In these seven mysteries Sheriff Jeff McQuede finds himself in the middle of a deal made on a handshake—where the result is murder. Set in the high county of modern-day Wyoming, the deal makers are speculators at an old-time mountain man rendezvous, traders vying over rare Native American pottery, or two family patriarchs pretending to bridge a lifetime of feuding. Throughout McQuede battles his arch-enemy Ruger, who he suspects runs a host of illegal activities, but generally manages to evade McQuede’s traps.
In each of these stories McQuede, putting his own life on the line, relentlessly seeks out the dangerous men who have broken trust.
"For mystery readers it will keep you guessing, but for Western fans, particularly those who enjoy tightly plotted works, this is definitely one to read."
Reviewer: Reader for Bookangel.
Sheriff Jeff McQuaide is a modern day sheriff in a small isolated town. In this collection of short stories, he is kept busy trying to keep the peace, live up to his illustrious ancestor and namesake, and solve murders and mysteries within the town.
While this is a collection of standalone stories, they are all set in the same small town and characters recur across several stories, building a real sense of community, with its locals, villains and world.Strong characters and well designed mysteries that are above all believable, make this an anthology to read. The only recurring and slightly out-of-place event seems to be the sheriff getting hit over the head, which happens right as he's found essential evidence in a few stories. There are a few notable typos such as a confusion of site and sight, but this ebook has at least been spell-checked and the grammar and spelling are good throughout.
The mix of modern-day western and mystery, with the sheriff functioning as detective and law enforcer isn't one I have seen before, and it is intriguing and realistic. I'm a mystery reader rather than a western fan, and I enjoyed these anyway. There are no great literary pretentions, but for a light action adventure piece it keeps you guessing, and the stories move at a nice pace.
I'd give this a strong 3 to 4 rating. For mystery readers it will keep you guessing, but for Western fans, particularly those who enjoy tightly plotted works, this is definitely worth a read. Rating:4
I picked up a paperback copy of this book at a charity shop, which for me is a great way to trial new writers or genres. Mysteries are definitely on my radar and the background setting doesn't matter., so I enjoyed the 'western' references. I have no personal knowledge of that lifestyle so enjoyed the insight into how life may be in such a town.
My only quibble concerns the writing style, and this may be a personal thing, but I find overuse of character names spoils the flow. Is it just me?
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