Nitroglycerin by Lo Hartog van Banda

Why read the book?

Two companies race to build the railroad through the mountains, and one needs a last desperate shipment to blast its tunnels. The trouble is that the crate does not hold ordinary powder but nitroglycerin, which may go off at the smallest jolt. Lucky Luke and Jolly Jumper are called in to see the deadly cargo safely through.

Rival saboteurs want the shipment destroyed, while the four Daltons, convinced the train is bound for a town called Nitro with a fortune aboard, decide to rob it. The whole story runs on the dread that the volatile cargo will surely explode, and Lo Hartog van Banda wrings fine tension and farce from every bump in the track.

Favourite quote

What I Loved

The premise is a perfect comic time bomb, with every pothole and sudden stop a fresh scare. The suspense fuels the laughs.

The Daltons chasing imaginary gold add another layer of folly. The parody of railroad rivalry and reckless industry is brisk and clever.

Key Takeaway

A taut, explosive comedy where the real danger rides along in a single fragile crate.

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