The Bounty Hunters is the first published novel from the prolific Elmore Leonard. Before he became a master at detective novels, he had a string of western hits that hold up as great entertainment today. It's his characters that are the main reason to recommend them; highlighting honour, duty and justice.
The Arizona Department Adjunct has selected two men to venture over the Mexican border to capture an old Apache renegade, Soldado Viejo. The first, Dave Flynn, knows the land and the nature of Viejo - the other is a naive kid lieutenant named Bowers, who has no idea what lies in the journey ahead and wears bravado on his sleeve. Riding out of Contention, Arizona, Dave prepares to encounter the wild Apaches - and does - but there are more violent renegades to be found, outlaws who work under the system to bring in bags of Apache scalps for sale. If they happen to be Mexican scalps, it's very easy to look the other way. Flynn and Bowers find their friends in the area are endangered from the local government and stay to fight the corrupt officials before they can carry out their mission.
This is a lawless west, where men of honour must be wary of corrupt orders and open to seeing 'the enemy' as allies and friends. Bowers, and the group of men Flynn organizes, end up on a wild finale that is exciting and redemptive. I found this novel to be the most serious of the few westerns I have read by Leonard, the themes are quite dark and the atmosphere tense. Accomplished for a first novel, I can recommend it as a solid western in the classic style.
Well paced and original - good all around.
My other Elmore Leonard reviews:
1953 / Paperback / 310 pages
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