James D. Doss (1939–2012)

Very happy with this new-to-me series, accurately described by a Denver Post review that calls it "a hybrid of Tony Hillerman and Carl Hiaasen". Set on and around Colorado's Southern Ute Reservation, this entry (4th in the series) features Charlie Moon, the 7-foot-tall "acting chief" of the tribal police force, fellow lawman Scott Parris, and Moon's irrepressible grandma, Daisy, a practicing shaman. The writing is rich and often carries an undertone of wry humor even though the mystery at show more the center of Grandmother Spider is grisly.

The Ute culture does not hold a prominent role here, except for their Spider Woman myth which quickly gets attached to the unexplained blob of light that swept through the April night, leaving mayhem in its wake. Dodd spends more time creating the physical landscape and on the oddities of his characters, doing both with skill.

I'll admit I got off in the weeds on this one, and the solution was not even on my radar. If one has to complain about Doss's style, it's that he keeps too much information from the reader. There are two itsy-bitsy (you should excuse the spider reference) clues, far separated from one another, in the early set-up, but they are swimming in a sea of red herrings that keep the reader not just distracted but completely out of the loop.

The book wraps up with the mystery solved (of course) and a huge change in Moon's life, so it will be interesting to see where Doss goes with it. I'll be looking for other books in this series, which ended in 2012 with the author's death. show less

If you enjoyed this book, fabulous. Great. Please don't read this review. I'm very forgetful, and if someone suggests this book to me in a year, I'd probably take a look at it because I'm a sucker for the southwest and a skeletal image. So I'm going to be very explicit.

Dear Carol:

Don't read this. I'm not kidding. You hated this book. It's the kind of writing that will result in shouting, and the poor library book doesn't deserve to be thrown across the room.

The narrative is tailor-made to show more make you crazy. Doss loves the third-person limited perspective, and will change perspectives multiple times in a chapter. I know you think I'm exaggerating, but it's true. Let me illustrate: The first chapter has a weird poetic dream-state description of the land, the dream of a shaman, then the perspective of a white detective, Parris. The second chapter has a child, Sarah, and her memories of a dream when she was even younger; then a perspective from her mother Mary; and the dreaming shaman again. Third chapter: Mary, then Sarah, then a golden eagle (I'm not even joking), Mary, and then her husband Provo. But don't worry--Doss will drop the Mary perspective when she disappears and swing around to some other people. Lizzie the bartender; Sweetwater, the tribal chairperson; Sargent Harry, Officer Trainee Alicia, and Eddie with the wooden leg. None of these people matter at all, but it does take up at least a couple pages of space each. It's like Doss is character-padding his book.

He also loves a portentous statement. It's intriguing the first couple of times and to be expected as a hook. But he does it every chapter, and usually at the end of every voice in the chapter. To give him credit, is is an effective way of signalling the end of a character's moment. Just how bad is it? Quite. Let me show you from the first two chapters: "Except... when they are not." (and that's not even my ellipsis for spoiler). "And this is only the beginning." "And it won't be long in coming." "He shivered.""There were more than ten." "And then the shaman noticed... this was a very small grave." And it goes on like that for the entire book. "But first he must redeem himself with his people." "Then his weary soul would long for rest. And find none."

I suppose we need those statements to help us remember this is a mystery, because it is 124 pages before we find a body. The lack of tension is notable as we are reading limited perspectives from the victim, probably the murderer (never found out), the detectives and the accused murderer. This is not one of those mysteries that will keep you awake.

Speaking of sentence fragments... I wasn't going to go into the structure, because normally I'm not that person, but, wow. I can't believe this was edited, or that Doss or the editor passed ninth grade English. You are only allowed to use that many fragments and ellipses if you are writing a note to yourself, or if you are a deconstructionist post-modern writer--and I'm not too sure about the former.

I'm also pretty sure you would have gone nuts over the white detective character if you had kept reading. It got a little nauseating about the time the Ute shaman recognized that the "blue-eyed Wyoming lawman was a familiar sight around Bitter Springs. The shaman's gaze paused on Scott Parris. Now, this was a very interesting man. A man... perhaps... who was touched by the Power." (again, not my ellipsis).

Don't be misled by the marketing. It's blurbed by the Denver Post with "Fans of Tony Hillerman's Navajo mysteries will find a new home here."

No, no we won't, unless it's the literary equivalent of a cardboard box home underneath the 405 with diesel as air freshener. Not that Hillerman was incredible--but he was fairly solid and steady. Doss's narrative is a hot mess, and I can't recommend it.

Please don't pick this up again.

H&K,

Carol show less

Miss Daisy works hard to make Charlie Moon's life difficult, and he reciprocates with his friend, the police chief. A family dispute ends in a shootout, then everyone goes missing. It is a puzzle for the sleuths until a body with a bullet hole is found on an island and Charley sorts it out. Always quirky characters in an interesting setting make this series a light but a fun read.

This installment of Doss' highly-entertaining Charlie Moon mysteries pits the lanky Ute against his most ruthless foes yet: a criminal gang with no qualms about using horrific violence to achieve its ends. When Charlie inadvertently foils their plans, they set their sights on him as the next target. Will Charlie and his loved ones survive? Or will this be lights out for a Columbine Ranch resident?

'Revenge' has all the trademark features that make all the Moon books such a delight to read – show more Daisy's amusingly bad attitude paired with her mystic streak, the lovelorn Sarah Frank pining away over the oblivious detective, and plenty of engaging banter between Moon and his pals. As usual, the nameless narrator is pretty much a character in and of itself. Doss doesn't just tell a story, he spins a yarn, and it's really quite enjoyable at that. Now, in this installment, he does indulge himself a little bit and we're treated to several lengthy dream sequences via a snoozing Scott Parris. For those more interested in the actual meat of the story, this might be a turnoff. However I felt it was in keeping with the "narrator" character's sense of whimsy and enjoyed it.

The book manages another feat in that it's a weird mix of super-creepy and tragic, yet still keeping the humorous angle alive. It's an odd combination, but compelling.

Overall, a great read. show less