Sackett - A Short Review

In this book, L’Amour introduces us to the older brother of Tyrel and Orrin from The Daybreakers – William Tell Sackett. Tell, as he’s known, stumbled across a gold mine in the mountains, and the rest of the book is about him trying to protect that gold (and the future it could buy him) from several groups of outlaws looking to steal it from him. In the meantime, he also found a nearly-starved girl in the same mountains. He saves her, then almost loses her due to the hard way he deals with those seeking to rob and murder him. In the end, when she finally learns the necessity of responding ferociously to such dangers, she falls for him.

Like all of the Sackett novels, the men are hardened to difficulties and deeply fair in their treatment of others. They work hard for what they want, and that hard work is rewarded with success. I am attracted to this sort of dynamic. I want to work hard and see the profit from that work. Tell avoids killing when he can, which is saying a lot. He even saves the life of a man who had intended to kill him but broke his leg in the mountains and was left by the other bad guys. This is a good ethic for men to live by.