Passin' Through: A Novel (Louis L'Amour's Lost Treasures)

This novel published in the latter years of Louis L'Amour's career is only so so. It was published at a time when he was at the zenith of his long writing life, and the demand for his work was at its greatest. He couldn't write enough to satisfy the public or his publisher, and many of his early stuff was reworked or resubmitted for publication and Bantam would publish it. This is also a first person book, which is not my favorite way of telling a story--strike two. And lastly, the character is just to smug and reckless and hard to really like. Still, if one wants all of Louis L'Amour's work then buy this book.

The time period of this book is the year 1881 and as the main character, 'Mr. Passin' states: "The west was growing up and no longer liked the old wild cowboy reputation." The locale of the story is the four corners areas of Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico, with the bulk of the story focused in Colorado in the La Plata Mountains highlighting Parrott City, while Parrott City no longer exists, early on the town owed it existence to the mining activity on Madden Peak in the lovely La Plata Mountains with their 13,000 feet peaks, a country holding spruce, ponderosa pine and aspen trees. The La Plata River as well as several others all have branches that begin in this area. Our fictional hero is a man called 'Passin' Through', that's all, no more, no less, and that is his original thought when entering the area, passing through. His real name is never given, though we are told the year is 1881, and Mr. Passin' is approximately 28 years old. We are also told that he has found gold in a mountain pocket but has taken only $1200 dollars out with which to use in seeing the surrounding country. In that attempt he comes afoul of many criminal activities in the area of Parrott City and Animas. Mr. Passin' sees himself as a peace loving man, yet trouble in the way of gunfighters, back shooters, Pinkerton agents, poisoning women, legal battles, and a roan horse with a skull and cross brand branded on it, all come together to form a plot of varying interest. This book was released late in Louis L'Amour's career, with him having less than 3 years left to live. In those later years and books such as ONE TO RIDE THE RIVER WITH, THE LAST OF THE BREED, and PASSIN THROUGH, became not only 'watch words' for L'Amour the writer in other books, but became titles for the later books he wrote. Small wonder that this book then carries such a title as it does from one of his oft used phrases, yet this is a very good book with a passel of interesting people 'passin through' it. Though one of the female charaters here is named Matty Higgins of the Clinch Mountain Higgins, ardent foes of the Sackett family back in Tennessee, this book was never listed by Louis in his book THE SACKETT COMPANION as a true Sackett book. All fans of the late Louis L'Amour will read and should find enjoyment in this book, one of the final books from him; others such as MILO TALON, THE MAN FROM THE BROKEN HILLS, and several others all offer the mature Louis L'Amour at his very best. Had he been given more time on earth, I truly believe his future books would have contained even greater dimension and depth, further adding to his already legendary reputation as a solid western story author. Story telling just does not come any better than a book from the mature Louis L'Amour. Semper Fi.

I received the book and have read it it was a good story and I enjoyed the book. It is now part of my collection of Louis Lamour books that I am making.

For those who think that the western genre is low, I strongly invite them to read this book. The surprise is at the appointment. I acquired this book in 1986, in Miami at a Greyhound stage, having nothing to read. What flash did strike my guts when I started the reading! The pages turned themselves. The story is exciting. The characters lived right out from this mythical Farwest. What talent the Louis L'Amour to sustain its exciting stories! Thank you Mister L'Amour !

Here's a good afternoon read that involves mystery, intrigue, and adventure. Passin' Through is a high country dweller with intentions to stay out of the way of people. Unfortunately, Mr. Passin can't seem to do so. This is the classic L'AMOUR with an interesting difference. Passin' is very earthy, I mean, he is really backwoods. As much as the Sackets are backwoods Tennessee folk they still have a general refinement about them. This Passin' character jumps off the pages of the book as a generally simple guy. Like many L'Amour characters, he exhibits great humility. Unlike other characters, he seems not to put all of the pieces together. Various clues are dropped here and there throughout the story. Passin' seems impervious to many of them. It's nice to see a character that reminds me of me and not as 'Sherlock' as some of the author's others. I like Passin' through! He's vulnerable and gets hurt easily. He's not always at the top of his game; so like I said, he's more like all of the rest of us and what great fun that is as he struggles to keep Murphy's Law from overriding the day.

A man who came to be called, Passin' Through escapes from a lynching on a horse that nobody wants, a horse named Robin, known as "The Death Horse" , with the skull and crossbone brand, because all who owned or rode him died soon after. Not being superstisious Passin' comes to like the horse, for Robin is, after all, a good horse. A special relationship developes between man and horse but when Robin takes Passin' to a ranch where two ex-actresses live, he rides straight into trouble and a mystery he has to solve, even though his sences tell him It's none of his business. After all, he was just passin' through. I found this to be a good and entertaining novel, my biggest regret being that Robin, "The Death Horse" did not have a bigger part in the story. It's still a well above avarage Louis L'Amour novel, and well worth it.