KID CURRY'S LAST RIDE

by Warwick Downing ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1989

A dull summer turns glorious when young Alex meets a genuine outlaw--and the two plan a daring bank robbery. Sent to stay with Grandma while his parents take a vacation, Alex quickly discovers that there isn't much for a 12-year-old to do in Sheridan, Wyoming, in the 1930's--at least not until he meets a loquacious old man who claims to be Kid Curry, notorious member of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch. Alex half-doubts that The Kid is who he says he is, and rightly so. But sparked by Alex's mild hero worship, The Kid feels the sap rising and proposes one last bank job; the two pull it off and gleefully gallop away, a posse in hot pursuit. The lighthearted plot twists into a violent climax when the pair run into Arosho, a renegade Crow accused of murder; while Alex looks on, he and The Kid fight and kill one another. Shortly thereafter Alex is caught--or rather rescued, since The Kid had not actually robbed the bank but left a ransom note instead. Downing doesn't prepare one for the blood and death sandwiched between the easygoing beginning and the ingenious conclusion, so reader reaction to the book is likely to be mixed. Adventure fans will find Otto Salassi's offbeat stories more satisfying--as well as more believable.

Pub Date: March 1, 1989

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 176

Publisher: Orchard/Watts

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1989

Categories: CHILDREN'S