Horseman, Pass By

by Larry McMurtry Book 1 in the Thalia, Texas and Duane Moore series.

First published 1961

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Teenager Lonnie Bannon lives on his grandfather Homer’s cattle ranch outside Thalia and watches a conflict grow between the old rancher and Lonnie’s ruthless step-uncle Hud. A livestock disease places the herd and the family’s livelihood at risk.

Hud treats the crisis as an opportunity to take control, while Homer tries to preserve standards that no longer command the household. Lonnie’s coming of age is shaped by violence, divided loyalty and the decline of the ranching world he expected to inherit.