Bowdrie’s Law

Bowdrie’s Law is a collection of short stories written by Louis L’amour, and all of them are about a Texas Ranger named (obviously) Bowdrie.  Chick Bowdrie was a Texas gunfighter who skirted the edges of the law until a friend was killed, and in order to get the men who killed him, Bowdrie goes to the legendary captain of the Rangers, Leander McNelly, and enrolls as one of Texas’s most famous crimefighters.  The book contains about 8 or 9 stories where Bowdrie solves murders, bank robberies, and tracks down desperate criminals.  The stories are told in classic L’amour style, with vivid imagery that makes you feel like you’ve been to the places he describes, and have met the characters in the story.

Bowdrie in particular is a character that comes to life, even more so than some of the characters in L’amour’s full length novels.  L’amour emphasizes the details of the character, the black, flat crowned hat that he wears, the tied down guns, and the black eyes and unique scar upon his cheek.  And as usual, the places that Bowdrie goes come to life as only L’amour can do.  Whether it’s going up north to transport the captured outlaw Curly Starr back to Texas, or trailing horse thief and bank robber Charlie Venk into the Mogollon Rim country in Arizona, the uniqueness of the land is always describe in ways that make you see the beauty, smell the pine trees, and you begin to feel as if you were with Bowdrie, riding on the edge of danger.

While the stories don’t have the same kind of dramatic plotlines or backstories that some “mystery” novels do (for instance, Sherlock Holmes), they do a great job of mixing just enough mystery in with great western action.  The aforementioned story regarding the transport of Curly Starr is especially good.  Bowdrie is forced to bring Starr back to Texas while avoiding his gang who is trying to set him free.  The dialogue between the two men, the friendly banter with a backdrop of tension, makes this story one of the better Bowdrieshorts.  All of them are good, though, with unique characters and tense situations.  Bowdrie is usually outnumbered, but never outgunned, and as the book proceeds it seems his reputation grows among the nefarious villains who congregate in Texas.  His horse has just as fearsome a reputation.  It’s a mean, hammer-head roan that barely tolerates Bowdrie and will not let anyone else ride him.  And anytime the two of them ride into town, the antagonist starts to do some serious worrying.  And speaking of villains, one of the nice things about L’amour is that he doesn’t slip into stock characters–sometimes the person Bowdrie is hunting is truly a vicious, cold hearted criminal.  But as often as not, it’s a likable cowhand who through his own bad judgement and poor choices has become an outlaw.  It’s nice to see some complexity to the characters, instead of being just a cut and dried, black and white scenario.  Regardless of the type of person Bowdrie is hunting, however, he always gets his man.  Sometimes they are dead, sometimes alive, but Bowdrie’s law is enforced.

If you are the type of person who only has scraps of time to read and enjoys western novels, the Bowdrie stories are perfect.  None of them are too long, but all of them have decent plots and are compelling reads.  And if you, like me, enjoy reading Louis L’amour, the Bowdrie series is one you can’t afford to miss.