Hot Iron Mass Market Paperback – March 15, 1998

We’re members of a reading club called “Booze and Books” in which an author meets with members and talks about—among other things—her/his writing and context. One night, the author was Michael McGarrity, a favorite of ours. He recommended books by Elmer Kelton, so we picked this one. No regrets. 5is is a classic good ol’ western. You can just picture the characters and scenery as the plot goes on. Not a whole lot of complexity. A sort of relief for a bedtime book. I really enjoyed it. Rather like the classic ultimate TV western movie, Silverado. (Filmed near us, and we’ve watched it so many times we almost have the dialog memorized.)

At first I didn't think I was going to like this story because it starts out slow. However, it ends up being a good story. It is a good old fashioned western that is written in the style Luke Short or Louis L'Amour. There is no profanity or risque scenes. Nor is there any unnecessary details added that seems to be the trade mark of today's western authors.

This book was hard to put down. It was a great story to the end. Epsy Norwood gets to the bottom of the "syndicate" ranch problems but goes through much pain to get there.

I love Elmer Kelton's stories about boys growing up in the West! It was a hard life for everyone, but I think it was hardest on the boys.

Great book! I really like the way Elmer Kelton develops his characters, and their always seems to be a surprise at the end of the book!

Not what I'd hoped for. The plot was predictable with a surfeit of worn similes. Even so I enjoyed the character relationships. An ok read that would be most appropriate for a fifth or sixth grader...if you can find one who can read.

This was an excellent story about the changes in ranch life in Texas and the role of English syndicates in the ranch business. It was well paced and kept the reader engaged throughout the story. Youcrept Espy Norwood's anguish in deciding between his son's life and pursuing the cattle rustlers. His decision is based on a realistic assessment of his son's chances. I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy well written and realistic western stories.

This book tells the story like it could easily happened. It is realistic in the way things were. I ama decendent of a Texas Panhandle family and it was a tough life. It is hard to realize how much things have changed in the last 12 years.