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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another good one!,
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This review is from: The Big Thaw (Hardcover)
Donald Harstad is one of the rare writers whose basic good humor shines through his work while managing not to inflict himself on the material. This is no small accomplishment, and I believe that this man is a natural. His writing is never labored; he has a splendid gift for narrative flow and for creating likeable, believable characters.The Big Thaw starts out with the mystery of who murdered two young burglars and spreads to a far larger scenario with critical international implications. Harstad actually makes us feel the miserable cold of the Iowa winter while creating a very real sense of the territory he knows so well. The climax of this tale, set on a riverboat gambling casino, is beautifully executed, causing the reader to wonder every step of the way how this impossible situation will be resolved. As it turns out, it is done with great imagination and at a pace that leaves one fairly winded. My only quibble, and it's a small one, is the author's fondness for grins. Every last character grins. Occasionally somebody smiles, but mostly, grinning rules the day. However, the editor, more than the author, is to blame for failing not only to pick up on some spelling errors but also this (admittedly minor) repetition. It certainly doesn't detract from the story or from Mr. Harstad's considerable talent, but he deserves to have his work treated with more care. I recommend this series enthusiastically.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Detecting in the Deep Freeze,
By sweetmolly (RICHMOND, VA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Big Thaw (Mass Market Paperback)
As we in the South would say, Harstad's Chief Deputy Carl Houseman is "just darlin'." You just can't help loving a guy who when pleased says "Cool!" and suffers with his enforced Low Fat diet by ordering pancakes, scrambled eggs, and waffles with "lo-fat syrup." Carl is enamored of high-tech devices that are a financial impossibility for a sheriff's department in rural Iowa. The author's 26 years of law enforcement experience are pivotal in making his stories so authentic sounding, it feels like true crime.The Nation County Sheriff's patrol is cruising their 750 square mile jurisdiction in minus 20-degree weather trying to get a lead on some burglaries taking place in empty "snowbird" residences. (Folks with good sense who flee from Iowa winters) Carl almost runs down a forlorn figure who has been honking his horn. Local ne'er do well, Fred "Goober" Houseman finally admits he is the wheelman for the latest rash of robberies and says his two cousins who were going to rob the nearest farm last night never came out, and now poor ole Fred doesn't know what to do, so he's been sitting there honking the horn. Upon investigation, Carl finds two frozen corpses in a shed by the empty house. The crime unravels to much more than burglaries and appears to have a far right wing militant conspiracy involved. The story escalates into a bang-up conclusion that really needs to be on the big screen with splendiferous special effects. This is my second Donald Harstad book, and he just keeps getting better. His characterizations are subtle and nuanced. He is careful to keep his 99 percent law abiding and normal Iowa citizens in the forefront, so the reader doesn't get the impression only serial killers and loonies live in northern Iowa. And this is a man who knows COLD. Read it in front of the fire!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another great read,
By Tor Riley (Wellington NEW ZEALAND) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Big Thaw (Mass Market Paperback)
Its two years after the events described in `Known Dead', and it's deep winter in Iowa. The action starts with a car chase that nets a burglary lookout who is terrified that his cousins whom he dropped off two days before to rob a holiday home might have died from exposure. Deputy Carl Houseman investigate the property and find two bodies all right, but inside the property and definitely not dead from hypothermia. The absent owner arrives, all aggression and bluster, and the plot starts to thicken. Added to the pot are an over-confident FBI surveillance team, a floating casino, an incompetent sniper, paranoid right-wing loons, a frozen river, media reporters, and a very bright survivalist-cum-bank robber in the form of the infamous Gabriel, last seen in `Known Dead'. While I agree with another reviewer's comments about the sloppy proof-reading, these are infrequent enough that they didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book, and can be laid firmly at the door of the publisher, not the author. Harstad brings his protagonist, Houseman, to life with his descriptions of an experienced police officer getting dressed using short cuts learned from experience, in his realistic conversations and descriptions with other characters, in his explanations of police procedure. Houseman is a very credible character, sympathetic, astute, self-deprecating, and always hungry. Harstad imbues him with a gentle wit that is been best seen in his interactions with his favourite dispatcher, Sally Wells and DCI investigator Hester Gorse. Now, Sally could give Hester a run for her money as a detective, in my opinion. Harstads' favourite foils are back in the form of the pedantic Art Meyermann, now working for DCI, and the robotic FBI counter-terrorist agent Volont, constantly out-thought by his arch-enemy Gabriel. Like Harstad's earlier books in this series, I really enjoyed this one. Highly recommended.
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