Review of Passin' Through

review of book, activity

         Not difficult to read, this story keeps you on the edge of your seat. The title is actually a man's name, or nickname. The story is set in the west in the last part of the 1800's. In that sparsely settled area, whatever label someone threw on a man became his title. When someone asked the main character what he was doing, he replied, "Passin' through." So, he was addressed as Mr. Passin, no questions asked. We get the sense that this character is a moral, upright man, although he never expresses that sentiment. He has a knack for drawing attention and for being in troubling situations.

         He begins the tale by narrowly escaping hanging, mostly due to the ineptitude of his assailants. He comes to a sparsely populated area and ends up on a ranch, hungry and tired. The ranch is occupied by two women, new to the area, who do not farm. They need help and he needs a place to hide, so they feed him, let him sleep in the barn, and he works all day fixing the place up, although they don't show any interest in it. It seems safe to him, but soon he discovers not all is as it seems. He will need all his cunning, skills, and endurance to save himself.

         It has intrigue, danger, romance, even a little property and inheritance law. There are no real heroes. The bad guys are either comical or really slick and devious. Mr. Passin' is about the only one who is moral by our modern standards or desiring of doing the right thing.

         This was copyrighted in 1982.
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