4687. The Track of the Cat, by Walter Van Tilburg Clark (read 24 Mar 2010) This 1949 western novel, laid in Nevada, concerns an angst-ridden dysfunctional ranching family consisting of a dour mother, a drunken father, three brothers, and a sister. A panther kills some of the stock and the book details the effort to kill and avoid the evil animal. The book was consistently interest-holding until the long account of Curt's effort re the panther eventually palled and the book came to a nondramatic end. I read Clark's The Ox-Bow Incident on March 24, 1953, with much appreciation, and that is why I now read this book--which did not turn out to be as good. ( )

I enjoyed the book, but it was a suspensful as i like. ( )