The Key-Lock Man

by Louis L'Amour

He had led the posse for miles through the desert, but now Matt Keelock was growing desperate. He was worried about Kristina. His trip to the town of Freedom for supplies had ended in a shootout. If caught he would hang. Even though Kris could handle a horse and rifle as well as most men, the possibility of Oskar Neerland’s finding her made Matt’s blood run cold. He knew the violent and obsessive Neerland, publicly embarrassed when Matt had stepped in and stolen Kris away, would try to kill them both if given half a chance. Matt tried to convince himself that Neerland had returned to the East. But Matt was wrong. Miles away in the town of Freedom, Oskar Neerland was accepting a new job. In his first duty as marshal, he would lead the posse that was tracking down Matt Keelock.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adventure, Audiobook, Action, Classics

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Louis Dearborn L'Amour was an American novelist and short story writer. His books consisted primarily of Western novels, though he called his work "frontier stories". His most widely known Western fiction works include Last of the Breed, Hondo, Shalako, and the Sackett series. L'Amour also wrote historical fiction (The Walking Drum), science fiction (The Haunted Mesa), non-fiction (Frontier), and poetry and short-story collections. Many of his stories were made into films. His books remain popular and most have gone through multiple printings. At the time of his death, almost all of his 105 existing works (89 novels, 14 short-story collections, and two full-length works of nonfiction) were still in print, and he was "one of the world's most popular writers".

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"[Matt Keelock] had never known freedom from danger, never since he was a child, and he had grown accustomed to watchfulness. It was something that had ingrained itself deeply. It did not show, but it was there in all his actions, and he was forever alert." -- on page 47

Although its title may suggest otherwise, author L'Amour's The Key-Lock Man is an ensemble piece of a western paperback. The story revolves more around the title character - so-called because his 'brand' is a key and a lock, in a nod to his Scottish-Irish surname of Keelock - being hunted by an impromptu posse after a self-defense killing in a burgeoning boom town of the 1870's. Realizing he will face a lynching rather than a fair trial, Keelock and his resilient new bride Kristina abscond into the untamed land of the Arizona-Utah border. Also in pursuit of the Keelocks are an outlaw type (he wanted Kristina for himself) and his toadies, plus a ragtag group who thinks Keelock is en route to the secret location of a legendary cache of gold known as 'The Lost Wagon.' This is all set up rather well in the initial 100 or so pages, but then it hurriedly becomes a collision of many characters akin to a non-comedic frontier version of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World in the final third of the story. Still, it was heartwarmingly amusing to imagine that the sturdy Keelocks and/or the young deputized rancher Neill were going to have great stories to tell their eventual respective children someday.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another of the first L'Amour books I read back in junior high (it's like a reading time capsule!). Cat and mouse plot with a lot of great descriptions of the Utah and Arizona deserts. Omniscient POV, and L'Amour makes full use of it, roving in and out of every character's head to provide a complete picture of the pursued and the pursuers. Saves the climax until the last couple of pages, so this is a page turner to the very end.

[Eva North · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, I just got done listening to this audiobook and my personal opinion, westerns weren't my first genre, however, this one was a little hard to get started into, but once I did, it was good. I like how they spoke of how the wife stood beside her husband and was treated like a spouse is supposed to, not like lots of books portray spouses.

[Wai Zin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A no nonsense, hardy outdoor man with his no less rock solid wife against enemies on all front.

A good book to pass the time.
Nothing spectacular.
But if you are a Western fan, this one is for you.
Ending was a bit rushed though.

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had a lot more twists and turns than I expected it to. Hidden treasure, wild horses, romance. This book had it all. Highly recommend for 14 and up due to some r*** threats.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Louis L’Amour story. A relatively short read, but good as always.

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not top-tier but still solid.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I occasionally get a hankerin’ for a Western, so when I was in the Library amongst the audiobooks I came across this one, thought I’d give it a listen. So this tells the story of Matt Key-Lock (or Keelock, I guess) who is being chased by a posse for allegedly murdering another man in the town of Freedom. He is with his wife, Kristina (Kris), a native of Denmark who grew up with horses, guns and farms, plucky sort that. She had come to America as sort of a mail-order bride to Oskar Neerland, of Freedom, who turned out to be an abusive, egocentric man, and whom she rejected and married Matt (uh-oh, I smell “A man scorned!”). Well, Neerland manages to get himself informally elected Sheriff of Freedom, giving him authority to chase down (and of course kill) Matt and perhaps Kris. He takes off, along with a couple of ne’er-do-wells, separately from the other members of the posse. The first part of the book describes the above characters, as well as the personalities of the members of the posse, some of whom are having some doubts about the veracity of the murder charge. So we have some internal conflict along the way, here.
There is a secondary story involving a years-ago heist of some wagons of gold, which appears to be hidden in the same part of the country this here chase is happening. At first the story seems quite disconnected to present events, but it all becomes clearer as the story progresses, with some satisfying surprises.
Another story involves Matt’s chasing a group of wild horses looking for a particular stallion, almost an obsession; problem is, that seems to distract from the main story and makes for a somewhat unsatisfying ending to the book, which, not unlike a Hercule Poirot mystery, brings all the characters together to ferret out the real “bad guys” and bring the denouement.
I have read some other Louis L’Amour books, which I believe are better than this one. Nonetheless, it kept my interest, and the narration by Jason Culp keeps things progressing, although his attempts at a Danish accent could use some work…

[Jenny Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matt keylock is hunted by a posse of men because of a shooting he is involved in. He protects his new wife and she does the same for him. It's not my favorite Lamour book but it's a good one.

[Steve Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listening to the beginning of this, a scene where a posse is following a wanted man in a desert, I realized it was a nearly identical pursuit that had appeared in a L’Amour short story I’d read earlier this year.

There are times when L’Amour’s formulaic and trope dependent writing gets to be a bit too much. His heroes often fall quickly in love with a woman (often a redhead). In this one the hero proposes to her within two minutes of meeting her. How do I know it was two minutes? The hero tells us. Of course the affection is instantly reciprocated.

As in other stories there is a hidden entrance to a secret pasture area that nobody knows about. The hero finds it, of course. In other stories it’s a secret entrance to a trail/pass/cave/watering hole.

But for all that, a fun read.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceeded my expectations.

[Chuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Exactly what you'd expect from a paperback western, just not for me.

[Rachel Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect little western, with action, atmosphere, and a romance that doesn't suck. As is common with L'Amour, while the man, Matt Keelock, is the hero, the female lead, Kristina, is believable and tough. Not too much is made of it, but the reason she ended up in America is because she shot the man who killed her father. ("You killed my father. Prepare to die.")

The final sequence, a lengthy desert shoot out/chase/ambush, is classic: Matt and Kris have been separated, Matt has been shot, the bad guys are closing in on both of them, AND a posse of good guys who are convinced that Matt is a murderer are also closing in.

People who want to write convincing suspense could do a lot worse than to study this book. I also have to note that if you like hurt-comfort, this is the book for you, also mostly because of the final sequence.

[Randy Grossman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apparently the second time I read this book. I was glancing at my comments from the first time and honestly couldn't remember much from the story. Glad I read it again, because it was just as exciting as most L'Amour books. In fact, I was reading it while waiting on a procedure at my hospital the other day and the Doctor who worked with me noticed and we exchanged a few positive comments on books by Mr L'Amour.

[Cathy Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. As always, I love the illustrations of men and women, founding this country, working hard, playing fair, brave & full of integrity. I wish I'd read all his books to my children as they grew up. Along with all of Ralph Moody's wonderful tomes. So entertaining! Yet make us better for the reading.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I am ever on the run (from anybody), I want this guy with me. Smart, smart, smart-- and wickedly funny.

[Larissa Clennon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adding this to my favorites shelf for L’Amour books.
Love the addition of the husband/wife team, wild horses, and making a life together among the chaos.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this guy! Clever+cowboy+adarnedgoodaim=a true western.

[Robert Mckay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a five star Louis L'Amour western. It's necessary to say that in the beginning, because if you try to compare this book with (for instance) Catch-22 or For Whom the Bell Tolls or The Virginian or Starship Troopers or The Time It Never Rained you'll think it doesn't deserve nearly so many stars. I consider Louis L'Amour's westerns to be their own separate category, and I rate them within that category. And in the category this is one of the best.

There's a posse on the trail of a man who shot someone in the back. While "the code of the west" wasn't necessarily as prevalent as Hollywood and books would have us believe, it is true that shooting someone in the back was the mark of a coward. There's a folk song which speaks of

The dirty little coward
Who shot Mr. Howard

referencing the murder of Jesse James, who was calling himself Thomas Howard at the time, by Bob Ford - who shot James in the back while he straightened a picture. And we remember James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok, and even the hand he was holding when he died, but not Jack McCall - who shot Hickock in the back. So when a man shot Johnny Webb in the back in Freedom, Arizona, the men of the town ride out to find and hang the man.

But it turns out that this isn't just some lowdown character. He apparently has a wife somewhere, he's obviously a careful and competent man in wild country, he can shoot very well, and he doesn't kill any of the posse even though he has the opportunity to do so. That's the beginning, but as the book goes on we get to see the Key-Lock man himself, and his wife, and some fictional history of the country - as well as the country itself, though L'Amour's descriptions in some places don't seem to entirely jibe with the map in the front of this edition. And as always, L'Amour is perhaps the best pure storyteller who ever wrote. He wasn't a great writer - he was merely competent, and the editing he got was never very high class either. But he could tell the living daylights out of a story, and I keep reading his stuff because that storytelling ability overrides the otherwise glaring flaws in his writing.

And speaking of flaws, one that really stands out here is the way the Key-Lock man's written communications are so much more ignorant than his speech. L'Amour did this all the time, of course, presenting the same character as alternately unlearned, and capable of very good English. And while it's true that the same person might communicate more formally in other instances than in others (I'm that way myself; the language in this review is more formal and correct than I use in casual conversation), it is not true that someone who can't spell anything, nor use any correct grammar, when he's writing a note will be able to speak coherently and grammatically when he's talking to someone. Someone may be able to speak and write either poorly or well as he pleases, but that requires the ability to use English properly. Someone who can't write proper English, doesn't know proper English, and therefore can't speak it either.

It was the instances of this inconsistency that are the only times my disbelief jars while reading this book. Otherwise, this is a great book for what it is. It doesn't aspire to great literature, and doesn't attain to it, but it is a great story, with someone telling it who is a master at storytelling.

[Ronnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

"... and suddenly he was shaken by a strange premonition that none of them would ever see Freedom again."

This one is fast-paced and reads almost like a comic book. The action is immediate, with the hero, Matt "the Key-Lock Man" Keelock, already being pursued by a misguided posse from the get-go. It takes no time at all to realize the posse doesn't stand a chance against the smarter and way more competent Keelock, even though he's outnumbered six to one. He makes them look foolish, and they respond in goofy frustration, but then, of course, he's no run-of-the-mill cowboy, having been "fightin' Indians" since he was 12 and knowing ancient Indian trails no one else does. Also, he's a horse whisperer and can take a bullet not just in but straight through the chest and keep going. As far-fetched as that sounds, the tale's heroine, Kristina, is the way more improbable character. A "pure blonde" from the north country who was raised "in court circles" among scholars in Europe, Kris can nevertheless dress a deer in the wilderness and is entirely OK being left alone in the desert in mysterious Puebloan cliff dwellings for weeks at a time. Plus, she's a sharpshooter and agrees to marry Keelock within two minutes of first seeing him. And pretty much nothing she says at any point sounds like anything a real person might say. Still, the book is a fun, short, palate-cleansing escape, even though there's never any question about how things are going to end up.

First lines:
"The man called Key-Lock was a man alone, and before him lay wilderness. Behind him were searching men, and each was armed, each carried a rope. Each rope was noosed for hanging, and each man was intent on the purpose of the chase."

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt Keelock is a man in trouble through no fault of his own. He found his wife Kris under strange circumstances and he left her at camp to go into town for supplies. While there, he was forced into a gunfight where a man was killed, and it appeared that he shot him in the back. Even though the man was a known troublemaker with a hot temper, a group of local men set out to find Matt and hang him for murder.
Matt is a man of the arid west, so he has no trouble dodging the men. However, he knows that he must get back to Kris, which means that he must become more visible. There is also the story of lost wagons of gold and how some of the men in the group were systematically murdered. One of the men kept a journal that revealed incomplete information regarding the location.
It is a game of cat-and-mouse between Matt and his pursuers, including one that has sworn deadly revenge because Kris refused to marry him. Matt proves to be a worthy opponent to all the forces aligned against him, although he does need help from Kris, and she proves to be a tough frontier woman.
This is a great story about life in the west and how the law was a dubious thing, enforced by men not always right, but often sure of themselves.

[Sean Cozart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally everyone: You can't write a worthful novel in 150 pages.
Louis L'Amour: Was that a challenge?

Another great novel from the greatest Western author of all time. Matt Keelock is now playing cat and mouse with the law after someone tested their luck on the draw. Bill Chesney is convinced that Keelock murdered his best friend in cold-blood and he vows to have him hanged. However, that isn't the only enemy Keelock has. Oskar Neerland is ready to settle a score after Keelock took his to-be wife, Kristina, and he wouldn't hesitate to kill either him or Kris.

I don't think I've ever been disappointed by a L'Amour story. There's ones that I favor over others but I have a hard time ranking one below five stars. What I especially like about this novel is how Matt and Kristina knew each other for what, two days, and they got married. But despite this lack of friendship beforehand, their development as couple was really sweet and how I wish every person could experience in their marriage and that is standing for your spouse and they do the same for you. Overall just a great story.

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a little more complex than many L'Amours. A Norwegian woman, Kris, becomes engaged to another Norwegian immigrant, Neerlund. He goes west and then she goes out to meet him, but realizes he's a brute and she's made a mistake. Matt Keelock is in town and she ends up riding out with him, but eventually, after a shooting while he is in town getting supplies, he has a posse after him. Kris is a very strong woman who thinks and acts for herself, which I liked. The posse is a complex group, young and old, experienced and less-so, some open-minded and some not. There is a possible gold stash in the mountains where they are all roaming, and one or two men who have been looking for the gold 16 years, ever since it was stashed; possibly some of the posse are interested, too. The cover on my edition is ridiculous, a fainting woman being supported by the hero; NOTHING like this in the book.

[Ward G · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one by the writer.
Simply to me, seemed to be thin, on credibility.

Parts of the story are good concepts.
A man wrongly accused of murder. On the run, chased by solid townsmen.
Later by an rival, given the rank of lawman. By people not knowing his true nature.

Along the trail, the men trying to run him down.
Growing in admiration of his skills, and character. By how the main character acts.
Along the trail of escape.
Their belief in his guilt fading, along with the miles.

That seems to work fairly well.
Yet most of the concept of the woman with him.
Her background, their meeting. Just seems to far of a stretch over all.

As usual L'amours attention to details, is impressive.
Painting a landscape or setting well, with few words.
Yet at times, this one just seemed to drag along. At times, slow boiling to any action.

Readable, but for sure. Not one of my favorites by the author.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Louis L'Amour book. I like westerns and didn't find this one difficult to get into. I was impressed with the author's skill with words and I can see myself reading more of his books because of it. Just read the first paragraph and you'll have a feel for the style of writing. "Behind him were searching men, and each was armed, and each carried a rope. Each rope was noosed for hanging, and each man was intent on the purpose of the chase." The story moved quickly and the imagery was easy to imagine. I have two criticisms, for which I have removed a star. First, I wasn't expecting the swearing. I don't think it was necessary and it took away from the story for me. If you're listening to the audiobook with kids in the car, note that there are also violent sexual references. They're obvious, though not explicit. My second criticism is specific to the audiobook version. The narrator voiced the female character and it never sounded right, particularly in the serious moments. Just imagine a man imitating a higher-pitched woman's voice. But four stars to me means it's still a worthwhile story.

[John Reis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matt Keelock is on the run from two posses. One is hunting him down for a killing back in Freedom. The other is led by a man, Neerland, who has a grudge against Matt. Kristina chose him over Neerland.

Matt leads the posse in the general direction of a lost treasure called the Lost Wagons in the hope they would get distracted with thoughts of all that gold and abandon their pursuit of him.

Matt has plans that do not include gold. He hopes to raise horses and he is in the area to chase down a beautiful thoroughbred he sees now and then in his travels. They find those wild horses just as the first posse finds them. Matt is shot twice and falls into a crevasse. Kristina shoots one of the men and flees to their planned rendezvous point. That night she falls asleep and is found by the second posse in the morning.

This was a goods little story.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pursuit plot L'Amour novel that was exceptionally good in the first half and then fairly standard in the last. What I liked about the first half was the perspective of the pursuers. Everything was believable about what made the keylock man difficult to hunt, and the attitudes of each man involved made everything feel even more real. I've read over a 1000 books and few authors seem to be able to match L'Amour's ability to create a rugged landscape with competent figures. It is regrettable he isn't as read as widely as before and that people didn't take his kind of books as lessons for their own works, particularly in visual media. That being said, rarely do I find every part of L'Amour's stuff intriguing, but when he hits the mark he really hits the mark well.

[Fanni44 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Going into this book I thought that this is going to be a definite 3 stars, like the last Louis L’Amour book I’ve read. I mean I didn’t even know what this book was even about.
Then in the beginning I was like: well this is actually quite funny and I kinda enjoy it. Maybe this could be a 4 star book?
Well no…the first 50 pages were really good like I really enjoyed it, but after that it just went downfalls. And I could barely finish it today I was just so bored and couldn’t picture what the fawk was happening.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I spent my childhood ingesting a steady diet of Louis L'Amour provided to me by an aunt who volunteered at a thrift store. It's been a couple decades and I decided to check if my library had any Louis L'Amour audio books. Boy did they ever! This one was not familiar and I don't think I'd read it before. This was a typical L'Amour novel. Rugged man saves beautiful woman, outfoxes evil villains, and they ride off happily into the sunset. This was originally an audio CD so the original gaps between CDs are still in the audio.

[Delonna Oskouee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is quite unique. . .

Our hero is a very different kind of guy, but has so many tricks up his sleeves that you never know what to expect next. I won't give up the plot, but it's refreshing and at the same time it's a long run for his life. The posse catches him and he explains why he didn't shoot Johnny in the back. A few of them split from the posse and convince more of the townspeople that Matt Keelock fought a fair fight, so they take off to try to save him. More kudos to Mr. L'Amour!!