Rating: 
Summary: A Very Good Story, Just Don't Confuse it with Lonesome Dove.
Review: The first book of Larry McMurtry's I ever read was Lonesome Dove. That book enthralled me, making me wish he would re-visit the characters with a sequel. Eventually he did and "Streets of Laredo" is the result. The problem here is that you really can't read Streets as a sequel to Lonesome Dove, because if you do you will be extremely disappointed. The characters have changed so completely that they don't seem like the same people. If you can get over that hurdle then this becomes an exciting (if not rather violent) story based on the old west.The book starts off on the premise that the cattle ranch in Montana failed, and Captain Woodrow Call has returned to Texas as a sort of bounty hunter. Other main characters from Lonesome Dove include Pea Eye, his loyal helper, and Lorena, the whore from Lonesome who is now a school teacher and wife of Pea Eye. (Does anyone else think this is just too much of a stretch for these characters?) Call has been hired by a railroad tycoon to stop a mexican bandit from constantly robbing his trains. Along the way we meet old friends from Lonesome, and famous historical persons (Judge Roy Bean, John Wesley Harding, etc). The action is extremely exciting, the suspense riviting, and McMurtry's style of writing keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. As with a lot of his writing McMurtry describes the violence in VERY strong detail. This seems to be done to help the reader climb into the story and experience the situations. Very well done but also very disturbing. As we draw near to the end the ending comes out of no where and surprises you. The eventual hero is not who you would expect. Overall, this epic story is a blast to read. Again do not get caught up in the "sequel" thing, you MUST read this for it's own sake. I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys epic westerns, and for anyone who loves McMurtry's writings.
Rating:
Summary: Streets of Laredo
Review: How can you compete with Lonesome Dove? Not as good as its predecessor, but still an entertaining read. McMurtry dwells into the mind of the "bad guys" a little more with this one. My only complaint of the book was the "bad guys" and their psychotic tendencies. Sometimes felt the character profiles of the men Call is sent to kill are made for a better story rather than for a realistic read. Of course, it is fiction. ;) If you're a fan of the Lonesome Dove series, you will enjoy Streets of Laredo. It's not a disappointment. It's amazing how McMurtry manages to kill off everyone you like (You'll have to read the book to see who doesn't make it from the last page of Lonesome Dove to the first page of Streets of Laredo.) and still write an enjoyable novel. By the way, don't bother with the onscreen version. Read this book and you'll see why James Garner as Captain Call is a HORRIBLE casting job.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Joyless
Review: First let me say I loved Lonesome Dove. I believe it's one of the best novels ever written. This, on the other hand, is far from it. All the things that made Lonesome Dove so great just aren't present here. The lyricism, the poetry, the sense of wonder are gone. Those things and all the interesting characters. This isn't giving anything away but almost all the interesting surviving character from Lonesome Dove dies before Streets of Laredo even begins. The few left are the ones that don't talk much. They have nothing interesting to say and very little interesting to do other than suffer. I'm not particularly interested in watching people suffer. Reading about it either. The first part of this book just recounts how everyone died in the intervening time. And that's the fun part. It gets worse from there, much worse. I've never been more happy to end a book.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Book In Its Own Right
Review: I enjoyed this sequel to Lonesome Dove, even if it seems much of this book may have been inspired by McMurtry's anger at CBS TV's miniseries sequel, Return to Lonesome Dove. When CBS purchased the rights to Lonesome Dove, McMurtry retained the right to use his own characters again in his own sequel. Apparently, McMurtry didnt like what CBS did, since his take is completely different. For that matter, this is a very different book from Lonesome Dove, too. The characters, while familiar, have grown and aged and changed a great deal. Pea-Eye, especially, seems to have become a completely different person. Lorena, too, has transformed over the years to become more like the Clara of Lonesome Dove, than the young ex-prostitute of the earlier novel. There are problems of continuity that dont bear much thinking about. Faulkner used to say he couldn't always keep his characters straight from book to book either, but he preferred to believe that as he got older he LEARNED more about them. I think thats a good way to describe McMurtry's development between books. The best way to describe this novel, then, might be familiar, yet DIFFERENT!
Rating: 
Summary: WOW!
Review: Alright, it's not as good as LONESOME DOVE. That was the first book of the series I read, and it was so brilliant and entertaining, that I almost didn't want to read more and spoil it. But I gave in to temptation, and I'm glad I did. Warning, though...if you thought there were depressing things in DOVE, watch out for this one! Lots of characters die...in fact, lots of memorable characters from LD are already dead when STREETS begins. But you have to accept that sort of thing from McMurtry. His plots, just like life, do what they want to, and no preference from the reader will change that. A feeling of dread hangs over this book, particularly whether Pea Eye and Lorena will ever reunite happily. Jeez, I couldn't read this thing fast enought to see what happened next, and in my opinion, that's about the best praise you can give a book. I've never liked westerns, but thank God I plunged into these. STREETS is not has funny as LD was in parts, but otherwise, it is a very, very worthy sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Good Read- lets not compare to Lonesome Dove though
Review: I must say I enjoyed reading Streets of Laredo. I recently read Lonesome Dove (one of my favorites) and was hoping for a repeat performance. I suppose with a book as outstanding as LD, a repeat is a tall drink to get down. But here I am, doing what every other reviewer on this list is doing: comparing the book to LD. If you do that then everyone will consider it a disappointment....LD was a masterpiece. I wish people wouldnt strike it for not being the same book as LD was. If I had never read LD before I would rate this a 4 star. I bet that most of the ratings given by others would be a bit higher if they had never read LD. The book blends fictional characters and real life westerners. Violence is widespread but in that era, that was the case. I especially love the way McMurtry weaves the stories of of the different characters together. My big criticism is there is no good understanding of the root of Joey Garza's evil. Also the possiblity of Lorena marrying Pea Eye seems so remote, further description of her feelings towards him are needed to make it more believable. Overall, the book was an enjoyable read. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a western. For those of you who have not read McMurtry yet, start with Lonesome Dove. That is the best.
Rating:
Summary: Bleak but Worth It
Review: McMurtry wrote this book while convalescing after heart surgery that left him, in his own words, shattered -- unable to write and devastated by depression. The book reflects that terrible time by bringing the characters of Lonesome Dove brutally down off of the romantic clouds readers and reviewers (and definitely not McMurtry) put them on after Lonesome Dove became a sensation. The character you'd expect to be the sequel's main character is dead before the book even begins, and Captain Call's deep decline is rendered in pitiless detail. But while Streets of Laredo is bleak enough that it sometimes feels like a Cormac McCarthy western, it's not a cheat -- McMurtry is true to his characters and offers a stark reminder that Lonesome Dove was also a brutal book. Resist the temptation to read it the second you finish Lonesome Dove, but read it.
Rating:
Summary: lousy
Review: This strong and complex characther from Lonesome Dove is distorted into a shallow, confused, and broken down bum. An unimaginative twist is to be found here: Woodrow Call consents to having an appendage amputated (Unlike Gus in Lonesome Dove his vanity does not prevail) and he winds up an inept and crippled beggar who lives only for a childs attention. Please! The Lorena and Pea Eye romance is an unlikely concept that feels about as realistic as a 1950's Soap opera. the Mexican bandit and his on going hatred for his mother is a confusing theme which, rather than compelling, comes across as humorous and silly. Woodrow Call, unlike his frontier competence in Lonesome Dove, is often confused, frightened and tentative in this cartoonish scenario that we the reader find ourselves drawn into. I had trouble getting into the paper mache' characthers we meet through his travels. Woodrow and Lorena are two boring sticks in the mud being chased by a host of cartoons through a poorly painted background. This is a lousy book.
Rating:
Summary: Alternate Review?
Review: Maybe it's just me but, it seems Mr. McMurtry might have been a little bit ticked by the movie "Return to Lonesome Dove" and "Lonesome Dove: The Series/The Outlaw Years". The sequel kills off almost everyone from "Lonesome Dove," so there can be no TRUE Lonesome Dove Part II. Its a good book and a great story but keep in mind that unfortunately many of your favorite characters from L.D. no longer around.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Certainly not one of McMurtrys better works. A far cry from Lonesome Dove
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