Certainly one of the finest first crime novels ever, you will swear you have been around Cork O'Connor long before this 1998 debut. Cork is the former sheriff of Aurora, MN and lost his job and his family after a meltdown on the job. He is trying to win them back, despite his relationship with another woman, when a judge dies and a boy disappears. His former wife has hooked up with a newly elected Senator which complicates things more than a little. This is such a skilled outing and Krueger is more than adept at weaving a crime story with a family story. His characters have grit, his setting has atmosphere and his plot is always credible yet surprising. Coming off of ORDINARY GRACE, which I loved last year, this is a terrific piece of writing. You cannot not admire everything about this book.
Yvette Banek, ONE WAS A SOLDIER, Julie Spencer-Fleming
M.W. Cunningham, DEATH OF A WITCH, M.C. Beaton
David Cranmer, THE COLD DISH, Craig Johnson
Curt Evans, A MAMMOTH MURDER, Bill Crider
Jerry House, DEATH OF A GLUTTON, M.C. Beaton
George Kelley, THE PLEASANT GROVE MURDERS, Jack Vance
B.V. Lawson, UNDER THE SNOW, Kerstin Ekman
Todd Mason, Bill Pronzini: "The Hanging Man"; Howard Rigsby: "Dead Man's Story"; James Shaeffer, "The Long Arm of the Law"
J.F. Norris, LAST SEEN WEARING, Hillary Waugh
Matthew Paust, CURSED TO DEATH, Bill Crider
Petrona, BLUE HEAVEN, C.J. Box
James Reasoner, THE CLUE OF THE RUNAWAY BRIDE, THE CLUE OF HUNGRY HORSE, Erle Stanley Gardner
Katherine Tomlinson, A GREAT RECKONING, Louise Penney
TracyK, DEATH ON THE MOVE, Bill Crider
Mark Baker, G IS FOR GUMSHOE, Sue Grafton
Joe Barone, THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE, MY CLIMB OUT OF DARKNESS, Karen Armstrong
Brian Busby, SHADOW ON THE HEARTH, Judith Merril
Bill Crider, THE DAME'S THE GAME, Al Fray
Martin Edwards, THE MARTINEAU MURDERS, Richard Hull
Richard Horton, The HEROD Men, by Nick Kamin/Dark Planet, by John Rackham
Margot Kinberg, SOMETHING IN THE AIR, John Alexander Graham
Rob Kitchin, BULLDOG DRUMMOND, Sapper
J.F. Norris, A BEASTLY BUSINESS, John Blackburn
Steve Lewis, SLEEP WITH SLANDER, Dolores Hitchens
Reactions to Reading, BLOWBACK, Bill Pronzini
Richard Robinson, WILDERNESS DAYS, Sigurd Olson
Kevin Tipple/Barry Ergang, "Don Diavolo Mysteries" by Clayton Rawson
TomCat, SHE SHALL DIE, Anthony GIlbert
9 comments:
Sorry I couldn't remember to get it together in time to send something, but I'm glad to see several of my favorites: Bill Crider (who would have been my choice), Craig Johnson, Julia Spencer-Fleming.
I really think this is a great idea for a theme, Patti!
Had not heard of Krueger, but he's now on my must-read list. Thanks, Patti.
My bad, I completely forgot about this being the special week. DARN! I was going to read a Sheriff Dan Rhodes.
Link on MAMMOTH MURDER isn't working.
Sounds like a good one
I see that you looked up a lot of past posts on people's blogs for your Small Town Cop salute. If you want to add one more you can use this past post from me:
Last Seen Wearing by Hillary Waugh.
Ironically, I bought a copy of FOX VALLEY MURDERS by Jack Vance especially to read for this salute and it got buried in a pile of paperbacks. I even saw it last night and thought, "Oh yes, I ought to read that soon." Oy! So it really was a forgotten book for me.
When I can find my copy of Iron Lake I am going to read it, Patti. I have been eagerly awaiting this special theme so I can check other books about smalltown cops and sheriffs.
Although my favorite book by WKK is Ordinary Grace, a standalone. A great, great book.
You'll get to it eventually, John.
He's a good one, Matt.
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