18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Browning's southwestern authenticity places this at the top, April 7, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Last Song Dogs (Trade Ellis Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)
Sinclair Browning's new mystery series character Trade Ellis is a ranch-owning cowgirl private eye who shares a great many personal characteristics with - Sinclair Browning. The author, known to her friends as "Zeke", grew up on a ranch in Cochise County and calls herself " a dirty shirt cowgirl". Which has much to do with why her Trade Ellis persona is both authentic and believable.
Trade lives northwest of Tucson in a small village that's clearly Catalina, where Browning has lived for the last 20 years. Trade drives a big Cummins diesel 3/4 ton Dodge pick-up, the kind of vehicle that makes macho guys drool. It also happens to be the vehicle of choice for Browning, who you may catch driving down the road in her own Dodge, the custom license plate " WRIDER" paying homage to her two greatest loves - horses and books.
Southern Arizona landmarks abound in her fiction, and the mountains and cafes in The Last Song Dogs ar no exception. "Song dog" dear gringo is another term for coyote. It also happens to be what Trade's old high school cheerleaders called themselves; and as their 25 year reunion is about to commence, somebody's knocking them off one by one. Another authentic biographical note: Browning was herself a member of her high-school cheerleading squad.
Browning also does a great job with her other characters. Anyone who has ever been to a later high school reunion will recognize many of them (and their behavior), as well as a few folks from those working Arizona ranches that have yet to be converted to tile roofs and golf courses. And the plot moves and twists fast enough to keep the pages turning.
Browning is known for two previous historical novels: Enju, concerning the Camp Grant massacre, and America's Best, based on the true experiences of her husband's family as prisoners of the Japanese in the Phillipines during World War Two. She's also the co-author of the very successful Lyons on Horses now in its 20th printing (including a German edition).
Dog's Western ranch material and native American lore will surely fascinate both westerners and urban dwelling yankees much in the way that Tony Hillerman's books have built a captive audience among those who think everything west of the Hudson is Indian COuntry.
Like Hillerman, Browning is the genuine article. Most of the New Yorkers who publish this stuff can't tell, as evidenced by a simple perusal of their non-fiction offerings. (See Earp, Wyatt, as an example). Browning is good enough that she could convince most of them that boiled jackrabbit ears are an Arizona ranch delicacy.
Fortunately, she hasn't. Instead, she writes gloriously about Southern Arizona and produces a first-rate suspense novel to boot. She shares with Hillerman one other valuable commodity. The lady can write! Publisher's Weekly says: " The action moves briskly and is boosted by the motley cast of characters and Browning's inspired descriptions of the Southwest landscape."
Theose who are already into the increasingly popular subgenre of mysteries based on contemporary western female cops and P.I.s - written by women like J.A. Jance, Nevada Barr and Sue Grafton - will enjoy adding the first of Sinclair Browning's Trade Ellis series to their reading. But even if you're not a devotee, this is a great read by one of Southern Arizona's most enjoyable writers.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining throughout--Truely Enjoyable!, October 28, 2000
This review is from: The Last Song Dogs (Trade Ellis Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)
Trade Ellis has her hands full and I loved it. This mystery mixes the problems of a detective who is trying to solve some terrible murders with the problems of geting through her daily routine with a nice mix of adventure and humor. I could really envision the life of this character. She not only works as a private detective but she runs a ranch and maintains a decent relationship with her family. She is part Apache and has hispanic ranch hands which gives the reader a little glimpse of this part of Arizonas' diverse culture. She is actually an orphan but keeps a strong relationship with her Indian Grandmother and family. Her clash with her Uncle (he's not too excited about her hunting a murderer) reveals the close family bond and helps build her character. Arizona culture jumps from the pages--the horse rides to help her think and figure things out, the ranch help that's more like family and her great dogs made me feel like an old friend of Trades'. The mystery takes her back into the relationships she had in High School--some good, some not so good, while she tries to figure out who is murdering the Song Dogs, who were the girls in the pep squad when she was in school. The murders take Trade on a hunt to figure out why, after so many years out of high school, would someone murder these ladies who have all gone their seperate ways. I enjoyed the mystery because Trade is smart and bright--not the typical overly predictable PI. Overall the book was very entertaining and fun to read.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
First of the Trade Ellis series--can't wait to read the next, December 16, 2004
This review is from: The Last Song Dogs (Trade Ellis Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)
What a great read! The descriptions of the land, the way of life and the characters were so vivid--I truly felt like I was there. A very intriguing plot with an extremely exciting and surprising ending, loved the main character and all the subtle humor sprinkled throughout. Found myself wishing I hadn't read it yet so I could re-experience reading it for the first time.
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