It’s been a long time since the Hat Creek boys drove a herd of cattle north. Since Lorena was rescued from Mox Mox and Blue Duck. Since Gus was killed. The Hat Creek outfit have all taken on new lives – Lorena and Pea Eye have a family and a farm, several of the boys have opened new businesses, and Woodrow Call is now a bounty hunter. Call has been hired by a railroad to hunt down the man who is robbing trains across the southwest and killing their workers and asked Pea Eye to come along. Neither man has any idea what this hunt will mean for their futures, or the strength Lorena will show them along the way.
Streets of Laredo is second or four books published in the Lonesome Dove series from Larry McMurtry. Calling on the characters readers loved in the first installment, McMurtry delivers a strong story of survival in the most desolate of places – the American Southwest in the 19th century. McMurtry reminds readers that a parent’s love doesn’t always result in a well-balanced child, but, above all else, friendship and community are necessary for our survival.
I give Streets of Laredo 4 out of 5 stars. After giving Lonesome Dove 5 stars, I walked into this one with high hopes. I found it difficult to follow the first few chapters of this novel, but couldn’t put it down after the halfway point. Additionally, I was a little frustrated with the final section of the book. The chapters were shortened to just a page each, giving it a very disjointed feel. I also found some of the more violent scenes hard to read this time. The violence against women and children throughout was very disturbing. With that said, the resolution to the plot really kept my interest and left me wanting more of these characters.
As mentioned, there is quite a bit of violence throughout this novel, including disturbing scenes of violence against women and children, as well as multiple descriptive deaths. I would also suggest that readers should hold on this book until after reviewing Lonesome Dove – there are several scenes where the information from the first book is needed to full understand the impacts in the second. With that said, I would recommend this book for readers looking for a great Western story.
I chose Streets of Laredo for the Read With Lindsey Reading Challenge prompt “a Western”. I read Lonesome Dove while on a work trip two years ago and have been looking forward to a time when I could read the next installment in the series. I didn’t like this one as much as the first, but it was still a great story. What is your favorite Western story?
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: Skipping Christmas, John Grisham
- Current audio book: She Doesn’t Have a Clue, Jenny Elder Moke
- Book I’m most looking forward to: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Holly Jackson
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