It’s Throwback Thursday and I’m joining up again with TLC’s Link Party
I was in the mood for something different when looking through the new releases on Audible a few years ago. The Man From The Broken Hills narrated by MacLeod Andrews caught my eye. It fit the bill perfectly, although I didn’t realise at the time it was part of a series. As it happens, it can easily be read, or listened to, as a standalone. It was released on Audible in March 2019 by Random House Audio.
Narrated in the first person by Milo Talon, a drifter enjoying seeing and experiencing the wild American West from the back of his horse. Born and raised in Colorado, he grew up on one of the largest ranches around and had his mother’s blessing to roam the country for as long as he needed to. He can handle himself when necessary and is known to be good with a gun but doesn’t look for trouble, loves to explore the country and enjoys working with cattle.
Picking up jobs on his travels he happened upon three cowhands round a camp fire. Stirrup-Iron, the small outfit they work for needed extra hands for a roundup. Milo had a moment when he learned the outfit was run by a young woman and a blind, old man—but he was a man of honour who sticks by his word and dislikes those that use threats or force against others. It transpired a war between the neighbouring ranchers was threatening to erupt over cattle going missing, each rancher blaming the other. From the short exchange Milo and the Stirrup-Iron men just had with several men from one of the other outfits who seemed too aggressive, Milo’s decision to join the Stirrup-Iron was reenforced.
Maybe there was a wildness in me, for I had a love for the wind in the long grass blowing, or the smell of woodsmoke down some rocky draw. There was a reaching in me for the far plains, and from the first day that I could straddle a bronc it was in me to go off a-seeking.
The story flows well, mostly centering around the missing cattle, and includes just about everything you’d expect in a classic western—a fair share of action including the good and the bad, gun fights and a hint of romance. A mystery concerning Milo runs alongside the main story, which isn’t resolved until quite near the end. There are several twists in the slowly unfolding story, adding to the suspense, as well as great dialogue and wonderful descriptions of the landscape.
Several introspective recollections and musings give a good indication of Milo’s backstory and character. It’s apparent from the start there’s history between Milo and his new boss, Henry Rossiter. Rossiter had worked for Milo’s parents when Milo was a boy. He’d disappeared one day without a word, taking a few hundred head of cattle with him. The cattle and the rustlers were found by Milo’s mother, a formidable woman, but Rossiter got away. Milo hadn’t seen him since, until he realised it was Rossiter he was now working for.
I haven’t read any other books by this author and enjoyed this one very much. It’s obvious Louis L’Amour knew his subject incredibly well. Characters are well defined and the authenticity of time, place and working ranch hands was described vividly. As always, MacLeod Andrews delivers a perfect narration, bringing the characters to life with distinct voices and accents.
For years, Milo Talon had been riding the outlaw trail, looking for a man who had betrayed his family. Only Hank Rossiter wasn’t the man he had been. Old now and blind, Rossiter was trying desperately to hold on to a small ranch to support his daughter, Barbara. Suddenly Talon found himself in the middle of a range war, siding with the man he’d marked for payback. But had Rossiter really changed? And could his daughter be trusted by either of them?
For Milo, getting to the truth meant a long hard fight to separate his enemies from his friends – and forgiveness from revenge.
