Reviews

This is a rousing, old-fashioned tale loosely based on the true story of a little-known chapter of Western history: the deadly feud of the Tonto Basin in Arizona or the Pleasant Valley War. When Jean Isbel answers his father's summons home, he makes a huge mistake for a cattleman's son-he falls for a sheepherder's daughter, Ellen Jorth. Her father is expanding his sheepherding operation, and the stock are grazing down the surrounding range. What begins as the age-old rivalry between cattlemen and sheepherders erupts into a violent war between cattlemen and rustlers masquerading as sheep men, and the two lovers are caught in the middle. Indeed, the violence seems to pause only long enough for the womenfolk to bury their dead before the hogs eat them. While the language is a bit dated, Jim Gough's masterful narration of this exciting story will hold listeners spellbound. Since good Westerns are rather scarce on the ground these days, Blackstone Audio is performing a special service by making this old classic available to a new generation. Highly recommended for all libraries.-Barbara Perkins, Irving P.L., TX Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.