Val Darrant was just four years old the snowy night his mother abandoned him. But instead of meeting a lonely death, he met Will Reilly—a gentleman, a gambler, and a worldly, self-taught scholar. For ten years they each were all the family the other had, traveling from dusty American boomtowns to the glittering cities of Belle Époque Europe—until the day Reilly’s luck ran out in a roar of gunfire. But it wasn’t a gambling brawl or a pack of thieves that sealed Will’s fate. It was a far more complex story that Val would soon uncover—one that would bring him face-to-face with the one person he least wants to see: his mother. With the help of a beautiful, street-smart rancher and the woman who was Will Reilly’s lost love, Val must close this last cruel chapter of his past before he can turn the page on an uncertain future.

As part of the Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures series, this edition contains exclusive bonus materials! Val Darrant was just four years old the snowy night his mother abandoned him. But instead of meeting a lonely death, he met Will Reilly—a gentleman, a gambler, and a worldly, self-taught scholar. For ten years they each were all the family the other had, traveling from dusty American boomtowns to the glittering cities of Belle Époque Europe—until the day Reilly’s luck ran out in a roar of gunfire. But it wasn’t a gambling brawl or a pack of thieves that sealed Will’s fate. It was a far more complex story that Val would soon uncover—one that would bring him face-to-face with the one person he least wants to see: his mother. With the help of a beautiful, street-smart rancher and the woman who was Will Reilly’s lost love, Val must close this last cruel chapter of his past before he can turn the page on an uncertain future. Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures is a project created to release some of the author’s more unconventional manuscripts from the family archives. In Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures: Volumes 1, Beau L’Amour takes the reader on a guided tour through many of the finished and unfinished short stories, novels, and treatments that his father was never able to publish during his lifetime. L’Amour’s never-before-seen first novel, No Traveller Returns, faithfully completed for this program, is a voyage into danger and violence on the high seas. These exciting publications will be followed by Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures: Volume 2. Additionally, many beloved classics will be rereleased with an exclusive Lost Treasures postscript featuring previously unpublished material, including outlines, plot notes, and alternate drafts. These postscripts tell the story behind the stories that millions of readers have come to know and cherish.

Growing up at the side of gambler Will Reilly, Val Darrant learns about the world of cards, violence, and luck until Reilly is killed, an event that sends Darrant on a quest for vengeance that tests a lifetime of dark lessons. Simultaneous.

"The author of 109 books which have collectively sold more than 200 million copies, Louis L'Amour is one of America's best-loved writers. His fictional accounts of life in the old west, full of colorful lore and homespun philosophy, have captured the imaginations of millions of devoted readers. Louis L'Amour is truly a publishing phenomenon." "Since the publication of Robert L. Gale's first study of L'Amour in Twayne's United States Authors Series (1985), much new material has appeared, including 16 new books, five of them posthumous (L'Amour died in 1988). This revised edition covers the full range of L'Amour's work. The book begins with a biographical chapter on L'Amour's life, drawing on information that has only recently become available. Gale then considers L'Amour's vast output, calling attention to its artistic merits as well as its defects. The book concludes with a consideration of L'Amour's literary style and his personal philosophy. Louis L'Amour, Revised Edition is a sympathetic yet critical study of the most popular western writer of all time, and the only scholarly work about L'Amour currently available. It will be of interest to students of American literature and popular culture, and a must for all library collections."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved