Review: A Long December

Carl Houseman is a deputy sheriff in Nation County, Iowa. He devotes his life to keeping his 750sq mile area free of the "bad guys" and mostly, he and his fellows have succeeded. America's heartland can be remarkably boring, compared to places like NYC in December of 2001. But things have changed in the last few years. A kosher meat-packing plant has opened in town and brought with it "outsiders" with eighteen different languages - and Carl is seriously foreign language challenged! And then there was 9/11.

When two elderly long-time local residents witness an especially brutal killing, everyone's first thought is that the case is drug related; but the second killing doesn't make sense, although it must be related, somehow. Carl already has a reputation for attracting weird and complicated cases, but this one looks to go to the head of the list for bringing in the largest number of outside agencies. Clues abound. Not only do they not make sense, they don't tie together in any descernable fashion. And the foreign language speaking population has completely disappeared.

This has to be Harstad's best book to date - it's a police procedural guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat and reading all night. It's all there - the small town police department with its wisecracking team and the problems inherent in working with other departments and agencies; the local idiosyncracies; the humor; the suspense; and the fantastic writing that Harstad brings to all of his books, incorporating "Americana" into every story. It rates a solid 5 paws, even with the one personal problem I had with the book - the flip-flopping timeline. The author says he was afraid it might be boring, otherwise. I wholeheartedly disagree. Either way, "A Long December" is one of 2003's best reads for me!

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Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.

Book Review: A Long December

Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.