The Proving Trail: A Novel [Paperback]

Louis L'Amour (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1985

They tried to tell him that his father had killed himself, but Kearney McRaven knew better. No matter what life had dealt him, his father would go down fighting. And as he delved deeper into the mystery, he learned that just before his father died, the elder McRaven had experienced a remarkable run of luck: he’d won nearly ten thousand dollars and the deed to a cattle ranch.

Not yet eighteen, Kearney was determined enough to track down his father’s murderer and claim what was rightfully his. Now, followed every step of the way by a shadowy figure, Kearney must solve the mystery of his father’s hidden past—a past that concealed a cold-blooded killer who would stop at nothing to keep a chilling secret.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Folks tried to tell him that his father had killed himself, but Kearney McRaven knew better. His pa was no quitter. Then the boy discovered that just before the bullet had found him, the elder McRaven had had a remarkable run of luck. He'd won nearly ten thousand dollars and the deed to a cattle ranch. So Kearney decided to go after what was rightfully his... even if it bought him some man-size trouble. Now, hunted for reasons he can't fathom, Kearney must discover the truth about his father's murder--before the vicious thugs on his trail succeed in putting another McRaven in his grave.

From the Inside Flap

The Wild West of Louis L?Amour lives on in a daring tale of adventure and suspense that will prove the making of a man ? or lead to his death.

Folks tried to tell him that his father had killed himself, but Kearney McRaven knew better. His pa was no quitter.

Then the boy discovered that just before the bullet had found him, the elder McRaven had had a remarkable run of luck. He'd won nearly ten thousand dollars and the deed to a cattle ranch. So Kearney decided to go after what was rightfully his ... even if it bought him some man-size trouble.

Kearney tracks his father?s killer from Silverton to the Spanish Peaks, determined to bring the murderer to justice. But he is unaware that he is being tracked at the same time ? by the murderous thugs who put his father in the grave ? and are more than willing to send another McRaven along the same route.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (May 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553253042
• ISBN-13: 978-0553253047
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.8 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #186,750 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"I think of myself in the oral tradition--as a troubadour, a village tale-teller, the man in the shadows of a campfire. That's the way I'd like to be remembered--as a storyteller. A good storyteller."

It is doubtful that any author could be as at home in the world re-created in his novels as Louis Dearborn L'Amour. Not only could he physically fill the boots of the rugged characters he wrote about, but he literally "walked the land my characters walk." His personal experiences as well as his lifelong devotion to historical research combined to give Mr. L'Amour the unique knowledge and understanding of people, events, and the challenge of the American frontier that became the hallmarks of his popularity.

Of French-Irish descent, Mr. L'Amour could trace his own in North America back to the early 1600s and follow their steady progression westward, "always on the frontier." As a boy growing up in Jamestown, North Dakota, he absorbed all he could about his family's frontier heritage, including the story of his great-grandfather who was scalped by Sioux warriors.

Spurred by an eager curiosity and desire to broaden his horizons, Mr. L'Amour left home at the age of fifteen and enjoyed a wide variety of jobs, including seaman, lumberjack, elephant handler, skinner of dead cattle, and miner, and was an officer in the transportation corps during World War II. During his "yondering" days he also circled the world on a freighter, sailed a dhow on the Red Sea, was shipwrecked in the West Indies and stranded in the Mojave Desert. He won fifty-one of fifty-nine fights as a professional boxer and worked as a journalist and lecturer. He was a voracious reader and collector of rare books. His personal library contained 17,000 volumes.

Mr. L'Amour "wanted to write almost from the time I could talk." After developing a widespread following for his many frontiers and adventure stories written for fiction magazines, Mr. L'Amour published his first full length novel, Hondo, in the United States in 1953. Every one of his more than 120 books is in print; there are more than 300 million copies of his books in print worldwide, making him one of the bestselling authors in modern literary history. His books have been translated into twenty languages, and more than forty-five of his novels and stories have been made into feature films and television movies.

The recipient of many great honor and awards, in 1983 Mr. L'Amour became the first novelist to ever to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by the United States Congress in honor of his life's work. In 1984 he was also awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Reagan.

Louis L'Amour died on June 10, 1988. His wife, Kathy, and their two children, Beau and Angelique, carry the L'Amour publishing tradition forward with new books written by the author during his lifetime to be published by Bantam.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great western!, February 4, 2006

By 

lordhoot "lordhoot" (Anchorage, Alaska USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Proving Trail: A Novel (Paperback)

Proving Trail really does proves that Louis L'Amour was one of our great western writers. The story centered around a young man, Kearney McRaven who was told that his father committed suicide but later learned that he was murdered. His quest for justice, revenge and recovering what should be his' is written in a highly skilled and easy to read book by late Louis L'Amour.

The story read very well, interesting characters that dotted L'Amour's landscrape as well as the plot that expand in complexity while maintaining an quick pace. I believed this is one of Louis L'Amour's better efforts. His diverse characters are better developed and easily blend into the story. Mystery, romance, gunfights, there are something for everyone in this book.

I am bit surprised that there isn't a movie made from this book. The source material is ideal for a good western. This book come highly recommended for any western reader fan, mandatory for any Louis L'Amour fan and anyone who like to read an entertaining quick reading book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best!, August 20, 2008

By 

Avid Reader (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Proving Trail: A Novel (Paperback)

I won't sum up the plot, it's been done several times already on this page. I love this book. This is L'Amour's writing at it's best. It's a coming of age story, a mystery,and a western all at once. Excellent.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for a cold/rainy day......., January 25, 2008

By 

Donald Hunt "K-9 1" (Fayetteville, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Proving Trail: A Novel (Paperback)

A good read for a quiet winters day, not a real long story, only 277 pages.

Good story that keeps moving along and has as many twists and turns, as the trail that the young hero takes us on.

Line up your friends and watch your backtrail.