Valdez Is Coming

Probably the best western novel I’ve ever read. And, I’ve read a lot of them.
Leonard takes us to 1894 Arizona, and tells us the story of one of his most fascinating characters, Roberto (Bob) Valdez, a part-time constable who finds himself at odds with a truly despicable outlaw named Tanner. Tanner has a small army of about 25 men, but little does he know or care about the quality of man he’s wronged in Valdez. He will, because “Valdez is coming”.
What I enjoy so much about Leonard’s writing is how he can tell such a good, thought-provoking, action story in so little words. I breezed through the 136 pages of this edition. I didn’t want to put it down, and didn’t have to.

A run-of-the-mill Western yarn and sometimes that's all you need. Valdez is Coming isn't breaking any new ground: a man goes on a revenge quest after being wronged by a powerful rancher, in a plot involving gunfights, ambushes and wilderness tracking. It's all agreeable if unremarkable stuff, and with writing that's quick and simple it's a book with plenty of charm.

The only drawback comes from the fact that it's Elmore Leonard, and because of that you expect something that touches a higher bar. The writing and the dialogue are crisp enough, though not on the same level as that which made this author's reputation. It's that reputation which adds a tinge of disappointment to reading Valdez is Coming; you note with surprise the parts of show more the story which aren't drawn all that well (particularly the character motivations) and the various strands which seem like they will be important (or at least relevant) but end up not fully resolved. That said, if it was a lesser writer's name on the cover, you'd happily let this pot-boiler churn and take it as it is. So I think I'll just take it as it is. show less

Elmore Leonard is best known for his crime novels, many of which were made into successful Hollywood films, but he actually began his literary career writing Western short stories for the pulp magazines of the 1950s. Hollywood movies based on Leonard’s westerns include Hombre, 3:10 to Yuma, and Valdez Is Coming. Anyone interested in reading an Elmore Leonard western or two should consider the Library of America volume entitled Elmore Leonard: Westerns published in 2018 because it includes four novels (Last Stand at Saber River, Hombre, Valdez Is Coming, and Forty Lashes Less One) plus eight of his most outstanding western short stories. For those more inclined to short stories, there is also The Complete Western Stories of Elmore show more Leonard published by William Morrow in 2004.

Valdez Is Coming is the story of a man who was known for most of his life as Roberto Valdez. Roberto was an army scout and an Apache-killing machine who was known to have taken a few scalps of his own (among other atrocities) in battle. But now he prefers to be known as Bob Valdez, a stagecoach security guard who also serves as town constable for a small community when he’s actually in town. Bob is still deadly with a shotgun or a Winchester, but the white men who employ him in town do so only to have someone stand between them and any Mexicans who come to town to cause trouble. They have no respect for Bob Valdez; he is just a tool they use for a job they are afraid to do for themselves. Valdez knows that, but to him it’s all just part of the job.

Then one day, during his role as town constable, Bob Valdez turns back into Roberto Valdez.

It happens when Valdez arrives back in town just in time to find that a group of townspeople, led by a prominent cattleman, have trapped a black man and his Indian wife inside a sod cabin not far out of town. The cattleman claims that the man inside is wanted for a murder that occurred six months earlier, and the men are taking turns shooting into the cabin to see if the supposed killer will surrender. Valdez tries to defuse the situation, but Tanner, the cattleman, puts Valdez into a situation where he ends up killing the innocent man in self-defense. Now, Bob Valdez wants to do right by the man’s pregnant woman. It seems only right to him that the men involved collect $500 for the woman before she returns to her people to have the child. Unfortunately for Bob (and ultimately for the men), no one agrees with him.

Bottom Line: At roughly 240 pages, Valdez Is Coming is a relatively short novel, but it still manages to pack a punch. Roberto/Bob Valdez is a memorable character who has come to know right from wrong, and he will not take no for an answer when it comes to helping the wronged woman. Tanner is an evil man who surrounds himself with dozens of men willing to do most anything to impress him. The clash between the two men is memorable, but this is more than a revenge novel; this is a story about all the shades of grey between good and evil, and how one man deals with them. It is action-filled from the beginning, but it ends with a rather unexpected twist that lends depth to several of the characters. This is a good, old-fashioned western, for sure. show less

Bob Valdez a part-time town constable, accidentally kills a man, and when he tries to get compensation paid to the dead man's pregnant wife, he is beaten and left for dead. But he didn't die. And Mr. Tanner and his men are sure gonna wish they had given him the $500... “It wouldn’t have cost you so much.” Said Valdez. And like the title reads, he's coming...

A good tight story, with an excellent main character and a darn good ending! I love guys like Valdez!

I picked this up at our local used book store for 50 cents, and I gotta say, it may be the best 50 cents I've spent in a long, long time!

Valdez is tricked into killing an innocent man by powerful rancher, Frank Tanner. When Valdez suggests that Tanner donate $500 to the widow since she is pregnant and with no means of support, Tanner has his men put Valdez against a wall and shoot bullets close to his body intending to frighten him. It doesn't and when Valdez shows up at Tanner's compound still seeking the money, Tanner has him tied to a wooden cross and placed on foot in the desert .

A Tanner henchman feels sorry for Valdez and frees him but by then Valdez is in bad shape. He crawls miles to a friend's ranch where he recovers. Once back on his feet, he sends a message to Tanner that "Valdez is coming". When Tanner sends men to kill him, Valdez proceeds to eliminate them show more with his many weapons and also steals Tanner's woman to boot.

Another great Leonard read. Now to find the movie version that does not seem to have received many good reviews. show less

I loved how compact and straightforward this Western was. It's got everything you want for the genre--a character seeking justice, a power-mad cowboy, gunfights and chases through the desert. My only complaint is that the love story is a bit thin and not so compelling. Overall, this is a blast and a good choice if you're just getting into the genre.

This was an excellent book. Great character development, lots of action. The book grabbed me from the first page and held my interest all the way through. I've read and enjoyed a lot of Elmore Leonard's books, but this is the first western of his I've read, and I've never been a fan of westerns but this book has created a desire in me to read some more from that genre. The motivations of the book's characters were believable and I found myself caring about what happened to them. That's something that's hard to find with most books. For anyone else who enjoys this type of book (adventure, one man against overwhelming odds), I would recommend Last of the Breed by Louis L'Amour, and Winter of Frankie Machine by Don Winslow.