A Cure for the Daltons by René Goscinny

Why read the book?

Doctor Otto von Himbeergeist, an Austrian head-doctor with grand theories, persuades the authorities that the Daltons can be reformed rather than jailed. Joe, Jack, William, and Averell are released into his hands, with Lucky Luke ordered to keep watch over the strange experiment.

The cure goes badly wrong in the funniest way. The doctor grows fascinated by the criminal mind and slowly turns crook himself, taking the brothers under his wing for his own ends. Joe seethes at the talk of feelings while the good doctor's grip slips, and Luke must clean up the mess.

Favourite quote

What I Loved

The gentle mockery of psychiatry is the heart of the joke, with the doctor's couch-talk crashing against Joe's plain hatred of everyone.

Watching the curer become the cured is a lovely reversal, and Averell's literal mind ruins every clever theory put to him. It is one of the smartest Dalton stories.

Key Takeaway

Spend long enough studying criminals and you may end up joining them.

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