Western

Western historical fiction. Chronologically the 5th book in the Sackett's series. Echo Sackett must go to Philadelphia to retrieve some money left to the youngest living Sackett. She figures out that someone is trying to rob her of this inheritance. She gets the help of a local lawyer, Finian Chantry, to get her money from a shyster lawyer. Echo then heads home back to the mountains alone. Finian is worried that she will not make it home and sends his nephew Dorian and a freeman Archie to help her. She makes it home, defeating the robbers, with the help of Dorian, Archie, and local Sacketts. But not without hardship.

I do enjoy Mr. L'Amour's easy to read style of writing. His work is always a guilty pleasure. ( )

Not a big Louis Lamour fan but I started reading this tale and could not put it down. ( )

Mountain gal heads to the city to pick up an inheritance left by a friend of the family. She meets with trouble and danger from those who will stop at nothing to take her money, and possibly her life.

I enjoyed this addition to the Sackett series, and would have liked reading more about Echo and her family. ( )

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Title: Ride the River
Series: Sacketts #5
Author: Louis L'Amour
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Western
Pages: 192
Format: Digital Edition

Synopsis:

Echo Sackett, the youngest descendant of Kin Sackett, must travel to Philadelphia to sign some papers upon which she will get $3000. All is not as it seems through and greed and corruption must run their course.

Echo gets her inheritance, but it is a long way back to the hills of Tennesee and the corrupt lawyer has hired thugs and murderers to get that money back. Being a Sackett, Echo isn't too worried. She knows the land, she has a gun and she has a mission. With a little help from a Chantry [another family associated with the Sacketts], Echo shows that the Sackett blood hasn't thinned one bit. And now that the Sacketts have spread all over [it is 200 years since the last book], Family Loyalty rears its head and when one Sackett is in trouble, the rest come running.

My Thoughts:

I have been waiting for this book for 5 books. This is a Western, Sackett book. Echo is the fiercely determined, independent main character of the story. I really enjoyed reading her story.

Being a woman, L'Amour doesn't have her get into brutal fistfights with some other characters, but that is what the Chantry was for. As well as a possible romantic angle. It all worked pretty well.

The sense of urgency, of running, of having to make it to “home” to be safe, came through loud and clear. Echo might have had a gun and known how to use it, but she couldn't just shoot everyone and lollygag her way home. And since she's the tracker and the shooter, she's the one who must stay safe.

This was what I wanted in a Sackett book. Urgency, guns, chivalry, evil characters, people defending themselves [!!!] and everyone taking responsibility for their actions, good or bad.

I've added the cover of the edition I read, but here are a couple more that have existed through the years. From the redneck hillbilly look to the more modern characterless look, you can really see how the story has changed its face to appeal to the readers. Makes me wonder about us readers through if that first cover really sold the book?

★★★☆ ½ ( )