THE BOOK FAIR

Review:

Born in Maine in 1909, Clark later became one of Nevada’s most popular and famed writers. “The Ox-Bow Incident”, an allegory depicting mob rule and mob justice under the pretension of law and order, was later made into a film.  Clark’s second novel, “The Track of the Cat”, was also made into a film. The author wrote many novels and enjoyed literary fame, including being the first author enlisted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame, before he died in 1971, in Virginia City, Nevada.

 

Art Croft and his buddy, Gil Carter, ride into the small town of Bridger’s Wells, in the year of 1885.  The town is set on edge when a youth rides into town claiming the murder of a cattle hand, Kincaid, and the rustling of cattle.  The townsfolk, knowing Kincaid, and detesting cattle rustlers, decide to find the thieving murderers and bring them to justice. 

Davies, an older gentleman, determined to quell the riled up men from exacting a lynching, reasons with the crowd.  Davies sends Art for both the Sheriff and the Judge.  Judge Tyler addresses the crowd and promises the guilty parties will be brought to justice.  However, seen as weak by the men, the Judge does little to calm their anger.  The Sheriff is out of town.  The Deputy agrees with the men and forms a “posse.” Art and Gil join in.  The Civil War Veteran, Tetley, the town’s wealthiest and most influential citizen, out for blood, leads the “posse” in pursuit of the proposed rustlers.

 

The novel offers commentary on mob justice.  The novel was also considered to be a commentary on the mob rule of the Nazi regime and the dangers of passivity in the face of evil.