Strike Dog: A Woods Cop Mystery (Woods Cop Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Joseph Heywood (Author)

Book Description

Series: Woods Cop Mysteries | Publication Date: September 1, 2007

The newest Joseph Heywood mystery novel set in Michigan's Upper Peninsula finds Grady Service out to avenge the murder of his girlfriend and his son. Conservation officers in several states are being gruesomely slaughtered and Service, alone and devastated, navigates the mind of a serial killer before he becomes the next victim. Hunting the hunter through Wisconsin and Missouri, this is Heywood's most suspenseful and psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Thomas Perry, James Lee Burke or Nevada Barr. The fifth book in the series, STRIKE DOG is the perfect introduction to Heywood's fiction for outdoorsmen and animal lovers as well.
Joseph Heywood is the author of several novels, and lives in Portage, Michigan.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Heywood brings to life Michigan's Upper Peninsula in his predictable fifth novel to feature conservation detective Grady Service (after 2005's Running Dark), though an implausible plot fails to match the rich rural setting. Soon after Service's son and his girlfriend die in an auto accident, the grief-stricken Service finds evidence indicating their vehicle was forced off the road. Before his private inquiry can make much progress, an untrustworthy FBI special agent, Tatie Monica, enlists Service to pursue a murderer who has targeted conservation agents across the U.S., using an obscure and gruesome Viking pattern of mutilations. An improbable cameo by George W. Bush injects some lame humor (You ain't one-a them Dem'crats, are ya, big guy? the president asks Service), while the eventual revelation of the connection between the trail of bodies and the fatal accident will surprise few. (Sept.)
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Review

quotes about the series:
"Engrossing stuff. Lots of well-plotted action and an offbeat, affecting love story."--Kirkus Reviews (for Running Dark)

"Top-notch action scenes, engaging characters both major and minor, masterful dialogue and a passionate sense of place make this a fine series."
--Publishers Weekly (for Chasing a Blond Moon)

"A gripping plot, replete with memorable surrounds and spiky characters, makes this second in the series (after Ice Hunter) an excellent choice for most collections. A good pick also for readers who enjoy outdoor mysteries by such authors as Nevada Barr or Dana Stabenow."
--Library Journal (for Blue Wolf in Green Fire)

"Crisp writing, great scenery, quirky characters and an absorbing plot add to the appeal of the memorable first entry in a promised series of "woofs cop' mysteries."
--Wall Street Journal (for Ice Hunter)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Lyons Press; 1ST edition (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599211602
• ISBN-13: 978-1599211602
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,210,514 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Rhinebeck, New York. Grew up as Air Force brat. 1961 graduate of Rudyard High School in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Michigan State graduate, BA-Journalism, 1965. USAF, 1965-1970. Graduate studies in English Literature at Western Michigan University in mid-1970s. Former adjunct professor of professional writing at Western Michigan University. Author, cartoonist, painter, poet, photographer, fisherman, hiker, Heywood spends up to a month a year in trucks on patrol with Michigan conservation officers to gather information for the Woods Cop mystery series. The experience helps make the stories authentic. Almost everything in the series has happened to a CO somewhere in the state. His blog, rich in colorful and interesting photographs, is "Joe-Roads," on his web-site, www.josephheywood.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Underappreciated, October 16, 2007

By 

John Bowes (Oxford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Strike Dog: A Woods Cop Mystery (Woods Cop Mysteries) (Hardcover)

This author deserves a wider audience. He takes the reader places not seen by most. The ending here is a little bit of a let down, but the trip there is a trip. Heavily plotted, well populated by good characters, and well written, these books could be on the best seller lists.
A serial killer stalks our game officer hero, who uses skills and friendships to solve the puzzle.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Strike Dog, on the edge, November 6, 2007

By 

S. Shostak (Canterbury, CT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Strike Dog: A Woods Cop Mystery (Woods Cop Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I have read some poor reviews of some of Heaywoods books. I have enjoyed all of the books so far. This story kept me on the edge for the entire story. I thought the violet was one person then another and so on through out the book. I couldn't put the book down and it made me late for work on more than one occasion!
I have not read the woods cops books in order, but I really enjoy the way that he devlops the charecters throughout his stories. I really enjoy the way Limpy Allderice plays his role in this book.
It was nice to see Haywood venture out of the U.P. and into other states. This book takes you around the country on the mission to find the killer.
I am still thinking about the ending, I just fininshed the book 10 hours ago. It did wrap everything up, maybe a little too neatly, however I did not see how it was going to end until I made it there.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb, November 26, 2007

By 

George Beinhorn (Mountain View, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Strike Dog: A Woods Cop Mystery (Woods Cop Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I started Strike Dog with trepidation, fearing that anything with "A woods cop mystery" on the cover would be way too suffocatingly enclosed and even terminally folksy. Heywood is excellent, easily the equal of Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, or Robert Parker. Grady Service, the "woods cop," is a universal character, by no means a type - he may cruise the Michigan Upper Pensinula in a truck, but he's as smart and real as Elvis Cole, Spenser, or Harry Bosch. Those authors are the standard for measuring any mystery writer's style, and Heywood's writing is pure pleasure - clean, sincere and unaffected. He knows how to keep a story moving, and the energy stays high. Let's hope he'll never fall into the trap that has caught so many authors of mysteries in rural scenes: falling in love with the minutiae of his characters' lives to the extent that they become unbearably dull. Heywood even makes the fishing details interesting, even beautiful. I'd drive 75 miles through the U.P. in winter to shake his hand.