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Book Review of The Man Who Rode Midnight

The Man Who Rode Midnight
reviewed on + 107 more book reviews


I think Elmer Kelton puts all other Western writers, including L. L'Amour, in the shade, and have read nearly everything Kelton has written.

This book is one of my favorites, and was part of my "permanent collection" - books I'll probably read again or at least refer to. Have been hunting for a hardcover copy of this for years, and a while back found a really clean trade paperback copy, so here it is.

Like a lot of Kelton's work, this is more about the changes wrought on the Old West by the passing of time than about cowboys and Indians and gunfights. The protagonist has outlived his glory days and doesn't get much respect from his grandson who has ridden the Greyhound out from Dallas to Big River TX to spend some time with him - mainly because no one in Dallas wants to put up with him any more.

I give this book 5 stars without reservation.