Sackett » (Reprint)

Louis L'Amour's 115 title-plus bibliography is astonishing on its own; even more so given the fact that his writing career did not start in earnest until his 40s. Simply being prolific, however, does not a bestselling author make. L'Amour's Western stories, as written by a real-life adventurer, capture the survivalism and code of honor on which the American frontier mythology rests.

In Sackett, Louis L’Amour introduces readers to a wandering man with a desire to settle down and build a good life.

Hard circumstances have made William Tell Sackett a drifter, but now he hungers for a place he can’t name yet knows he has to find. South of the Tetons he comes upon a ghost of a trail that leads him through a keyhole pass into a lonely, alien, yet beautiful valley—a valley that holds a fortune in gold.

Then he finds an even greater treasure: beautiful Ange Kerry, a courageous and resourceful woman. Yet the harsh ways it takes to preserve his claim and his life could be the one thing that drives Ange away forever.

Library Journal

Tell Sackett is a drifter longing to settle down, but after shooting one of the infamous Bigelow brothers, he figures it's time to mosey on down the trail once more. As he wanders into the Sangre de Cristos, he goes through a keyhole pass that leads him into a cave that has not been entered in many years. In this lonely spot, with winter rapidly approaching, Tell Sackett discovers gold...and something else he does not expect. Unfortunately, the Bigelow brothers are not far behind him, so in the tradition of L'Amour, a humdinger of a showdown ensues. How Tell meets his destiny makes for a rousing tale, and David Strathairn's narration is perfect. He sounds so gravelly and Western that this reviewer is reminded of a line from Blazing Saddles that hails a speech at a town meeting as "authentic Western gibberish"! Sackett is like that, filled with "a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do" philosophy so intrinsic to Western adventure novels. L'Amour was a visual writer, and the bygone world of the Western frontier is painted so exquisitely that even listeners who normally turn up their noses at the genre will enjoy this one. Highly recommended. Barbara Perkins, Irving P.L., TX Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.