The people of Nation County, Iowa-a heartland town straight out of a Coen Brothers movie or a John Cougar Mellencamp song-practice a unique brand of American stoicism. You betcha. And they rely upon their public servants to shield them from the horrors of the outside world. Carl Houseman, deputy sheriff of the 750-square-mile county, dedicates his life to keeping his citizenry so secure that you can leave the door unlocked at home and walk his streets with a big hello and a smile to every stranger. On Houseman's watch, the mounting terrors of the new world order stay far away.
But December 2001 could change all of that. Outsiders are everywhere. The meat plant is now kosher and there are more Jewish fellows per capita than any other place in the country. Hispanic and other foreign workers, with dubious immigration papers, have taken jobs from the locals. Eighteen other languages are now spoken within the tiny region, and Carl and company can't speak a single one.
Then the eighty-odd-year-old Heinman brothers' call comes in from their farm down in Frog Hollow. They've witnessed an execution-style killing not one hundred yards from their pig feeders. The victim's awful dead and half his head's been blown off. The boys haven't seen nothing like it since Normandy. When Carl gets to the scene, he believes them.
What follows is a masterful police procedural thriller-think Joe Wambaugh crossed with Fargo-written with a singular and authentic voice that has electrified readers around the world.
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Review:
"A Hell of a first novel. Gripping and unsetting."
"With one startling twist after another, this grisly but cunningly sophisticated story is truly frightening."
"A complicated little conundrum of plot that keeps Houseman, the Feds, and the reader guessing all the way through...an author that knows his territory, and his descriptions of it is gritty and realistic."
"This fine novel not only fulfills the promise of Harstad's debut but instantly propels him into the top ranks of mystery writers."
"A truly great storyteller...with intense suspense, an intriguing investigation that has all the authentic trappings, and a believable cast of police personnel. He gets better and better with each book."
"Brilliant. Harstad knows his stuff, sifting the evidence with enlightening attention to detail."
About the Author:
Donald Harstad is the internationally bestselling author of Eleven Days, Known Dead, The Big Thaw and Code Sixty-One. A former deputy sheriff and twenty-six-year veteran of the Clayton County Sheriff's Department, he lives in Elkader, Iowa.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherRugged Land Books
- Publication date2003
- ISBN 10 1590710134
- ISBN 13 9781590710135
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages307
- EditorCoyne Shawn
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