Posted by Elyse on July 13, 2000 at 11:49:05:

I always enjoy the mystery characters we come upon from time to time in L.L. books.
You know, the ones skulking around in the brush or leaving strange tracks or such. I
like it when our hero or heroine comes across somebody in the dark and there's a
whole conversation before we know who or what they are. Sometimes there's nothing
but a voice and a red glow from a cigarette. It's a really fun and pleasant little side
trip.

Stacey Pollock is one of those guys in this book. There's one or two in Flint. Also in a
Kilkenny book, there's the unknown man in the house on the hill. And what about that
strange rider we never see, except that sometimes his/her grulla is tethered at some
lady's hitching post. There are really lots and lots of these folks, and they are so
spicy. I really like the technique he used so well.

Louis's shaping of Stacey Pollock as a complex character here is intriguing, and he
does it with only a few chips of the chisel. He has Ben and Ethan discuss him later out
of his presence, and we find out the guy has sand, even though earlier Stacey tried to
justify dry-gulching as an honorable profession. (HA! That was pretty funny.)

Personally, I like L.L.'s minimalist style. As you all know, I always have my own ideas
to flesh out what's left to the imagination. Even though I point out that some
characters are sketchy, I don't feel like every character must be defined. I like the
mystery most of the time. The bits left to imagination are probably a big reason why
L.L.'s stuff is

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