The Trail to Crazy Man

L'Amour's Original Version

By: Louis L'Amour

Narrated by: Randal Schaffer

Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

The uncut, unrevised original text, as L'Amour intended it.

Rafe Caradec had been raised to a hard life in a hard land where death lurked behind every bush and in most men's eyes. Only his courage and his gun had sustained him. That and the unflinching honor that had earned him the respect of every man.

Now, that honor was about to lead him into deadly danger against the greatest odds he had ever faced. For Rafe had given his word to a dying man and could not go back on it. The man had been murdered by a cabal of greedy ranchers who wanted his land, and Rafe had sworn to protect that land for the man's wife and infant daughter.

But when he told her his story, the wife didn't believe him. She knew someone was after the ranch, and she thought it was Rafe. So she betrayed him into the hands of the very men who had killed her husband.

If Rafe Caradec lived, he would have to wage a one man range war against impossible odds, with a woman who wanted him dead waiting if he survived.

This edition is based on the original magazine version of this novel as Louis L'Amour first visualized it. Trail to Crazy Man was published in the July 1948 issue of the pulp magazine, West. Later, he lengthened the story for his book publishers and changed the title to Crossfire Trail. Some of his fans consider the novels as he wrote them for the magazines to be stronger than their subsequent expansions. L'Amour and other fans disagreed. Both camps agree that the original versions have all the strengths of his best writing and a taut, fast-moving pace that never stints on characterization.

Special introduction about L'Amour's pulp career and pulp novels.

©2014 Jean Marie Stine (P)2018 Jean Marie Stine

L’amour as he was meant to be heard

This is one of the stories about hard men with hard lives, boring and hard times. The kind of thing that Louis l’Amour excels at. This is one of his finer books in my opinion, Rafe is an excellent character. And his reaction to the suffering he has to endure and his reaction to it borders on being legendary.

These are the books that men are like Wyatt, Earp, and Doc Holliday would have loved back in the day. These are gunmen and cowboys struggling just to make it through one more day. This is the uncut version of an amazing story, and I don’t know why anybody would trim this thing down but this proves it should never been touched.

Randall Schaeffer nails this story down like a coffin lid in the cemetery. He is a voice actor extraordinaire.

I loved this book and want to see what else was left out of Louis’s other stories. What

Another great western

Louis L'amour, that says it all, you know the story will be a great one!
The Narrator, the Narrator does a superb job, you will quickly lose yourself & enter the world of the old west.
I can not recommend a better Author or Narrator .

YEEEHAW!

I remember reading this many years ago. This narrator does an excellent job of bringing the story to life.

Great listen

If you like traditional westerns with cowboys,Indians and lots of action this is for you. Well performed.

Outstanding

My uncle used to rave about Louis L'Amour, so when I got the opportunity to listen to this one for free, I jumped at the chance. Suffice it to say, I was not disappointed. In fact, it's made a new fan out of me. Sure it's a bit on the short side, but you can't go wrong here. Great characters, great story, great narration. There's no cursing and no sex either. Five stars all around.

The Trail to Crazy Man review

An outstanding, entertaining western tale with great characters, story/writing and narration. Five stars and worth it.

Good Louis L'Amour Western

Story of a Cowboy who ends up on a ship and then escapes to return to USA Texas.
Nicely written story of a quiet low key cowboy and his friends out to help their mutual friend that died and left a wife & daughter. Narrator did a good job with the characters.

A nice easy listen!

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were a lot more tangible than the other books I’ve listened to by Louis L’Amore.
My favourite part was definitely the court case. Very cleverly done!

Thank you to the narrator for doing a great job.

I marked it down with one point because the plot seemed to be very similar to two other books I’ve listened. It made the story a bit predictable.

very good

Rafe had more integrity , honesty , and loyalty in his pinkie than Dan or Bruce had in their whole body. Corruption and greed and morale high ground to stand on between these two ruthless killers. I enjoyed the drama and action. I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this and am giving an honest review. The narrator did a great job bringing it to life.

Top notch!

Wonderful narration of a great story. L"amour is one of the best Western writers to ever put pen to paper and this story is a great example of that. Nobody could describe a knock down- drag out the way Louis could, he gives the reader a front row seat.