Zane Gray's The Mysterious Stranger

[starwood5000]

The Mysterious Stranger has been a exciting book to read for several reasons. First it was free for Amazon and second was the surprise ending.Long strange story line with a few important details left toward the end. The strange little man with the strange name shows up suddenly to protect his daughter that he had believed dead for 17 years. Those 17 years were not fully explained but we are led to believe that he spent them atoning for a murder that he had committed wrongly young. He knew his wife was murdered by Indians along with his young daughter. Somehow the toddler escaped and was adopted by a wealthy rancher. Life should have been perfect for this perfect young lady except for the cruel son of the rancher that was a gambler,drunk, and theft. The rancher was to the point that he hid the imprisonment for 3 years of his son and became obsessed with the marriage between his adopted daughter to his son believing that a good wife would cure his son. She loved another and the son intentionally crippled and framed him for rustling to cover his own tracks. The mysterious stranger hid his relationship because the daughter felt that she owed the man that raised her to the point that she agrees to marry the son she despises and fears. A recommended book if you can get past the strange words and motives that remain hidden until the end.

[Rick Latapan]

Interesting to read about Zane Gray. I am always on the lookout for good quality western genre material- there's a lot of poor stuff out there. Personally, I'm not sure Larry McMurtry can be beaten, but I may give Zane a try.