Kid Rodelo: A Novel

This western has as its setting Arizona and Sonora, with Yuma prison as its starting point, moving along the Arizona/Mexico border along the Camino de Diablo into the Pinacate Peaks around Tinaja Alta and Tule Tanks, with Papago Wells as a water stop off. The final leg of the journey is south to the Gulf of California, hoping to board a boat in Adair Bay, thence onto freedom over the water. I've read this 1966 western of escape and gold hunting in the Sonoran Desert from Louis L'Amour several times, saving it generally for the hottest days of the year; at present the temperature on the porch is 92 degrees. The mean temperature in this novel can reach 110 degrees higher up, and 150 degrees down on the desert sand floor. Reading it under this type of environment helps to really feel what these people are going through. I always read Heller With A Gun in the winter, same principle. Page 53 of the hardcover gives a good thumbnail of this western novel: " ... Four men and a woman (Nora Paxton), ringed with death, a death that might come from the Yaquis Indians in pursuit, but could just as likely come from the desert itself." Three of these four men are escaped convicts out of Yuma Territorial Prison in Arizona Territory: one is a slick, homicidal gunslinger, another a little weasel called Gopher, and finally Badger, while a more sensitive man, still a hardened man of all times and places who is capable of murder. Kid Rodelo has served his time out in Yuma Prison, and is roaming the desert with these three and the girl, all of whom are hunting $50,000 in gold that the gunslinger killed for and stole prior to being locked up in Yuma. On their trail are the very successful Yaquis Indians led by Hat, bounty hunters all, that are sent out from Yuma Prison to bring back those that are foolish enough to escape. For this they receive $50.00 per body; and they always bring them back dead, so as not to have to share water with them on the way back. Several mysteries exist in this western: Who is Kid Rodelo? What did he want? And why is he doing what he is doing? But one thing for certain, only Dan Rodelo who knows this desert can save all these people wandering the desert. But as the Bantam paperback asked years ago, "But would he?" Semper Fi.

The thing about this story is the surprise ending and L'amour does all he can to deceive the reader till the end. But again this deception is what makes the story - the chase - so gripping. And as usual L'amour with his pechant for describing locales, brings to life the desert and its creatures. The characterizations are pretty memorable too!