The High Graders

Rating:
Summary: "..."
Review: "The town of Rafter Crossing wasn't just any town. It was a town built on deceit and theft, a town corrupted by its own greed, a town that had arrived at this point without realizing how deep were the depths into which it descended."
-The beginning in Chapter 3, "The High Graders"-

Mike Shevlin has after so many years returned to Rafter, only to find out that the only two people in the world who he really cared about, Eli Patterson and Jack Moorman, had been murdered. Not only that, Shevlin discovers that the cattle business there had deteriorated because of the mining going on. And not just had had the mining poisoned the range water, it had also poisoned the town with many people getting involved with high grading. Shevlin is hired by Laine Tennison, the rightful owner of one of the richest mines, to get her high-grade ore back. To do that he'll have to go against many of the most coldest and most ruthless people ever...

Louis L'Amour uses a different style than what he usually uses in writing this book. "The High Graders" has a lot of mystery to it. Lots of different situations come up that don't seem to tie into the plot, or do they...? Also while reading the book you never really know if someone is the good guy or the bad guy. This book keeps you in high-tension suspense, especially the last half of the book where Shevlin is going to 'blow the lid off in this town'. "The High Graders" is a must read for all Louis L'Amour readers.

Rating:
Summary: Second string effort from Louis L'Amour
Review: Mike Shevlin rides into Rafter Crossing, and starts poking around to learn the truth of Eli Patterson's death. Patterson was Shevlin's surrogate father, and he was a peaceful man that didn't believe in violence. Shevlin knows that things don't add up when he hears that Eli was killed fair and square in a gunfight. Shevlin also discovers that dishonest local mine managers are stealing high-grade ore from the out-of-state owners. One of these offsite owners is Laine Tennison, who asks Shevlin for help. Most of the town, including Shevlin's old friend, is in on the scheme. There is also a war between cattlemen and the miners over land preservation.

This is a second string Louis L'Amour Western novel. The familiar hallmarks that distinguish his best writing are absent. The typical emphasis on the freedom of the big sky country is lacking, and the lure of distant trails is missing. The story gets downright claustrophobic inside the mines. The story is told in the third person form. L'Amour's best work (e.g., the Sacketts series) is told in the first person narrative form. This allows the reader to really get inside the head of the main character. There is some action and suspense, but the plot rather plods along. Dedicated Louis L'Amour fans may be pleased, but other readers should know this is a lesser effort by the Master of the West.

Rating:
Summary: Second string effort from Louis L'Amour
Review: Mike Shevlin rides into Rafter Crossing, and starts poking around to learn the truth of Eli Patterson's death. Patterson was Shevlin's surrogate father, and he was a peaceful man that didn't believe in violence. Shevlin knows that things don't add up when he hears that Eli was killed fair and square in a gunfight. Shevlin also discovers that dishonest local mine managers are stealing high-grade ore from the out-of-state owners. One of these offsite owners is Laine Tennison, who asks Shevlin for help. Most of the town, including Shevlin's old friend, is in on the scheme. There is also a war between cattlemen and the miners over land preservation.

This is a second string Louis L'Amour Western novel. The familiar hallmarks that distinguish his best writing are absent. The typical emphasis on the freedom of the big sky country is lacking, and the lure of distant trails is missing. The story gets downright claustrophobic inside the mines. The story is told in the third person form. L'Amour's best work (e.g., the Sacketts series) is told in the first person narrative form. This allows the reader to really get inside the head of the main character. There is some action and suspense, but the plot rather plods along. Dedicated Louis L'Amour fans may be pleased, but other readers should know this is a lesser effort by the Master of the West.