When you solve the murder of an alligator as well a few other things you get a reputation for getting things done. Truman Smith might prefer to sit at the house on Galveston Island, but Dino comes to drag him into yet another fine mess. Though, at first, it doesn’t appear to be that big a deal. At least not like last time with the hunt for Outside Harry.

According to Dino, Lance Garrison wants to see Truman. Because of their past history dating back to High School and a broken nose he contacted Dino to spread the word.  Not only has he made a decent amount of money for Dino, Lance did all right for himself as he made plenty of money on the stock market while working for a brokerage firm there. He had a gift, made a ton of bucks, and came back to build and live in a fancy house with a view of the bay. If a major storm comes churning through the Gulf the house will be toast, but in the meantime the views of the sunsets are spectacular.

So too is the sight of Anne who is sitting a couch in Lance’s house when Dino and Truman arrive. Anne was a special love in High School long ago. The sight of her rattles Truman to the core as he still has incredible feelings for her. She is married now and older, but she still has Truman in ways he can’t fully explain. According to Anne, her father-in-law asked for Truman specifically and Truman still would like to make Anne happy if he can.

Out in the Eagle Lake area north of Houston near a little town called Picketville, Red Hineman (Anne’s father in law) manages quite few acres for Lance Garrison. Thanks to government program the land is a natural habit for water fowl and other birds. One of those is the Atwater Prairie Chicken also known as a grouse. With only 108 or so in the world, including forty or 50 in captivity, the bird is a very endangered. Now, somebody has killed one by shooting it. The dead bird was placed in such a way to make a clear statement. The government sent somebody to investigate, but all he did was massively annoy Red.  Lance is involved in the bird project and wants Truman to go poke around and see if he can figure out what happened before the Feds impose penalties and take other actions.

Lance is a jerk always has been and always will be, but he is willing to pay $500 a day plus expenses. Not only is it a chance to make Lance pay for his help, it is also a way for Truman to spend at least a little time with Anne. So Truman agrees and before long is dealing with a cast of suspects including a possibly crooked sheriff, the local militia, a radio host sure the government is about to attack any minute, small town politics, and more in The Prairie Chicken Kill: A Truman Smith Mystery by Bill Crider.

Fourth in the series that began with Dead on the Island this read finds Truman Smith once again in a strange case as he moves around Southeast Texas. As this was first published in the mid 90s, it does not follow the current fad of dropping a body during the first three pages or feature an incredible hook in the opening sentence. Instead of the current gimmicks all the rage, it features a read that opens with introducing the characters and their relationship, the premise or initial mystery, and then builds slowly and steadily from there as events make things more and more complicated.  A little darker in tone than most of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series, Truman drinks his Big Reds and gradually puts the clues together in a case where nearly everyone is a suspect. Plenty of twists and turns fill the read making The Prairie Chicken Kill: A Truman Smith Mystery by Bill Crider another very good read.

The Prairie Chicken Kill: A Truman Smith Mystery
Bill Crider
http://www.billcrider.com
Walker And Company
http://www.bloomsbury.com
July 1996
ISBN# 0-8027-3282-8
Hardback (also available in audio and e-book formats)
208 Pages
$20.95

Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015

https://www.amazon.com/author/kevintipple
Reviews and More http://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/
https://www.pinterest.com/kevintipple/

Doak Miller has done a few things over the years. At one time he was a cop with the NYPD. Then, as is often the case, he left the force under some possibly question ale circumstances. Taking with him what he had earned and learned over the many years of service he moved elsewhere and started anew while missing a bit the old job. While he could get by on his NYPD pension there was no harm in obtaining a private investigator license. There was also no harm in making contacts with the local law enforcement.

That small effort led to a rare job by the way of Sheriff William Radburn of Gallatin County awhile back. It worked out well as he seemed to fit the role of an undercover hit man pretty well.  So, the good sheriff would like him to do it again. This time the target is one Lisa Yarrow Otterbein, wife of George Otterbein. She has made it known in certain circles that she would like to be rid of her wealthy husband as soon as possible. In short, she wants to hire a hit man and the person she spoke to used the information to make a deal with the sheriff on another matter.

The plan concocted by the sheriff and Doak is for Doak to wear a wire and pose as a hitman from South Jersey in to take Lisa Yarrow up on her contract. At least that is the sheriff’s plan. Doak Miller has a far different idea based on a fantasy he has always had. If Lisa Yarrow looks anything close to the picture the good sheriff has showed him she fits the bill perfectly from a visual standpoint. The question is whether or not she can fit the bill in other ways.

And, of course, if he can get away with it.

This latest read from author Lawrence Block by the way of Hard Case Crime is a very good one. Filled with interesting characters, classic noir movie references, and an edge to it in the Florida heat, Doak Miller develops a plan and works it at a steady and ultimately nerve racking pace. Everything he does is done for a reason and that includes indulging other desires here and there along the way. Violence is a large desire in him and takes many different forms including sex.

Sex in various ways with various people either directly or by way of talking about it is a large part of The Girl with the Deep Blue Eyes. As such the book is a very adult novel and very explicit. It should be avoided if you are not looking for a hard edged noir that works on every level or you prefer your books to include recipes, crafts, or cats.

Simply put, The Girl with the Deep Blue Eyes is a classic noir story with all the trappings from start to surprising finish. One would not expect anything else from the author or the publisher. A mighty good read that does not disappoint and is highly recommended.

Don’t just take my word for it. Check out Bill Crider’s review and a short review from Gerald So.

The Girl with the Deep Blue Eyes
Lawrence Block
http://www.lawrenceblock.com
Hard Case Crime
http://www.HardCaseCrime.com
September 22, 2015
ISBN#978-1-78329-750-4
Hardback (also available in audio and e-book formats)
240 Pages
$22.99

I received an ARC by way of the author’s publicist in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015

It is March 1956 and private investigator Jack Laramie is in Dallas as Between Juarez And El Paso begins. It has been a long drive for Jack in his Desoto towing his horse trailer home as he came in to Dallas by way of Amarillo. All he wanted was a good drink when he wandered into “Rube’s” on Commerce and Field streets.

It was not long before a fight broke out as they often do in drives such as “Rube’s”. In the aftermath of the brawl he runs into a “Shel Eastman” who he first met on a forced march as prisoner of war back in January of 45. They both survived the prison camp known as Stalag Luft Three and more and came home with more than a few inner demons to deal with. While Jack has found the open road to be some solace, what has kept Shel going through still more grief in recent years is the love of his daughter, Karen.

These days Karen is far from her Dallas home as she is studying literature out at Texas Western University in El Paso. At least, she is supposed to be there. Shel has no idea where his daughter really is as both her and her college roommate seems to have vanished. Staff of the university claims that Karen was never studying there. Police in El Paso as well as local private investigator there were of zero help.

A while back there was a picture in the local paper in Dallas that showed two Cuban casino owners, a U.S. Senator, and three ladies. The ladies were young, beautiful women and one of them was Karen. Despite the picture in the paper, Shel has not been able to get anyone in El Paso interested in the situation or the plight of his daughter. Shel was politely warned off and the grief stricken father desperately needs Jack’s help.

Jack goes to El Paso and soon realizes something very strange is going on at the border city. It isn’t just the fact that the staff at Texas Western is being so uncaring and difficult. It isn’t just the fact that with a little help from a female contact he learns young female students are disappearing at an alarming rate. It isn’t just the fact that distinctive men in suits seem to be everywhere eyeballing certain folks all while the local cops take a hands off approach. It is all that and more and wants Jack Laramie sticks his nose in things his presence draws unwelcome attention in multiple ways.

This sixth book in The Drifter Detective series is another solidly good read. Written by Alec Cizak there is a darker tone in this installment than some of the earlier read in the series which began with The Drifter Detective by Garnett Elliott. Plenty of action and intrigue are at work in novel that quickly escalates the hard boiled tension as Jack Laramie confronts one and all in his latest search for the truth. While it would help to have read earlier books this enjoyable series, one could begin with Between Juarez And El Paso if one were so inclined. It is a mighty good read.

Between Juarez And El Paso (The Drifter Detective Series Book 6)
Alec Cizak
http://nomoralcenter.blogspot.com/
Beat To A Pulp
http://www.beattoapulp.com
July 2015
ISBN# 978-1-943035-08-3
Paperback (e-book available)
114 Pages
$6.25

Paperback version supplied by the publisher in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015

Bounty Hunter Bodie Kendrick normally works alone. But, these are special circumstances in the borderlands of the Arizona territory. Doc Turpin has a considerable reputation as a bounty hunter over in Texas. Bodie Kendrick primarily works in the territories of Arizona and New Mexico. Each has heard of the other over the years so it makes sense to unite in a partnership after their paths cross as a result of the massacre at New Gleanus.

Bodie Kendrick had the misfortune of riding into New Gleanus about an hour after the Harrup brothers along with their cousin Huck Mather and in the company of their new outlaw buddies, the Klegg gang, robbed the local bank. While the robbery of the bank had been accomplished easily and could have led to a clean getaway, they instead went crazy and shot up the town and its citizens. Six were killed, numerous others including women and children were wounded by the shots and/or flying glass as bullets flew everywhere. The destruction of store fronts and property was heavy as were the injuries and deaths. All of it was totally unnecessary and proof that the combined gang had to be stopped at all costs.

Doc Turpin had arrived in town just after Bodie did and also went to work helping out by tending to the wounded, putting out fires, and anything else he could do in the immediate aftermath.  Doc had been chasing Otis Klegg and his gang after their recently botched robbery of a payroll wagon that resulted in the deaths of three guards and the driver. Considering the shape of the town and its citizens, the local posse is not going to get the job done. They may be good at tending a store or running a farm, but these folks are not going to be able to deal with chasing and capturing these hardened and increasingly violent criminals.

After discussing their assessment of the situation, Doc and Bodie agree to form a partnership to go after the violent killers and put an end to their trail of carnage once and for all. That partnership will create an additional mission that will take them across the border into Mexico in Rio Matanza (Bodie Kendrick- Bounty Hunter Book 2).

Following the excellent Hard Trail to Socorro author Wayne D. Dundee has created another complicated western filled with mystery, action, and realistic characters. Plenty is at work here in a tale that spans countries and cultures sure to please those readers that prefer traditional westerns. While one can read Rio Matanza first, it is well worth it to start at the beginning with Hard Trail to Socorro. Both are mighty good westerns from an award winning author.

Rio Matanza (Bodie Kendrick- Bounty Hunter Book 2)
Wayne D. Dundee
http://www.fromdundeesdesk.blogspot.com
Bil-Em-Ri Media
July 2012
ASIN: B008QP9CMS
E-Book (paperback also available)
232 Pages (estimated)
$0.99

Material was either picked up awhile back via funds in my Amazon Associate account or when the author made the read free. I have no idea now which way it was and Amazon does not make a distinction as both situations are classified as a “verified purchase.”

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015

Reviews and More http://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/