Louis L. L’Amour Bowdrie (1983)

     Louis L. L’Amour Bowdrie (1983) Bowdrie is a Texas Ranger, recruited when he was on the verge of sliding to the wrong side of the law. The tales are straightforward and follow a formula: Bowdrie, on the trail of some crook, arrives in town at a critical time, usually involving some old time pirate of a rancher and the new mixed-farming settlers. Bowdrie’s role as ranger protects him from immediate assassination, and his skill with guns ensures he’s the winner, albeit after taking some punishment. There’s always a girl, someone else’s girl, and the usual cast of characters: the old drunk, the evil gunslinger, etc. The stories were written to be published in the pulps, so they are light on character and skip over iffy plot points, but they move, and serve to pass a pleasant few hours. **½ (2004)