Hanging Woman Creek

L'Amour is a wonderful storyteller. Westerns aren't what I'd normally choose to read, but I picked this up out of curiosity and I was happily surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

This is the story of Pronto Pike's turning point in life. Pike's a cowhand drifting from job to job, enjoying a few fights between jobs. He and a new friend take a job in Eastern Montana and the story deals with rustlers, vigilantes, ranchers and homesteaders. Pike turns out to be a hero the reader totally likes - not perfect, but definitely not an anti-hero, either. He's intelligent and thoughtful, but also just a normal guy. There's nothing special about him except that maybe he's a bit more intelligent and thoughtful than average.

The best thing about L'Amour's show more writing is that just when you think you know where the story's going, he throws in a curve. He makes it totally natural (it's not just thrown in), and in many cases, it seemed, to me, to be more realistic than the average story would be.

This was my first Louis L'Amour book, but it won't be my last. show less

One of the few Westerns I've read with a strong secondary character who is a Black man. L'Amour treats this character respectfully. He is referred to as a 'boy' but so are other characters who are white. I see that another reviewer says the 'n' word is used. My edition uses the word Negro. It does not appear to be perjorative but is used to describe the character. L'Amour's heroes are always hard-working, honest men who do what they feel is right. The landscape is beautifully described. The story is one of rustling and murder, with some interesting twists along the way. L'Amour knows his history, knows the country, and is a good storyteller.

Slightly different take on the usual Nester vs. Cattle Baron plot, with enough action and less introspection to keep the reader happy. I also really enjoyed the addition of Eddie Holt, who had an interesting background and more dimension than is common in this genre. I might just keep this one for another read later on.

Pronto Pike and Eddie Holt hook up as partners. Pronto is a cowhand (a good one!) and Eddie is a boxer (a good one!). Together they go to Miles City, MT, and get jobs as hands to winter a herd of cattle through snow, rustlers, Montana politics, and a mysterious sniper. The two men help a brother and sister who are burned out by vigilantes, and put their own lives in danger after they are falsely accused of cattle rustling. I enjoyed [Hanging Woman Creek]. There are some racist terms (the "n" word, and the use of "boy" for Eddie) that are used for effect I believe, but the treatment of the character is respectful, although somewhat two-dimensional. As usual, L'Amour uses subtle twists throughout the plot to hold the reader, and his main show more character's philosophizing elevates the story above the ordinary - a common trait of L'Amour's westerns. show less

Western

A good dime novel.

Product Description Barnabus Pike is no gunfighter and not much of a street fighter. Eddie Holt is a black boxer in a white man's world. They've both taken their share of hard knocks. Now they're looking to survive a brutal winter in a remote Montana line shack, collect their pay, and settle down for good. Then they cross paths with a hardworking Irish immigrant and his beautiful, spirited sister, who've been burned off their land. It's a fight Pike and Holt don't want, don't need, and don't dare turn their backs on—especially when one of the perpetrators might be one of Pike's old friends. Hunted like animals across the frozen countryside, Pike and Holt will risk everything—including their reputations, their dreams—and their show more lives. From the Paperback edition. From the Inside Flap Barnabus Pike is no gunfighter and not much of a street fighter.  Eddie Holt is a black boxer in a white man's world.  They've both taken their share of hard knocks.  Now they're looking to survive a brutal winter in a remote Montana line shack, collect their pay, and settle down for good.  Then they cross paths with a hardworking Irish immigrant and his beautiful, spirited sister, who've been burned off their land.  It's a fight Pike and Holt don't want, don't need, and don't dare turn their backs on--especially when one of the perpetrators might be one of Pike's old friends.  Hunted like animals across the frozen countryside, Pike and Holt will risk everything--including their reputations, their dreams -- and their lives. show less