Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Buffalo Bill's Defunct by Sheila Simonson. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.
Buffalo Bill's Defunct by Sheila Simonson
A Latouche County Mystery
Perseverence Press (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-880284-96-0 (1880284960)
ISBN-13: 978-1-880284-96-4 (9781880284964)
Publication Date: September 2008
List Price: $14.95
Review: Sheila Simonson embarks on a new series featuring residents of the small town of Klalo along the Columbia River Gorge in south-central Washington State, introducing county librarian Meg McLean and sheriff's investigating officer Rob Neill in Buffalo Bill's Defunct.
Meg had left the hustle and bustle of southern California for a quieter life in the Pacific Northwest. Her new home is a 19th century farmhouse with a 1920's era garage addition. Rob happens to live in a neighboring house. While airing out the garage prior to moving in her possessions, another neighbor's dog runs in and begins digging, exposing a buried body in what appears to be a storage bin for illegal "hooch". Next to the body is a piece of an Indian petroglyph that may be part of a collection of artifacts that was stolen 10 years earlier. The original owner of the house, a prolific bootlegger a hundred years earlier, must have used the storage bin until his hooch was ready to be delivered to his clients. But how a body came to be buried there is a mystery. His grandchildren owned the house most recently, selling it to Meg. Rob, realizing Meg's skills in computer research, deputizes her and together they begin to reconstruct the events leading up to what was found in Meg's garage. The body turns out to be the nephew of the current chief of the local Klalo tribe, Madeline Thomas, from which the artifacts were originally stolen. The search for more clues leads to exposing a case of corruption, greed, and two more murders.
The appealing characters and picturesque setting in Buffalo Bill's Defunct overcome some of the more pedestrian aspects of the story. There is camaraderie, conflict, and even a touch of romance between the main characters with the addition of the colorful Klalo chief to mix things up a bit. It's entertaining and fun and, though a little light on the mystery plot, a good start to a new series. The title is taken from a poem written by E. E. Cummings, published in 1920.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Buffalo Bill's Defunct and to Perseverence Press for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
If you are interested in purchasing Buffalo Bill's Defunct from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.
Synopsis (from the publisher): Sheriff’s investigator Rob Neill made a mess of his first case, the theft of sacred artifacts belonging to the Klalo, a Native American tribe from the western end of the Columbia River Gorge. Ten years later, a stolen petroglyph emerges—along with a body buried in a garage. Neill sees a chance to redeem himself, with the help of his new neighbor, librarian Meg McLean. Her information-retrieval skills work together with the police investigation—but the partnership threatens to turn unprofessionally romantic. Meanwhile, two more people are murdered, and the Klalos’ feisty chief, Madeline Thomas, has her own agenda that seems to hinder as much as help. Can a kind of justice finally come to Latouche County?
For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.
Return to Mystery Books News ...
0 comments:
Post a Comment