Good

Precisely ninety-eight minutes after I started this re-read, I completed it. Well, no sense in dawdling, now is there, when there's really nothing much to "see" or what-have-you. MacLean wasn't a descriptive writer, had no ear for dialogue, and wasn't familiar with the US West; go fight them odds.

He also wrote such awful women...names with a tic or two to prevent them from melting into the walls too far to be even detected...but he was *aces* at "omigawdwhathappensnextomigawd"ness. And, to my surprise, at the greyness of real-life motivations. His Native American (called in period style "Paiutes" which, well, just ain't one thing and...nevermind) aren't Bad Guys. They want what they want to reclaim their ancestral way of life, not to blood-thirstily murder white mens and rape they womens.

The first time I read this ancient hardcover was in 1974. My older sister the bookstore lady was going to send it back to the publisher unsold and I successfully wheedled it out of her. I don't remember how long it took me to read the book, but it couldn't have been a lot longer than this re-read took. There simply isn't enough there there to demand a close, attentive read.

It did pass the ninety-eight minutes well enough, which is really all I asked of it. ( )

After I started this book I was surprised to find out it was a western. I did not expect it from this author. It was a very slow start and the plot was predictable. It was not a bad story but not what you call exciting. Not too many surprises. ( )

An excellent entry by MacLean, set in post-Civil War American west. I loved how the plot kept twisting and I was unable to figure out what was happening until well into the book. I'm definitely keeping this one. ( )

A great story from a great story teller.

A secret service agent, in 1873, boards a medial troop train heading to Fort Humbolt where there has been an outbreak of cholera. Thus begins a twisting story of intrigue and murder. Published in 1974 this is a book that is timeless and exciting. I highly recommend this book if you haven't read it, if you have read it before a re-read should be considered. ( )