenser learns the hard way but resumes his lifestyle as a good man, compassionate, carrying with humor and love.

Monday, November 05, 2007

Son of a Wanted Man, Louis L 'Amour Book Review

"Son of a Wanted Man" by L'Amour is a western story in the late 1800 that takes place in Utah and the 3 neighboring states.(Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado). L'Amour is great for the geographical realism and the facts about the development of law and order. The true facts are blended into the story, giving a real feeling of it happening that way.

Ben Curry was a big man, wise and intelligent. He was a wanted man! Ben was the brains behind an outlaw gang and by keeping a low profile, he was unknown with the law. Not having a son, he adopted a foster boy in hope that he may take over his gang. Mike Bastian learned scouting, tracking, the use of a gun and physical self defence,(fighting). Mike excelled in all and Ben decided the time was here for him to become the head man. Some gang members did not like the idea of Mike being in charge and captured him to use as leverage to get Ben. The gang was unsuccessful in capturing Ben and Mike was able to escape his bondage. There were two jobs, robing a train loaded with gold and a bank robbery at a small town bank. Bordan Chantry, the law, got wind of these activities and was waiting in ambush. Mike was off to another ranch that Ben owned to save Ben's daughters from some gang members that wanted the cattle. The confrontation of the gang and Mike, ended where one gang member was killed, but the other kidnapped Ben's daughter and fled into the wilderness. With Mike's tracking skill, he went after her with the other daughter at his side and was successful in finding her and killing her capture.

Louis L'Amour was French-Irish and at 15 he took off to explore the world. He did many things, but writing was his life long desire. He had 350 stories rejected before His writing was excepted. In 1984 he was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Reagan. Louis L'Amour died in 1988 leaving a legacy of literary knowledge in the pages of his stories.