There are people who insist crime fiction can have no serious literary merit. These people have obviously never read James Sallis' books.

The Story

In CYPRESS GROVE, John Turner is a man who has fled his old life as a former cop and therapist, who did prison time for a mistake he made while on the force. Turner is quietly living in the woods – as far from other people as he can get. Things take a turn, when the sheriff from a small town near Memphis shows up and asks Turner for his help on a murder investigation.

Though it's never entirely clear why the sheriff seeks out Turner's help in particular (apart from the fact that he lacks resources and Turner's there), the loner detective agrees to assist in the case – a brutal ritualistic slaying. And, in doing so, Turner must return to the society of people he's been seeking to avoid and confront the violent ghosts from his past.

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Cypress Grove has a murder to be solved but the crime is almost incidental. It is a story about character, acceptance, reconciling with the past, and perhaps redemption.

Turner (no first name) was on his way to a scholarly life when the Vietnam War intervened. When he returned from war he joined the Memphis, Tennessee police department rather than restarting his education. He quickly rises to detective, enjoys the success of a high clearance rate, but never fits in, an outsider. During a domestic disturbance call he makes a split second reaction to an event and shoots and kills his partner.

He is sent to prison for three years for the killing. There he resumes his education, earns a master's degree. Just before his release, he kills another inmate in self-defense, serves more time, and earns a master's in psychology.

Out of prison he becomes a psychotherapist, mostly seeing the acutely troubled ones -- those at the edge of violence. One day Turner looks into a mirror and

"I saw something I'd not seen before. It didn't last, but for the moment it was there, I recognized it for what it was. Grace, of a sort. Wherever it was I had been heading all these years, I'd arrived. I had simply to off-load cargo now."

He moves to a cabin on a lake with his books and begins a quiet, contemplative life.

One day Sheriff Bates shows up with a bottle of Wild Turkey. How Lonnie and Turner begin their relationship is a wonderful piece of writing that captures the essence of small town South:

"Folks around here don't move fast. They grow up respecting other folks' homes, their land and privacy, whatever lines have been drawn, some of them invisible. Respecting the history of the place, too. They sidle up, as they say; ease into things. Maybe that's why I was there."

A body has been found, ritualistically posed. The sheriff admits that he is out of his depth with this kind of case and asks Turner to help. Turner joins the sheriff and his deputy Don Lee as a consultant and two things happen: they begin the investigation and Turner begins to integrate himself back into society.

There is much to like about this book. There is Sallis' writing. Nearly every page has a phrase, sentence, paragraph that is a gem of concise writing. Crime Scene NI says this of Ken Bruen as well which accounts for Sallis and Bruen being two of my favorite authors.

Then there is what the book doesn't contain. There isn't the testosterone laden conflict and threats between the law and the ex-con; the resentment of the deputy; the reluctance of Turner to get involved. Turner is open about his life and, in turn, the sheriff and deputy and townspeople see the kind of man he is and accept him.

The case itself is interesting and the search for background on the victim and motive for his murder well developed and intriguing but it is the development of the characters that makes this one of my favorite reads.

Highly recommended. ( )

First: is that a gorgeous cover or what???

This is, even in a genre of strongly male work, a man's book. The characters are so relentlessly male - sitting and drinking for hours without talking, flashing anger and moving on (women do this differently, with a complex web of grudges and forgiveness)...and the women, while not bad characters, strike me as very much observed, not necessarily understood.

But none of this is a bad thing, is it? It's not even key to the book, just my most dominant lingering impression.

I liked the episodic visits to the past and back. The stories sketch a building picture of present-day Turner as he works his way reluctantly through his current fix.

Thought it went just a bit off the rails at the end, with the wrap-up. I liked this part less; found the dip into old Hollywood out of place. I just couldn't get my head around what the crime would mean to Turner, how it would change him. ( )

Well written. Evocative of rural south. A page turner. First of a series (so far three), followed by Cripple Creek, and Salt River ( )