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 TELL SACKETT IN THE MOGOLLON RIM AREA OF ARIZONA TERRITORY--SACKETT BOOK #16 July 25, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Louis dates this book between 1875-1879, with the action taking place in the Mogollon (muggy own) Rim and the Tonto Basin of Arizona Territory. The Apache wars are still in progress as we visit Camp Verde and while there are exposed to Al Seiber. Camp Verde was originally named Fort Lincoln in 1861 when established to protect people from the Apache, the post was originally manned by volunteers, and then later by regular Army in 1866.
Al Seiber, 1844-1907, is a name immediately recognizable to any reader of the Apache Wars period. Al was of German ancestry who scouted for the Army, later being chief of scouts over the Apache scouts. Earlier he had fought at Gettysburg, among other civil war battles, receiving at least two wounds. History still holds Al, or "Sibi" as he was known by Apaches, with great respect. And his times with both Tom Horn and the Apache Kid remains in the mind of any reader spending time with Dan Thrapp's 1964 biography of Al Seiber.
This western novel assumes a somewhat strange storyline in that Tell's wife, Ange Kerry Sackett, comes to harm, and is actually murdered. Not just murdered but strangled to death. It seems very much out of Louis L'Amour character in that in all his other novels he continually reinforces the thought that a woman alone would never be harmed by a man, no matter how bad that man may have been. It is therefore somewhat hard to accept, at least for me, that this is the storyline Louis chose to begin one of the Sackett novels. But there it is, and one has to deal with it to try to understand this book.
As stated in other reviews, I have all of the L'Amour books in hardcover and read them over from time-to-time. In all my reading of his books over the last 40 plus years, this is one of the more unique Sackett books. If you have not read that much L'Amour it may not strike you in that manner.
One interesting aspect, however, of this western novel is that Louis continually mentions the manner which the Sacketts will come to the aid of any Sackett in trouble. Well, in this novel he shows exactly how that would happen, using the word-of-mouth grapevine the fact that Tell is surrounded by at least 40 gunmen in the Tonto Basin area quickly causes any Sackett hearing of it to ride to Tell's assistance.
And it is always pleasant to encounter Cap Roundtree in the Sackett books. And I will let Louis himself describe Cap Roundtree: "A salty old customer, a mountain man, trapper, cowboy, all-round western man. Dry as alkali dust and twice as bitter. A tough old mountain man who had hunted gold and fought Indians and had the scars to prove it". That pretty much not only describes Cap Roundtree but can safely be applied to all the Sacketts as well.
This book will afford its readers a couple night's reading pleasure. Let'r rip!
Semper Fi.
 Git Along Little Doggie June 6, 2007
Hey, I'm all over the place as far as what I'm reading, and by golly I sometimes enjoy reading a good ol' cowboy story. It doesn't take allot of brain cells, they're usually a fast read, and usually the good guy wins in the end. That sounds pretty good to me as this world is a pretty serious place sometimes. Westerns are pure escapism for me. The Sackett series, and probably all L'Amour novels can be enjoyed by young readers and adults alike.
This is the 16th (and next-to-the-last) book in "The Sackett" series of novels that L'amour published. The series is basically a collection of stories about the fictional Sackett family who were some of the first settlers to come from England to America in the 1600's. The books follow the lives of multiple Sackett family members through several generations. The first 5 books are set in the early 1600's, and then all of the last 10 books have been cowboy stories set in the time frame of the 1870's. All-in-all I've really enjoyed the series, but some are certainly better than others. The books are also written in a way that you can pick up any one of them and read it, without ever having to have read any of the previous stories........ but it's really more fun to go through them as a series as there are always places, characters, and situations that the author refers to in a previous book, and that makes it kind of fun.
Anyway, in this story Tell Sackett is ambushed and left for dead. All of his belongings are burned, and his wife is murdered. That doesn't set well for any Sackett as they're all John Wayne/Clint Eastwood clones........no matter what........the bad guy is gonna get it. This story was extra fun as many Sackett brothers and cousins from the previous books came together to help Tell out on his quest to take care of those dastardly sidewinders. He Get Along Little Doggie......I liked this one better than many others in the series. A quick read and just some good old fashioned cowboy escapism.
 The Sackett Brand January 11, 2007
This novel sticks to your fingers and is difficult to put down. Join Tell as he struggles to survive. His future destroyed, Ange murdered, hunted and harried he eventually reaches safety. As soon as able he continues searching for her killer. A few letters from a friend bring other members of the clan riding to his aid. An explosive finish grips you by the seat of the pants. Family values at their best and a great story.
A good Sackett novel but something is missing June 7, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
One of the hallmarks of the Sackett novels is the consistent concept of family members coming to the aid of other family members. In this novel, Tell Sackett, one of the roughest and toughest of a very tough family, gets in trouble. He needs help, and the word gets out. This is L'Amour's chance to really highlight that theme of family and he tries...but just misses the mark. There are scenes in the book of Sacketts that were in other books (Orlando, Logan, etc) getting the word about Tell and leaping into their saddles to join the fray. The Sacketts are gathering, and you just know that the bad guys have no clue about the storm that is about to break. But alas, that storm never breaks. The book ends with all the Sacketts lined up, ready to draw, and the fight never comes off. This is very disappointing. His other novels don't hesitate to bring about the fight - why not this one? All in all, it is still a very good book, and if you are a fan of the Sackett series it is one of the top five. Tell's anger and sadness, and his measure of revenge, are all very well handled by a master storyteller. I just wish he would have allowed his characters to mop up the floor with the bad guys!
One of Louis L'Amour's Best - Tell Sackett's most memorable moments October 6, 2005
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I've read all of Louis L'Amour's westerns, and appreciate the straight-arrow ethics of his heroes and heroines, the starkness of the environment and their responses to it, and the appreciation of the men and women's appraisals of each other. Most are truly love stories, with action/adventure wrapped around them. This is also one of his saddest stories.
Told in the first person, Tell is shot, and by the time he's able to recover and get back to where he left his wagon and bride, all traces of them are gone. He finally finds her grave. Anyone who knows Tell from previous books knows his determination and that he should not be underestimated. It's similar to movies such as "First Blood" in that a man who seems like any other man can step beyond others' comprehension in his ability and willingness to inflict the same measure of carnage on his enemies. As his attacks and the rancher's reprisals escalate until the odds are 40 to 1 against him, word reaches other Sacketts of the war, and they gather as well. The messages of justice, family, love, heartache, and duty all resound throughout The Sackett Brand.
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