The Whispering Outlaw

by Max Brand

"Steady, Borgen," said a terrible and familiar murmur behind him. "Steady, man. If you turn, I shoot." There was a tidal wave of crime, of murder, of robbery. Here and there, separated at distances of five hundred or even a thousand miles, crimes were committed which were carefully prepared with a painful and laborious hand; and then they were executed in an instant by one or two bold spirits directed by one man - one quiet-voiced, uncannily brilliant outlaw who seemed to know everything before it happened - the Whisperer. Who was this whispering outlaw who could so easily slip through the hand of the lawmen Kenworthy and even baffle the seasoned and brutal gunman Lew Borgen, whom he drew to his ranks? What dark vengeance choreographed the far-flung criminal schemes of such a mysterious and evil genius? Find out in Max Brand's masterful classic western - The Whispering Outlaw.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction

317 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Frederick Schiller Faust (see also Frederick Faust), aka Frank Austin, George Owen Baxter, Walter C. Butler, George Challis, Evin Evan, Evan Evans, Frederick Faust, John Frederick, Frederick Frost, David Manning, Peter Henry Morland, Lee Bolt, Peter Dawson, Martin Dexter, Dennis Lawson, M.B., Hugh Owen, Nicholas Silver

Max Brand, one of America's most popular and prolific novelists and author of such enduring works as Destry Rides Again and the Doctor Kildare stories, died on the Italian front in 1944.

Reviews

[Ward G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lew Borgen was an outlaw.
He was not the best or worst. He made a living.

Then the Whisperer tracks him down.
Making a proposal, for Lew to be the front man.
The Whisperer was going to build a criminal empire.
A network to pull crimes, across the west.
Some of the worst and most dangerous outlaws soon Joining.
With none knowing the leaders identity.

The law is stirred up against him in time.
As the crime wave builds. Men deduce their was a mastermind.
Man hunters hired, to track him down.
The Whisperer a brilliant mind, and deadly fighter.
Yet the odds against him, keep getting worse.

Behind it all. The Whisperer has his own agenda.
For recruiting the men.
Behind the scenes he works at his true goal.
Then meets and falls for the Sheriff's daughter.
Another problem to solve.

I think the main thing I have against this one.
Is honestly, the main character. Is built up to much.
At one point, it is no longer believable how he does everything right.
Knows every move to make. Even anticipating, every move against him.

That said, there is an interesting back story. That is revealed by the end.
The Whisperers true goals. Why he became the dreaded outlaw.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had never heard of Max Brand until I picked up a copy of Classic Westerns, one of the newest Canterbury Classic leatherbound books at Costco. There were selections by Zane Grey, Owen Wister, and Willa Cather, all of whom I’m familiar with. But who was this Max Brand? There were two complete novels of his. I didn’t buy the book, but I checked for copies of Max Brand westerns in the library. That brought me to The Whispering Outlaw. It’s good in places, but the action jumps abruptly from one character to the next, breaking up any continuity the story might have had. There was nothing like the cohesiveness of a Louis L’Amour novel. Which brings me to my main point: How can you have a collection of classic westerns without Louis L’Amour? Somebody was really asleep on the job.

[Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

a.k.a. "The Whisperer" speaks in a low voice, organizes men to spread out to different s parts of the country to commit crimes where they don't live, lessening their chances of getting caught. SPOILER ALERT: but this is a tale of revenge on four men who killed his brother in California. He also meets and falls in love with the daughter of a rich sheriff. He is caught, escapes and goes to the governor to lay out his life story.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 1923 Western by Frederick Faust written under his better known penname Max Brand. Enjoyable western/mystery but it has naturally suffered some aging in the 90 years since it was written.

Western - The Whisperer hires Lew Borgen to recruit outlaws chosen to do his bidding. The outlaws get suspicious when they realize the Whisperer's cut also goes through Borgen. Rose Kenworthy, the sheriff's beautiful daughter, is entranced by a curious loner she discovers while walking through the woods. Will her father allow her to marry such a man?

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brand's settings are lovely, and he brings the West to life with his descriptions, but the plot and character development did not hang together. A disappointing conclusion to a promising start.