The Iron Marshal

A Triple Cross

I have read most of Louis L’Amour’s books over the years. According to my records, I read “The Iron Marshal” when it first came out in 1979. I was looking for a western to read and decided to re-read this one. This book is a bit different from the usual L’Amour hero in that Tom Shanaghy was an Irish immigrant that ended up working as an enforcer for an Irish gang in New York City. He decided to head west and ended up in a small Kansas town that was looking to hire a town marshal. Tom applies and got the job. He found himself caught in the middle of a feud and a robbery that used the feud for a cover. Tom had a disadvantage as he was a city boy and not a cowboy.

The book is well written. The characters are interesting. L’Amour has a way of bringing his characters to life for the reader. The plot twists and turns and there are multiple plot lines. The pace is fast and there is some humor, fist fights and old fashion detective work. L’Amour always has a moral to his stories and also comments on ethics for example “ride for the brand”, “give an honest day’s work” and “pride in a job well done”. L’Amour is a master story teller who does not rely on sex and profanity to tell a story. L’Amour (1908-1988) was a prolific writer and wrote in a number of genre including poetry. He had many nom-de-plums. He is primarily known for his westerns and screen writing.

The book is six and a half hours long. Erick Singer does a good job narrating the book. Singer is an actor and award-winning audiobook narrator.

9 people found this helpful

Slightly different tone, absolutely great

What did you love best about The Iron Marshal?

It is recognizably L'Amour -- I've read and loved so many of his novels and short stories. This one is a little different story line and characters than the other westerns. Like the others, it hangs together well. This is my new favorite. An interesting mystery. The main character plausibly develops over the course of the story. Lots of action.

2 people found this helpful

Gripping story!

In my opinion one of the best Lamour stories, and I've read many.
Beautifully narrated too!

1 person found this helpful

The Iron Marshall by Louis L'Amour

I have read many books by Louis L'Amour but this was quite different. It starts off in Ireland than New York and finally the western frontier. It is full of interesting characters and I greatly enjoyed it. Erik Singer, the narrator was wonderful. I loved his Irish & Western accents.

1 person found this helpful

Louis L'Amour is one fine storyteller!

Terrific story, well told, narrated excellently. i thoroughly enjoyed listening to an old favorite, indeed.

The Iron Marshal

Exellent narrator I look forward to listening to many more books by Louis Lamour.
Love Erik Singer.

Excellent Prose and Performance

Story a bit longer than most L'Amour books but very good. Erik Singer is an excellent linguist and actor -- many accents and ad libs such as chuckles, heavy breathing after a fight scene, musings.

Liked the audio version

Good character voices. Nice narration style made for easy listening.
I enjoyed spending the time listening to the story play out.

Yes,

This story was a conflict wriden plot with complex characters and reading it three times was exciting.I enjoyed it even more Once I developed a clear understanding of how the mystery was to unfolded

Loved it

A good story the narration was excellent. I have beeñ a fan of westerns since childhood. Louis L'Amour is the best