Rating: 
Summary: Old West Revisited
Review: Beautifully written by a wordsmith of the highest order, this dark, gritty, complex story pits youthful bravado against experienced evil in the Old West. The near-abandoned mining town of Twenty Mile Wyo. is the setting for a confrontation between the innocent townfolk, including: three prostitutes, a virgin, her family and Matthew Dubchuk a.k.a. the Ringo Kid versus three escaped prisoners led by Hamilton Leider, a deranged patriot who demands respect and controls through violence.Trevanian captures the spirit of the Old West through this basic struggle between good and evil. The story is funny, sad and certainly thought-provoking. It is the type of story that will be long remembered and probably re-read merely for the pure enjoyment and pleasure of it.
Rating: 
Summary: Story-telling at it's finest. . .
Review: First of all, for the past 20 years, I have read fantasy and SF almost exclusively. So, when my wife suggested I read this book, I would have never given it a second thought, except for the fact that she’s usually always right. And I’m glad I went with my husbandly instinct, because this is one great book!! I have read very few westerns in my life. The short list consists of “The Virginian”, “Lonesome Dove”, and the little-known, yet excellent. “Monty Walsh”. But, on closer retrospection, I realized that these books, though placed in the American West of the 19th Century, are primarily books about people. And, they are books about seemingly ordinary people in harsh times. Their beauty is in how these people deal with or, if necessary, overcome their conditions. “Incident at Twenty-Mile” neatly falls into this same category. I must also say that the author is a storyteller *par excellence*. This is both one of the best and best-written books I have read in a long, long time. I was captivated by the first pages and never felt let down. The narrative is in some ways documentary, but keeps taking twists and bends along the way. The characters come alive as the story unfolds. We start in a town that is well on its way to becoming a ghost town. We meet the seemingly normal people that inhabit it. Then, the mysterious stranger comes to town. . . But, it’s not what you’re thinking!! We have some ideas about Matt, the stranger as time goes on, but we’re not really sure where we’re being led. What does happen, though, is that during each conversation he has with one of the townsfolk, a little more of the veneer comes off of the characters. Before we know it, everyone in town is revealed as a “damaged” person, to use the author’s own term. The book is essentially Matt’s story, and he plays out the hand he feels he was dealt. He adopts the townspeople as his responsibility and protects them, as he feels is his destiny. I’ll let you all read the story to see how that all comes out with my only *caveat* being it’s not what you might expect. This is a masterful story told by a master. Suffice it to say, I’m glad the Kleenex box was handy when I finished the book. Some earlier reviewers find fault with this book by questioning is “authenticity” and by pointing out seeming anachronisms. Hey, that’s why it’s called *fiction*. . . I have quoted Don Henley in some of my prior reviews on Amazon.com, and will most likely continue to do so – “Get over it. . .” This story could have been set in any place or period and it would still be a great story. It works in the west because the harshness of the environment and the borderline lawlessness implicit in the times give it the framework and room it needs to develop. I have faith the author could have place it in Victorian England and that it still would have been as strong. All in all, this is as good a book as I have ever read, and I’ve read a lot. If you’re not a western fan, don’t sweat it – neither am I. But if you love a great story, great characters, and a great read, this one’s for you.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I am not one for westerns, but Mr. Trevanian has outdone himself with this one! It grabs you from the beginning with a Hanibal Lecteresque character escaping from jail. You keep waiting for him to arrive at Twenty Mile. Meanwhile in Twenty Mile we are introduced to the inhabitants of the town. All of them are basically "losers" that are trapped in a dying town, left over from the silver craze. Each is trapped because of personal problems. Along comes Matthew, a young man with a lot of energy and a gift for conning people, but in a nice way. Little by little Mathew wins the good graces of most of the townsfolk and we get to find out that maybe some of them really aren't "losers" after all. Mr. Trevanian seems to be extremely talented multi-dimensional writer as the style of this book is so different from other works I have read (The Eiger Sanction and The Summer of Katya). But each book I have thoroughly enjoyed.
Rating: 
Summary: No Idea of the Author's Intent
Review: I loved Tevanian's "Shibumi," and as I have often found that a good author is worth following, I have tried two other of his books: "The Main," and this one. And sadly, I have been profoundly disappointed by both.
I have no idea what Trevanian's purpose was in writing this novel. Was he trying a deconstruction of the Western genre, a la Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven?" Was he trying to make some strange point regarding the Western in general? What purpose did he possibly think he was serving by presenting us with all these unpleasant characters in a profoundly unpleasant situation? And then (sorry for the spoiler, folks) putting on a depressing ending to boot? I am utterly baffled.
I must add that I am further suspicious of Trevanian's motives; part of the way through this (very short) book, I began to suspect that he was sneering down his nose at all us American Western-lovers (I, by the way, am not a very big fan of Westerns [e.g., my favorite film "Western" is either "Little Big Man," or "The Shootist," neither of which can really be considered conventional westerns]--and I got a very strong impression that he was condescending to us to write a "literary" Western novel. Whatever the hell that is.)
In any even, I cannot recommend this book. The characters are unpleasant. The plot is unpleasant. The outcome is unpleasant. And the miasma of authorial sneering (for me) hung over the entire novel. I would give this one a firm miss.
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed feelings, interesting but slow
Review: I picked up this book because many years ago I read Shibumi and while I can't remember enough of that novel to write a review for it, I can remember that it was a very good action/adventure/thriller type novel. I have never been interested in the Western genre, but since I knew I liked the author here, I thought I'd give it a try. The problem with reviewing this book is that I'm not familiar with Western's so I have nothing to compare it too. From my perspective, this book was all right, but not really my cup of tea. Is that because I don't like the genre or because it wasn't done as well as the normal Western? I have no idea. I will say I enjoyed the historical aspect of the book and I really liked reading the after word in which Trevanian tells what happened to the characters in real life after the adventure/tragedy that came into their lives. I'd recommend this book to someone interested in Western's, even though it's not Trevanian's normal territory, it's a well written book (albeit a bit slow and laborious at times) and because the book is based on real events, it's historically interesting even though much of it is conjecture. I do think it would make a very good movie, if cast and adapted correctly, simply because the story is pretty straight forward, main action all happens in the course of just a few days, and the bad guy is evil enough and interesting enough to grab and hold interest.
Rating:
Summary: Incident At Twenty Mile
Review: Incident at twenty mile is one hell of a pleasure to read, one of a kind. Breathtaking, riveting, and thrilling is a great way to define this book. "he had torn a strip off his blanket. One end tied to a bar and the other around his neck".Trevanians story tells about a deserted town a young, eager to please stranger carrying a homemade shotgun and a staggering secret. And a madman escaped from the Territorial Prison at Laramie, with two insane killers at his side. For the people at Twenty mile live in terror of the madmen. It is trilling in this way "the two men were pressed face to face, the landyard threaded through lieders strong fingers. He made a fist twisted until Tillman's eyes bulged". This story holds its ground and keeps you on your toes.Breathtaking, riveting, thrilling and much more is what this story is.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Looks like a must have. Very slow, not compelling, too easy to put aside for something better. Not his best book.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting
Review: Okay, I will admit that I was born in Wyoming and know the area of this story quite well. That said, I really appreciated Trevanian's portrayal of this isolated town, so close to the site of the the famous Owen Wister's VIRGINIAN. As always, he tells a gripping tale. The characters are stereotypic yet unforgettable.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the read
Review: One part Western, one part thriller, all parts enjoyable. This is the only way I can begin to describe this book. Incident at Twenty Mile is the first story set in the old west that I have ever read. While not a fan of the Western genre, Trevanian blends the right mixture of action-infused thriller with the charm of the old west. Characters galore grace the pages of this book, and even the most minute of them jumps off the pages and onto the canvas of imagination. A dying mining town witnesses the arrival of a 'natural born con' named Matthew, and the story sets in motion, as Matthew ingratiates himself into the townspeoples' lives and employment. The town finds itself under seige by an escaped criminal, and Matthew reluctantly becomes the hero he always imagined himself while reading the pages of his favorite writer and trying to invoke the style and ideals of his favorite character, The Ringo Kid. The book has many sad moments, as the criminal, Lieder, claims a number of victims, before justice is served. The story, setting, and characters are all very well developed and realized. I read the last half of this book in one sitting, finding myself unable to put it down, even as the hours ticked by. This is a very entertaining read, highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: PARDON MY RANTINGS AND OVERLY-LONG SENTENCES
Review: Set in the twilight years of the American Frontier, Incident at Twenty-Mile is the story of a mentally disturbed young drifter who becomes the saviour of a dying Wyoming mining town from a murderous fugitive outlaw and his gang. Essentially a deconstruction of the romance of America's Wild West, this book has a strong feeling of redundancy for the simple reason that the romance of the Wild West has been deconstructed so many times that IATM's attempt to do so yet again seems like little more than a cliche. And while this book does have Trevanian's typically clever and admittedly good turn-of-phrase to sustain the reader, like his other novels, it's ability to please is dependant on the historical, social, and cultural myopia of the author's fans. While the Anglo-American expansion (or whatever you wish to call it) across the American continent was often and undeniably violent, invasive, destructive, and tawdry, like all other human endevors, it simultaneously also had many acts of nobility, elegance, and grace. This book is more of an example of the author's knee-jerk anti-American establishment stance (typical of the Vietnam Era's academic community and of which he was a member) than an honest or accurate portrayal of American social culture. And if you've ever read real literature rather than just the facile "airport reading" that Trevanian puts out, you might realize there's a tangible difference between having a writting style that's based on being merely persuasive and one that's aimed at being true or realistic. Whether fiction or non-fiction, good writting (Trevanian's semantic acrobatics included) has intrinsically at least the attempt of being unbiased, rather than the uninhibited and self-indulgent rantings of someone who's sole purpose is snide and biggoted deprecation. If you happen to find any agreement with what I wrote in this review and therefore might consider my suggestions, Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian" is a far better novel about the American West than IATM. Also his more contemporary Border Triology (All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, Cities on the Plain) are far more substantial than anything Trevanian ever put out. Other preferable works include Black Elk Speaks, Larry McMurty's (sp?) Lonesome Dove, and the films Ride with the Devil (starring Tobey McGuire of Spiderman fame and about Confederate guerilla fighters in Missouri during the American Civil War) and the mini-series produced by Ken Burns entitled The West.
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