Book Review: Kid Rodelo

Title: Kid Rodelo

Author: Louis L’Amour

Publisher: Bantam

Date: 1966

ISBN: 0-553-10449-7

Length: 154 pages

Dan Rodelo witnessed a crime. He failed to report it, became the prime suspect, and served time. In prison he met Joe Harbin, a really bad man, and Tom Badger, a poor excuse for a man. The three men, hoping to catch a boat bound for Mexico, and Nora Paxton, looking for souvenirs of her long-dead parents, agree to travel together—not that any of them trusts any other, particularly, but the four of them can keep an eye on one another and help fend off the Yaqui bounty hunters who will take any or all of their heads if they can.

The back cover of the book dramatizes what is already a melodrama: “Only Rodelo could save them. But would he?” After reading the story I’d say the words “would” and “could” have swapped places. Paxton is a nice girl, but nobody expects her to be able to save even herself without help. Badger wouldn’t kill anybody, though he probably would sneak away with their money, but he doesn’t know his way around the desert either. Harbin sees the other men as rivals for Paxton’s affections; though their presence improves his own chance of surviving he’d still kill either of them if he saw an opportunity, and he’d probably be equally willing to kill Paxton if he’d “won” her away from them. Rodelo is willing to let even Harbin live if possible, to make a reasonable effort to help Badger survive and any amount of effort to help Paxton, and he also knows where to find the safe water holes, but whether his good will and relevant information are enough becomes a question. Each of the four needs the others and, even so, all four won’t survive to the end of the story.

At some point I’m sure a movie or an hour or two of TV was made out of this novel, but I don’t recall having watched it. If you do, I hope you’ll share your knowledge.