Review of 'The Peaceful Valley Crime Wave' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This standalone mystery by the author of the long running Nameless Detective series (40+ books but I haven't read a one!) is set in 1914's Montana, at the end of the Wild West. The sheriff drives around in a hard to handle Model T but little else has changed. Suddenly, there is a spurt of violence in the Peaceful Valley and Sheriff Lucas Monk is trying to solve these crimes, while also battling the local gossip and prejudices.
An interesting time indeed. It still feels like the edge of lawless West yet modernization is slowly happening, from cars to electric lights. The Indians are forced into squalid conditions and the women gossip mightily about any woman who might want to stand on her own two feet. Sheriff Monk tries to walk the narrow line to keep everyone placated, but sometimes events just push him too far.
It was a fun …
This standalone mystery by the author of the long running Nameless Detective series (40+ books but I haven't read a one!) is set in 1914's Montana, at the end of the Wild West. The sheriff drives around in a hard to handle Model T but little else has changed. Suddenly, there is a spurt of violence in the Peaceful Valley and Sheriff Lucas Monk is trying to solve these crimes, while also battling the local gossip and prejudices.
An interesting time indeed. It still feels like the edge of lawless West yet modernization is slowly happening, from cars to electric lights. The Indians are forced into squalid conditions and the women gossip mightily about any woman who might want to stand on her own two feet. Sheriff Monk tries to walk the narrow line to keep everyone placated, but sometimes events just push him too far.
It was a fun quick read. My biggest complaint is one that I just can't stand in my first person mysteries, my preferred point of view. And that's where the narrator thinks he may have solved the puzzle (or puzzles) but doesn't let the reader in on the secret. You know, "Oh, I think I know what happened but first I need some more information" without telling us their suspicions. It just seems a cheap way to generate drama. Maybe the author thinks I should have figured it out by now, but I still don't like it. And it happens in two of the mysteries here. Grrr.
And I also think that Sheriff Monk is just a little too open minded for the sheriff in a small town in the middle of nowhere Montana. You know, all too "live and let live", whether it is attitudes towards women or Indians. Seems like projecting some 21st century morals on him.
But don't let that stop you from giving it a read. There are some funny scenes and the mysteries (at least 3 of them) are interesting and fun to play along. I recommend it and wouldn't mind hearing more from Sheriff Monk. And I will get started on the Nameless Detective series pronto!