Rating: 
Summary: Empty, Desolate...Thrilling.
Review: This was better than Lonesome Dove, which to me seemed long winded, and not half as punchy and raw as this. Garza's psychopathy is rendered compellingly, his hatred of his own mother is chilling, and the duty she feels she has to him, to stop him from being the monster he has been for so long under her nose, is tragic, unsettling, a thing of curious and bewitching beauty.Call has the aspect of an elemental, with his long silences and astonishing strength he resembles more a force of nature than just a man. It seems scarey to me that I, and I'm sure many others, can be so taken with this quiet and driven man. Maybe he is the best ranger ever invented, pure and simple. I don't know. His persistence and sense of duty will never be more eloquently displayed than in the last half of this book. And then there's Famous Shoes, and Mox Mox the man burner, great characters both, and the set pieces, like the escape from Crow town at night, preceeded by the death of the satanic piglord, these are all contrivances, great brushstrokes with which to paint such marvellous characters. Where Lonesome Dove was vibrant and filled with a passion for life and the frontier, this book takes us through the dust, and the plains, the hot dry desert and the emptiness that tugs so mercilessly at our composure. It is a powerful book, an intelligent and shocking book, and is beyond a doubt my favourite of McMurtys. You HAVE to read it. Really. You've got to. Honest.
Rating: 
Summary: If you can get past the first chapter.
Review: Though not a normal fan of 'westerns', Lonesome Dove was the kind of book that had me up-all-night turning pages. In fact, as I neared the end, I was so unwilling to finish the experience that I only allowed myself small 'doses' as reward for doing things I normally find unpleasant. Having said that, 'Streets of Laredo' was a book I eagerly awaited and bought in hard cover on it's first day on the shelf. I put it down, furious after reading only a small part of the first chapter and wrote immediately to Mr. McMurtry in protest because Pea-Eye and Lorena were together. There was nothing in 'Lonesome Dove' to give it validity. About three years later, I again picked up the book and read it. (Only because it was there and I was looking for something to read.) This time around I was no less irritated with the start, but I was glad to have continued past it. Mr. McMurtry is an outstanding storyteller and his characters are incredibly real. I highly recommend that you read this particular series.
Rating:
Summary: A big drop-off from Lonesome Dove and Comanche Moon
Review: Unlike Lonesome Dove and Comanche Moon, Streets of Laredo was a chore. Much of the time the book deals with senseless brutality, graphic violence, death, and characters that you just don't care too much about. Whereas I loved LD and CM, I would recommend a pass on this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Great but...
Review: Well, this is supposedly the end of the Western tetralogy that started with "Dead Man's Walk". The human side of the characters is here- the ability McMurtry has of creating characters readers care about, is here. This book differs from the others in the fact that it is much more heavily accented with a brutal, dramatic tone. Yet that does not suggest this book should be tossed aside as trivial trash that glorifies in graphic violence and blood and guts flying everywhere. Violent people like Joey Garza, Wesley John Hardin and Mox Mox exist unfortunately, and their creation in these pages is simply McMurtry's attempt to recreate the brutality of that kind of life. The graphic violence is what adds the color to the book, I would say, and it proves indispensable to make this a book as good as I herald it. Yet... I finished it, and I did so with a feeling of "is that it?" The future of certain characters was left still to be decided. Does that mean a fifth book in the series is in the making, perhaps? It would certainly be nice if such an idea was considered, maybe it wouldn't do McMurtry any harm if he sat back and thought about that for a while. Summing up, these four books really were pretty much very interesting and I'd recommend them to anyone who isn't intimidated by lengthy novels.
Rating:
Summary: doesn't quite measure up...
Review: While it has been a while since I have read this book, after reading the other reviews, I may have to go back and read it again.
I did not like the way that the author killed off my favorite characters from LD in the first few chapters. To get rid of Newt and Clara was just cruel. Newt especially could have developed into an awesome character.
I also did not like the pairing of Lorena and Pea Eye. This was just too much of a stretch for me to believe. I would rather have her with Dish or even Newt. Pea Eye was just not who I would have picked for her.
Granted, I am not the author and while I greatly respect Larry McMurtry and his work, I was disappointed with this.
I also do not remember the "man burner" being in LD. Lorena said that he was in the gang that kidnapped her and after re-reading LD many many times, I still cannot find reference to him. I am going to have to buy Commanche Moon and read the whole series from start to finish.
Rating:
Summary: Great read - but saddened by the realism portrayed
Review: Wow it was tough way back then. The gritty realism of the life on the frontier really struck home. Desperate men ( and women ) just trying to stay alive. Larry Mc has done a great job of bringing it all home to us modern day would be adventurers. Characters have been portrayed vividly and one must even start to warm to the good old Captn Call despite all his failures. The fringe characters ( in this book ) Clara, Dish, and some of the old hat Creek mob et al may have done with a little more story, but maybe, I guess, that would have detracted from the story line presented . I admired Lorena and her devotion but Maria deserved a better fate than being done in by her no good son - but thats life on the frontier I suppose. Just one question though - how does The Captain effectively sharpen all those tools with one arm ?? Great stuff Larry - I'll be a fan for life !!
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