Eleven Days

“A hell of a first novel.” — Michael Connelly


Donald Harstad wrote and then released this grisly, fast-moving, and surprisingly humorous (considering the subject matter) police procedural back in the late 90’s, then followed it up with Known Dead, The Big Thaw, and Code 61. In my opinion, it should have reached the stature of Craig Johnson’s Longmire, or at least C.J. Box’s Joe Pickett books, but it seemed to fizzle after that. Whether it was a fickle public, or Harstad simply didn’t receive the big publicity push it deserved, I don’t know, but those first four entries in this series, especially this explosive debut, are as good and fun to read as any rural crime series you’re ever likely to come across.

Eleven days show more boasts a narrative filled with well-drawn supporting characters, a true rural farmland atmosphere that is palpable to the reader, and a human and likable hero in Deputy Sheriff Carl Houseman. The humor seems natural, and is often self-deprecating. This is a series that now has some years on it, but if you've never read it, it will be a great new find for you.

As a twenty-six-year veteran of the Clayton County Sheriff’s Department, Harstad perfectly captures the rural atmosphere of Iowa farm country. It is also still relevant — perhaps spookily so. This tense and exciting novel shows how a world gone askew morally reaches all the way into America’s heartland. Today the narrative (which I understand is based in truth) may seem less shocking, but that only makes it more relevant than it was back when it was written. In Eleven Days, a small town in the Bible Belt is suddenly confronted by mass slayings, satanic rituals and hidden amorality, in one of the best debuts in this genre I’ve personally ever read.

Harstad creates a believable crime story, and right off the bat gives readers a genuine feel for his setting. This is a place where a fax is "hi-tech" equipment for the cops. Homes and farms can be — and more often than not are — miles apart. We see everything which occurs through the eyes of Carl Houseman; from his relationship with his boss and co-workers, to a realistic marriage where he and his wife barely see each other, and must make the most of the moments they do have together. Despite the rather grisly subject matter, Eleven Days is also filled with humor and humanity in the face of the unthinkable.

This first entry in the Carl Houseman series is an adrenaline rush of a read, moving like a tornado through the sparse Iowa landscape. It is bloody and exciting, funny and disturbing at the same time. If you’ve been looking for a good rural mystery series, this will certainly get your attention. A terrific series that should have exploded, I highly recommend Eleven Days, and the three books that followed: Known Dead, The Big Thaw, and Code 61. show less

This is a spell-binding police procedural, Harstad's first novel. According to the cover, it was based on real events, and Harstad spent twenty-six years as a deputy sheriff in Iowa where the story takes place. (Amanda White, who knows the area, tells me the characters and scenes are very realistic.)

The story takes place during the eleven-day investigation of the particularly gruesome murders of four people at a farm in rural Iowa. Deputy Sheriff Carl Houseman arrives on the scene after a 911 call to discover several people dead in what appears to be some kind of ritual Satanic cult murder. Carl is a good cop with good instincts, but the department doesn't have the resources to handle the investigation by itself, so the Iowa CID is show more called in along with an expert from New York.
Carl recounts the investigation with its spectacular denouement in such a droll and natural manner, you can't help but warm to him. He works nights and his wife teaches during the day, so the investigation, which begins to consume more and more of his time, causes some fraying at the edges of their relationship. "When I got home, Sue was a little angry," Houseman says about his wife. "I'd neglected to leave her a note about the meeting. Consequently, supper had turned out to be a problem. She'd taken care of it by making a taco-type soup, so it was still warm when I got there. She'd eaten."

The key to solving the murder hinges on what the local pastor knows. It was his involvement in a similar crime near Elyria, Ohio that brought the killer to the area. His identity will be a complete surprise. This one will be a hard act to follow. I have ordered more of Harstad's work. show less

erhaps as penance for all those Iowa jokes I laughed at when I lived in Minnesota, and also because the first Iowa book I read, [a:Ed Gorman|9355|Dean Koontz|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1196542105p2/9355.jpg]'s [b:NEW IMPROVED MURDER|2744126|New, Improved Murder|Ed Gorman|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|2769804], was a good book but a little short on Iowa-ness, I decided to read another. So I picked [a:Donald Harstad|406326|Donald Harstad|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]'s [b:ELEVEN DAYS|44234|The Civil War A Narrative (3 Volume Set)|Shelby Foote|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170255592s/44234.jpg|43597] from the selection at http://www.stopyourekillingme.com. What a page-turner it show more turned out to be!

ELEVEN DAYS is a police procedural told in the first person by a county sheriff's deputy in northeast Iowa. It was Harstad's first novel and I'm happy to see there are several more. Apart from weather, there's not much description of the landscape in this book, but the people are Iowa through and through -- not caricatures either, just -- right.

I was a little worried when I saw that the tale involved Satanic killings, but the Satanist angle was handled very sensibly with no hidden agenda that I could see. There are some pretty intense descriptions of gory scenes -- not for the truly squeamish. Harstad pulls no punches and the ending was a complete surprise to me. An excellent book, and one I might never have read but for my "project." show less

If you like police mysteries, then give “Eleven Days” by Donald Harstad a try. The book isn’t for the faint of heart; it’s gritty, grisly and scary, but it is a great read. Harstad grabs you on page one and doesn’t let go until the very end. Iowa Deputy Sheriff Carl Houseman is called to a murder in progress at a remote farmhouse during an Iowa winter. The book follows Carl as a strange case of murder and missing persons unfolds. The characters are believable and Harstad’s police background adds authenticity to the story. The plot is like the best rollercoaster you ever rode with gut-wrenching drops and hair-pin turns that keep you guessing all the way to the end. I wasn’t able to figure out whodunit and was surprised when show more the killer was revealed. A savvy and seasoned mystery reader may do better than I at solving the mystery, but “Eleven Days” will keep even the most jaded mystery reader riveted. show less

This first novel is different and really good. Carl Houseman is a deputy sheriff in Iowa. They've got murders. Carl and his coworkers solve this crime about like you and I would. They are not slick, they are just good and the story of their work is excellent. My friend, Jeannie, says his second book is as good. Gotta get it!

Surprisingly good thriller. Not a five because of two things. One a little to much police code jargon, and a very small plausibility problem but you have to read it. Its got muder, mayhem, satanism, lesbianism, all in a small Iowa town, who would have thought that could happen.

Being a fan of thriller-type detective books, I was intrigued when a co-worker suggested this to me. It sounded like an interesting book and the fact that the author was a retired police detective seemed like a good mix.

The story centers around a series of homicides in a small Iowa town. There is a lot of involvement with a satanic cult and the action and storyline are fairly fast paced. While Harstad definitely seemed to know what he was writing about intimately, his police background was also the weak point of the book and a major portion of why I only rated the book a six.

My major problem with Harstad's writing style was all of the technical police jargon. I personally don't need to read through an entire police radio conversation show more that consists mostly of codes. It was ok to get a look at a policeman's life through the eyes of the main character, but I found some of the mundane stuff to get kind of boring.

All in all, this was a decent book with a strong plot and good story-telling. I felt the characters to be explored fairly well and they seemed believable. I wasn't really too thrilled with the ending, but it didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the novel either. show less