January Book of The Month

Hondo

Louis L’Amour

Set in the harsh deserts of Arizona in the late 1800s, Hondo follows Hondo Lane, a lone army scout and gunman who understands both the world of the U.S. Cavalry and the ways of the Apache. After losing his horse in an ambush, he stumbles onto a remote ranch run by Angie Lowe, a determined young woman raising her son Johnny alone after being abandoned by her husband. Their fragile peace sits in the middle of Apache country, just as war is brewing under the leadership of the Apache chief Vittoro.

As tensions rise between settlers, soldiers, and Apaches, Hondo is torn between duty, survival, and the growing bond he feels with Angie and Johnny. The novel blends classic Western elements—lonely riders, dangerous trails, sudden violence—with a surprisingly tender look at family, honor, and what it means to be “a good man” in a brutal landscape. L’Amour also gives the Apache a more nuanced treatment than many Westerns of his era, showing their codes of loyalty, courage, and justice alongside the inevitable clash with encroaching settlers.