Baron R. Birtcher

Intriguing, multi-layered mystery set in rural 1970s Oregon.

Knife River by Baron Birtcher is the fourth book to feature Sheriff Tyler Dawson, but readers new to the series can easily read and enjoy it independently from the prior novels; the author does a splendid job incorporating the backstory to fill in any blanks. With its likable and admirable lawman protagonist, atmospheric descriptions, and surprising twists and revelations, I couldn’t put this book down.

Sheriff Ty Dawson is a show more straight shooter, no-nonsense guy who can normally read a person and their intentions from 10 paces; however, a couple of characters in this latest tale get past his keen eyes. He’s a loving family man who is grateful for what he has, and these feelings come through every time Jesse and Cricket enter the story. The author made me believe these emotions, including his regard and kindness for his friends, especially the young neighbor, Tom. However, he always seems to have an anger roiling just under the surface, and he works hard to keep it in check. In addition to being the local sheriff, he is also a hard-working rancher. He’s a strong character and a confident, compassionate lawman I was behind from page one.

With vivid descriptions, the author replicates a typical small rural Oregon farming community of the 1970s. He populated the story with diverse personalities and sturdy, hearty people while leaving room for flawed individuals and those damaged by their pasts. The plot involves long-simmering secrets that tragically come to bear on the present. The story and tension build continually, and I was absolutely compelled to read non-stop until I reached the final resolution.

I recommend KNIFE RIVER to readers of traditional and historical mysteries.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours. show less

In 1975, rural America is coming to terms with the 60s, Vietnam, and political scandal. People who’d rather simply govern themselves are bound to rules of law. And a clear-sighted sheriff sees trouble looming but can’t quite spot the cause. Readers follow the well-voiced first-person narration of this novel, quickly caring for characters and falling in love with the place. Vivid descriptions, captivating dialog, and natural humor bring everything to life. Natural sensitivities—father show more for child; people for land—and arguments over education, freedom and more—draw the reader in, adding depth and intelligence. Meanwhile the natural world, from ocean’s roar to field, airfield and plain, is a convincing backdrop to it all.

There’s an ever deepening mystery in Fistful of Rain, an ever-broadening sense of reality, and a delightfully light touch keeping the guilty human, rendering the wounded real, and watching the truth slip through fingers that never quite grasp. Change is inevitable, but “change for its own sake is not change at all, it’s only corrosion.” How true! Sheriff Dawson holds back the corrosion, clearing space for what must be, and looking forward to the future. The reader, too, might find that placid place between present and past, letting time take its course… because it can’t be stopped.

I love the characters, the narrative voice, the places (even my beloved Depoe Bay, Oregon!), and the timely sense of timelessness. Fistful of Rain offers a smooth read, an exciting ride, and a satisfying plot, all bound up in believable people moving through changing times. It’s highly recommended.

Disclosure: I was given a preview edition and I love it! show less

Eleven years later, the protagonist has a tale to tell. Oceans away, a young woman’s hopeful story falls to despair. And a man who lives on a boat in Hawaii is hiding, somewhere between his past and future, when his world starts falling apart. Hard Latitudes is a hard story of people doing wrong for all the right reasons, or right for the wrong, or both. Familial love, broken connections, sudden attractions, and the loyalties of friends... they’re all here, under the threat of show more meaningless folly, corruption, and breaking lives. The protagonist isn’t a hero, but he’s sometimes heroic; he isn’t a good man, but he does what he can; he isn’t wholly lovable, but he’s loved; and perhaps he’ll “learn to be content inside the light of a lesser heaven,” because this world’s assorted hells might still, in the end, hold hope.

The author blends times and places in this novel without ever leaving the reader unmoored. A clever prologue, with convincing threat and voice, invites curiosity about just where the characters will be in eleven years. Well-placed side-tales build a threat of far-off butterfly wings changing everything, but how? And the gripping voice of the protagonist draws the story on, from Hawaii to Los Angeles, from anonymity to police investigation, and from future hope to past promise. Clever hints of history are nicely incorporated, fully in tune with the protagonist’s point of view. Los Angeles past and present comes to life, and the story, like Mike Travis’ boat, is well-anchored in time and place. The writing blends beauty and threat, raising the story high above everyday crime dramas, not just in its scope, but also in language and allusion. In a world where “Everything we touch, we f.. it up, or try to kill it,” “dolphins peel[] off from the bow and head[] back toward the bay as one,” and thin smoke rises with prayer to the goddess of mercy. Sometimes it’s the trail of that thin smoke that will turn into a lifeline of hope.

Hard Latitudes is the fourth of Baron R. Birtcher’s Mike Travis series, but readers can easily pick it up without having read the others. Characters are introduced with just enough information to make them real, followed by perfect dialog and interactions that keep them real. Places are gorgeous and complete. And the story spans time while being thoroughly anchored to Mike answering duty’s immediate call. It’s a perfect blend of Hawaii’s freedom with LA’s police-patrol, and of mystery, police procedural, family drama, moral dilemma and compelling literature; highly recommended.

Disclosure: I was give a free bound galley by the publisher and I offer my honest review. show less

The land is reliable in Baron Birtcher’s South California Purples. The animals are reliable. But people, politics, and planning twist and turn in the wind. The novel combines the mystery and honesty of Craig Johnson’s Longmire with the first-person narration of a fiercely independent Oregon character. The result is a blend of lyrical prose, powerful social commentary, smooth scenery and wild, fast action, in a story that keeps the pages turning, and speaks to the present through a show more well-drawn lens of the past.

A spectacularly dead cow starts the tale. It might be a red herring. It might just be background. But the foreground soon fills with hippie activists, Vietnam vets, bike gangs, and a woman who just wants the best for wild horses. The Bureau of Land Management is losing control. So is the sheriff. And Ty Dawson has far too much on his mind, including that dead cow, to want to be deputized.

First and third person narration seamlessly combine in this novel, and the narrative voice is both lyrical and fiercely honest, flowing from gorgeous scenery to the fate of recaptured horses without even seeming to flinch. The world was changing in 1973, but the protagonist’s thoughts, always convincingly his rather than the author’s, are as valid and intriguing today as they would have been then. Native Americans struggle for their rights. Independent ranchers struggle for their land. Environmentalists struggle for the world we live in. And real people lose their way.

Great dialog, beautiful prose, convincing characters and relationships, well-researched detail, and well-thought-out social commentary, all come together in a novel of well-nuanced good and evil in changing times and landscapes. South California Purples is the beginning of a series not to be missed—and most especially not to be missed if you live in Oregon.

Disclosure: I was given a copy by the publisher and I offer my honest review. show less