In the summer of 1907, a seven-year-old orphan has become interested in spending his nights in the local cemetery, which makes him the sole witness to the murder of one of the town's most powerful citizens."
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
In his latest richly detailed historical mystery, veteran chronicler of the Old West Douglas C. Jones tells us how to buy oysters and score cocaine in 1907 in Fort Smith, Arkansas. He also describes the work of a coroner in those early days of forensic medicine, and how retired U.S. marshal Oscar Schiller (hero of Jones's wonderful The Search for Temperance Moon) goes about finding out who murdered a wealthy businessman when the local police can't--or won't--solve the crime. Other of Jones's memorable books available in paperback include Arrest Sitting Bull, The Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer, and A Creek Called Wounded Knee.
From Library Journal
The year is 1907, and the Indian Nation is about to become the state of Oklahoma, but most of the citizens of Fort Smith, Arkansas, just a few miles to the east, are far more concerned with the corpse found on the river bank than with the politics of their nearest neighbors. Especially interesting is the speed with which Sheriff Leviticus Tapp solves and closes the case. So speedy, in fact, that former deputy marshall Oscar Schiller, whom Jones introduced in The Search for Temperance Moon (HarperCollins, 1991), decides to have a look for himself. Brief forays into Texas and the Indian Nation reveal an attempt to defraud, but the murderer remains illusive until Schiller returns to Fort Smith and sets a trap that almost backfires. Recipient of the Golden Spur and Owen Wister awards for his Western fiction, Jones has written another winner. This perfect combination of mystery/Western/historic novel, slightly reminiscent of the turn-of-the-century dime novel, is sure to please.?Thomas L. Kilpatrick, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Allen P. Bristow, author of THE PINKERTON EYE,
By Allen Bristow (Atascadero, ca United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Spider for Loco Shoat: A Novel (Hardcover)
This is the second book by this master storyteller that features the adventures of U. S. Marshal Oscar Schiller. The story is set during the early 1900's in the Oklahoma Indian Territory and Fort Smith, Arkansas. It is replete with the author's vivid characters and graphic situations. Jones also sprinkles much colorful history throughout the story and this adds to the reader's enjoyment. His imperfect principal character and the period chosen for the plot have a close similarity to the PINKERTON EYE. The only negative factor in the book is that it's editor repeatedly substituted "Marshall" for the correct form, "Marshal." The author, Douglas Jones, died during production of the book and probably was not involved in reading proofs. I enjoyed every page of this book and enthusiastically recommend it to others.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Transcends genre,
By "jerb57" (Virginia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Spider for Loco Shoat: A Novel (Hardcover)
What a masterpiece! This book is truly magnificent. Someday critics will review this historical fiction and recognize it for the great literature that it is. The audio version with Ed Sala's narration is perfection itself. Please read or listen to the audio version of this book. Great writers like this must be appreciated.
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