Book Review: Last Warriors on the Llano

Author: Howard Pelham

This book is not terribly old, but it feels old… and it’s a western, which has fallen out of style in recent years.

I do like older books because they tend to be less frantic and less desperate to meet the modern idea of what keeps readers engaged. The style is excellent and simple.

Last Warriors on the Llano is such an easy read. The writing is so direct that I, as a writer, thought to myself, “Graham, you’ve gotta learn this art!” In the end, the straightforward sincerity of the two main characters is what I loved most.

Cody Carson is a Texas Ranger whose well-earned vacation is interrupted by the murder of a local rancher. While on the ensuing mission to save lives, he meets an unlikely ally, an Indian named Red Wind. Red Wind takes Cody to the Llano Estacado – the Staked Plains – a vast expanse of desert where their friendship and honor are forged in fire.

I could feel the character exuding from these men who became fast friends. This was my first Howard Pelham book, but I plan to read more of his work.