Cloudy in the West

Cloudy in the West by Elmer Kelton is the story of Joey Shipman, a young boy whose mother has died and now he is losing his father as well. His stepmother has no love for Joey, and when she finds out that the farm has been left to him, she is plotting with her new man, Blair Meacham, to murder him. Joey runs away and locates his only kin, Beau, who is a never-do-well who spends his time feeding his craze for alcohol or spending time in jail. No one believes Joey that his stepparents are meaning to do away with him.

Eventually his new stepfather tracks him down and Beau is more that willing to return Joey to his care, but Beau catches Meacham in the act of trying to drown Joey and realizes what Joey said is true. They fight him off and show more when his body floats off down the river they are sure they have killed him. Instead of facing up to the law, Beau decides they need to run away and head into the unknown west. This is just the start of their adventures as they meet and get involved with a notorious outlaw.

Cloudy in the West was a fun western that I gobbled down between other books. This story of murder and greed set in 1885 Texas was chock full of colourful characters, exciting incidents, and enough humor to keep the book light and the pages turning. show less

I like this author. His books are a good read. Makes his characters alive.

Greatest of all western writers