Taggart: A Novel

I had the pleasure of reading the Bantam rack-size edition of this western printed in 1959. It was loaned to us by my Wife's cousin. After reading "Haunted Mesa", I was a little hesitant about reading another Louis L'Amour's stories; I'm very glad I did. This a classic western about a cowboy, Swante Taggart, who is on the run from a bounty hunter and ends up right in the middle of Apache country and is not expecting what he runs into. This story has love and romance, along with gun fights and Indian attacks. Most importantly L'Amour is an artist at painting a picture in your mind of the beautiful mountains ,canyons, and deserts of Arizona.

Have just finished reading "Taggart" again. As in previous readings, the plot and action hold up very well. This is one of Louis' better westerns, right there with Shalako, Hondo, Radigan, and several others. As the map in the hardcover edition shows, the action takes place in Arizona, mainly at Rockingstraw Mountain. The central action revolves around placer mining from an alluvial fan, to dangerous extraction farther up a mountain, from a strip of rotten quartz "six feet wide, and cobwebbed with gold." In all Adam Stark is seeking $100,000.00. All of this is interwoven with numerous Apache attacks, tension in a marriage, and Taggart's attempt to evade capture by a bounty hunter. How this all works out, of course, will be known to the reader upon finishing the book. The author, who died in 1988, was a very experienced writer and some of his books go beyond western fiction, to become just good literature. This book is close to that class of writing. It can be read in a few hours, but the characters Louis L'Amour created in this effort will stay with the reader much longer. If you haven't read this one, please do so. If you have, do as I've done several times, read it again. Semper Fi.

I liked this book because the author is good and indians died. I liked the part where Taggart noticed a bush was not where it used to be so he knew it was an indian, so he took aim and when the bush moved again he fired wounding the indian. In my oppinion that was the best part.