Denver author Robert Greer sidelines his penchant for mystery writing to explore the contemporary American West in this portrait of the Darleys, a small Montana family with a lofty allegiance to the ranching lifestyle. After the family hires a mysterious, clairvoyant ranch hand who is seeking his family roots, he senses trouble on the horizon. Sure enough, an intruding coal-mining company looking to hit the jackpot leaves many ranchers waging war. While steeped in the spirit of the West, the book's universal themes of valor, family, and self-identity resonate far beyond the Front Range. --5280: Denver's Mile High Magazine (October 2009) by Corey H. Jones
In Big Horn County, MT, 1991, when a barefoot, half-black, half-Native American hitchhiker wearing an expensive cowboy hat gets a ride from a teenager named TJ Darley, a friendship is born. The mysterious hitchhiker gives his name as Spoon, short for Arcus Witherspoon. TJ takes Spoon home to the family ranch, where he is hired as a much-needed extra ranch hand. Gradually, TJ and his hardworking parents become aware that Spoon has an uncanny talent for forecasting bad weather and trouble in general. They also learn that Spoon is a Vietnam vet with a prison record. However, he is a terrific worker and becomes a mentor to TJ. When a coal company threatens to tear up the neighborhood, the Darleys and Spoon are drawn into battle. More about TJ's coming of age than the eponymous Spoon, this new novel by the author of the CJ Floyd mysteries (Blackbird, Farewell) vividly presents the realities of life on a cattle ranch. Larry Watson's Montana 1948 comes to mind as a readal! ike. --Library Journal (September 1, 2009) by Keddy Outlaw
Set in the contemporary West, Denver author Robert Greer's "Spoon" is one of those novels that not only rings true but also grabs the reader by the heart and never lets go... Once again author Greer, a pathologist and University of Colorado professor of medicine, as well as the owner of a Wyoming ranch, brings readers a first-rate and thoroughly believable tale. --The Denver Post (October 25, 2009) in "A & E" by Sybil Downing
Kreck relies on tapes of Clyde Smaldone made by his son, Gene Smaldone, and on many interviews with associates, family members, police and other law enforcement officials. His treatment of the subject is so evenhanded that it's possible at times to forget he's writing about criminals. He portrays Clyde Smaldone as a human being- a father who poses for photos with his son Chuck's Smokey Bear stuffed toy on his shoulder- as well as the leader of a powerful crime machine. In the epilogue, Kreck notes: "Their (the Smaldones) illegal business interests aside, they lived by their word, disdained drugs and prostitution, and even in their dealings with law enforcement, conducted themselves as gentlemen." --The Pueblo Chieftain (August 9, 2009) of Pueblo, CO, "Books of local interest" by Mary Jean Porter
Dick Kreck interviewed a number of family members, among them the two sons, who have contributed a foreword, along with other people who knew the family; the tapes plus the interviews form the basis of this book. "We were an Italian family, just like any other family, " says Gene. Well, sort of. --The Bloomsbury Review (August/September/October 2009) by Virginia Allen
"An enormously engaging novel with characters who feel like old friends and a spirit as big as the West. From the opening paragraphs, you are in the hands of a master with the ability to evoke the grandeur of the still untamed western landscape and the folks whose lives are shaped by it. What a gifted storyteller Robert Greer is! Spoon is the kind of story you will remember." --Margaret Coel, author of The Silent Spirit
Greer has created a very compelling character-driven novel of the American West that intoxicates the reader with its very detailed and descriptive text. Spoon is a very dynamic character with several layers of complexity. I wanted to learn more about this man, and Greer slowly reveals that throughout the novel. I recommend this book. --Jenn's Bookshelves 10/16/2009
Despite that it's a modern setting, his bad guys are tough hombres, his good guys are insightful, the hosses are smart, the ladies are purty, the ending is just right, and I liked it. If you're looking for comfort reading on a chilly weekend, this is one to grab. Sit yourself down and have a "Spoon"-ful soon. --"The Bookworm Sez" by Terri Sschlichenmeyer
This is a modern western with shoot 'em up bang-bang features which you will enjoy as in the cloud of dust the masked man rides away always with the same ending, who was that man? Spoon, of course! --"Clark's Eye on Books" by Clark Isaacs
It starts in late summer, it ends the following autumn, and the sweetness and melancholy of the seasons perfectly complement this classic tale. -- Marilyn Dahl --Shelf Awareness, 9/24/09
It starts in late summer, it ends the following autumn, and the sweetness and melancholy of the seasons perfectly complement this classic tale of a cowboy, ranchers and big business, told with sweet humor and Western elegance. --Shelf Awareness, December 10, 2009
In Spoon, Robert Greer has created a character sure to win a place in reader's hearts. --Rain Taxi Online Winter 2009/210 by Jaspar Lepak
