The Last Ride is a western novel by Thomas Eidson

Thomas Eidson

Thomas Eidson is an American author best known for his writing of The Last Ride, which turned into a movie known as The Missing in 2003. It was filmed entirely in Santa Fe, New Mexico where the novel is set.His writing credits include:...

, first published in 1995

1995 in literature

The year 1995 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*The Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea is opened by Jimmy Carter....

. It is the sequel to St. Agnes' Stand (1994) and is followed by All God's Children (1998).

The plot concerns an aging shaman who tries to reconcile with his estranged daughter in New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

. When his granddaughter is kidnapped by renegade Apache

Apache

Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...

s, the two must work together to get her back.

A film adaptation of the novel entitled The Missing

The Missing

The Missing is a 2003 Western thriller film directed by Ron Howard, based on Thomas Eidson's 1996 novel The Last Ride.This Western thriller set in 1885 New Mexico Territory is notable for the authentic use of the Apache language by various actors, some of whom spent long hours studying it...

was released in 2003. The film was directed by Ron Howard

Ron Howard

Ronald William "Ron" Howard is an American actor, director, and producer. He came to prominence as a child actor, playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days for six years...

 and stars Tommy Lee Jones

Tommy Lee Jones

Tommy Lee Jones is an American actor and film director. He has received three Academy Award nominations, winning one as Best Supporting Actor for the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive....

 and Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett

Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett is an Australian actress. She came to international attention for her role as Elizabeth I of England in the 1998 biopic film Elizabeth, for which she won British Academy of Film and Television Arts and Golden Globe Awards, and earned her first Academy Award...

.

Editions

• ISBN 0-399-14057-3, Putnam Group, 1995
• ISBN 1-56895-241-4, Wheeler Publishing, 1995 (large print)
• ISBN 0-515-11741-2, Jove Publishing, 1995 (paperback)
• ISBN 0-7089-3663-6, Ulverscroft, 1997 (large print, out of print)
• ISBN 0-00-718135-3, HarperCollins, 2004 (paperback)

Reissued as The Missing after the 2003 film adaptation

The Missing

The Missing is a 2003 Western thriller film directed by Ron Howard, based on Thomas Eidson's 1996 novel The Last Ride.This Western thriller set in 1885 New Mexico Territory is notable for the authentic use of the Apache language by various actors, some of whom spent long hours studying it...

:

• ISBN 0-8129-7238-4, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2003
• ISBN 0-00-718173-6, HarperCollins, 2003 (with film image cover)