BACKTRACK

by Milton Lott ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 13, 1965

Backtrack is a literary, pyschological western -- adroit, bizarre, melodramatic yet realistic, and often, very, very funny. Robby-Ringo Rose, a trail-driver, has lost seven years out of his life. In attempting to teach the arts of life to a Mexican youngster -- how to shoot and so on -- Ringo gradually recovers his lost past. When the boy lights out after having killed two men, Ringo traces him throughout Texas. Ringo is a highly likable and absorbing character. The story features a truly comic cattle stampede and some authentic traildrive material, and is sometimes deliberately dreamlike and out of focus. The dialogue is excellent and brightly believable, though the climax seems a bit too schematic. This is a very classy western that transcends its genre and may sell by word of mouth.

Pub Date: Oct. 13, 1965

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1965

Categories: FICTION