Another western classic, this is a little unusual theme for Louis L’Amour.

Gaylord Riley is a teenager who falls in with outlaws and aids in a couple holdups. Skilled with his guns at a young age, he and the outlaws mutually recognize he shouldn’t be heading down the outlaw trail. They help him further with money to buy cows and start a ranch. These outlaws are really good men led down owl hoot trail by a dishonest rancher.

Riley finds a perfect ranch in high canyons and begins building his ranch. Along the way he runs into a dishonest saloon owner who tries to use Riley to eliminate the area’s big rancher whose daughter he wants, buys and drives 3000 Herefords through brutal territory, gets help from his outlaw friends as well as Tell Sackett.


While a different premise from LL, well written, good villain s(I know oxymoron) and a great conclusion makes this an excellent read.