I am a Louis L'Amour completest and this is my 76th L'Amour book that I have read so far. Obviously I am a fan so please take that into consideration as you consider my review.This a collection of 10 short stories all featuring the Texas Ranger character, Chick Bowdrie. All of these stories, along with those collected in Bowdrie, were written for the pulp magazines of the 1940's and 50's. The last Bowdrie story, "Strange Pursuit" (contained in this volume) was published in 1952.I find the character of Chick Bowdrie to be interesting. L'Amour describes him as "a man who could have easily ridden as an outlaw or gunfighter, but was instead recruited by the Rangers, who preferred having him on their side rather than against them." He's smart, an expert tracker, and can speak French and German as well as he can English. And, of course, he's good with a gun. Nearly all of these short stories read like a western version of a classic who-dunnit. Bowdrie's mission for the rangers always involves bringing in some bad man to justice but almost always that involves having to first solve the mystery of who exactly is the bad guy. Many times he solves the case using his intellect and skills of detailed observation, in much the same way that Sherlock Holmes solves a case.I enjoyed this collection more than the first, probably because I've been on a bit of a mystery/crime kick lately, and these stories seemed to fit right into that mold. Looking forward to more L'Amour short stories as I continue my life-long goal to complete all of his stories and novels.
