Passin' Through

Told in the first-person narrative by a 28 year-old fellow that goes by the name, Passin’ Through. This man finds a heap of trouble throughout the book, and he’s only trying to go about his loner ways, and get back up into the wilderness where he feels at home. But, he has a big heart, and goes out of his way to help folks, thus, putting him at odds with all sorts of ornery and dangerous people. As he tells the story, he repeats himself a lot, which got on my nerves from time to time. He also does a few things I thought were awful dumb, but he’s a really likable character, and kept me reading. The mystery part of the story was too easy to figure out, but I still enjoyed it. If you read it and like it, be sure to read some of his show more other novels, which I consider far superior to this one. show less

B

Better than average story that has some twists but also a couple more obvious threats that the protagonist doesn't see coming. A little different, enjoyable, but I'm not sure if I want to keep it for a reread.

Not one of L'Amour's best. Very repetitive, stupid rehahsing of already-covered pondering by the hero. He is a male version of the typical female stereotype in "romance" books.
But he is a Good Man in God's Country, and that's enough for a quick read.

One more aggravating thing is that the action depends a lot on the geographica features of the country, and locations of varous towns and ranches, but the included map is very hard to read and doesn't have all the places referenced.

"There was a tall man at the bar, a man with a mustache and goatee, his black coat drawn back to reveal a pearl-handled gun. A mean man, a cruel man, a man looking for trouble, and here was I, a stranger."


This is one of ninety novels published by the prolific western writer. This western mystery follows the stranger named “Passin’ Through” who is on a mission to set things right. It’s a great selection to start with if you haven’t dug into his collection as of yet.

Product Description It seemed the perfect place to lie low. The owner of the ranch was an attractive gray-haired lady who had once been an actress. The other woman was a beautiful, fragile-seeming blonde. They needed repairs done, and he needed to disappear for a while. The first sign that things were not as they should be was when a Pinkerton man questioned him about a missing woman. Then he accidentally found a will belonging to the previous owner of the ranch. After that, a young lady showed up in town making claims that the place belonged to her. Worried that his hideout was turning into a battleground, he didn�t know what would be more dangerous, staying or leaving. For a man interested only in passin’ through, he suddenly show more found himself entangled in a deadly struggle…. From the Publisher "I'm just passing' through," the rider said when they asked him his name. And from then on, in the high country around Parrot City, he was called just that: Mr. Passing' Through, a man who rode a blue roan with a skull and crossbones brand and didn't know to keep to himself. And he wouldn't keep to himself. Because something about a parched and dusty ranch appealed to him, and something about a woman's hair made him think of not being alone, and something about a scheme to grab the land away from its rightful owner made him want to stay and fight. And so he stayed and fought. Because liars, killers, and cheaters were coming after Passing' Through with murder in their eyes, and a gun had a way of making him feel at home. show less

(see copy 2)
I did not read this copy.