The Man Who Was Taller Than God (Carl Wilcox Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Harold Adams (Author)

Book Description

Series: Carl Wilcox Mysteries | Publication Date: September 1992

One hot July day, Felton Edwards, the tallest and most disliked man in Hope, South Dakota, is found dead. The Mayor hopes to pin the crime on an outsider and hires Carl Wilcox to do the job. But then another body turns up and with it a warning to steer clear. Carl is determined to find out just what is happening.

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

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Felton Edwards may have been "taller than God," but when his long frame turns up in Hope, South Dakota's sandpit, he's just deader than dirt. While none of the locals are surprised that the womanizing Edwards finally got his face blown off, they do wonder why Hope's less-than-favorite son is back in town after 15 years away--even if it's in the form of a corpse. Lucky for Hope (and this being the Great Depression, luck's been hard to come by), Carl Wilcox, the region's ace crime-solving hobo, just happens to be in town doing a little sign painting. Anxious to protect the town's peaceful reputation and somewhat suspicious of his sheriff's motives, Hope's mayor persuades the High Plains drifter to stick his oft-broken nose into Edwards's past--and, preferably, to ferret out a killer of the nonresident variety. As Wilcox follows Edwards's trail through the Depression-ravaged region, he discovers a string of bitter lovers, cuckolded husbands, and disgruntled business partners, none of them too broken up that the state's tallest man has been rendered permanently prone.

Ninth in the Carl Wilcox Mystery series, The Man Who Was Taller Than God stands as Harold Adams's most successful employment of his durable character and formula, and received the 1993 Shamus Award in recognition. Between rolling cigarettes and ingratiating his way into numerous free meals, Wilcox narrates his shambling search for Edwards's killer in a laconic yet playful voice. If the book's plot occasionally lacks urgency, Wilcox's likeable storytelling charms the reader through any slow spots. --Shane Farmer

From Publishers Weekly

For more than a decade, Carl Wilcox, Adams's Depression-era hero (last seen in The Naked Liar ) has solved cases involving murders and other misdeeds in small South Dakota towns. Having progressed from usual suspect (because of his convict background) to ersatz PI without losing any of his ne'er-do-well charm, Carl is again painting signs, this time in Hope, near his hometown of Corden. After a youngster discovers the murdered body of Felton Edwards, a local known for inveterate womanizing and big-money scheming, Hope's mayor asks Carl to investigate. Stolidly tracing suspects in Hope ("around Corden we just called it Hopeless") and nearby Edenberg, Carl encounters the usual complement of beautiful women, including a stunning redhead who proves crucial to the solution. Though unexceptional in plot and presentation, this is comfortable, competent and pleasantly nostalgic crime fiction.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 156 pages
• Publisher: Walker & Company; 1St Edition edition (September 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802712398
• ISBN-13: 978-0802712394
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,720,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Another solid Wilcox mystery., November 1, 2005

By 

Peter LaPrade (worcester ma) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Man Who Was Taller Than God (Carl Wilcox Mysteries) (Hardcover)

"The Man who was Taller than God" is a good mystery, this one involving Carl investigating the death of the extremely tall insurance salesman, womanizer and con-man Felton Edwards. Soon, Carl finds himself attracted to a fairly young woman who is taking care of her young orphaned nephew, and running into problems with the local lawman, who is sweet on the woman. Another suspictious death follows and Carl tries to find the missing undertaker who may be a killer. The end is a bit of a surprise as Carl finds the murderer was a resident of Hope.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars so-so, December 31, 2005

By 

Hortensia "Sunshine" (California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Man Who Was Taller Than God (Carl Wilcox Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Slow pace, plot is as shambling, rambling and dull as the detective in the story. A really tall man gets killed, otherwise not much happens until the detective finds out who did it by accident.

2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quite good!, July 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Man Who Was Taller Than God (Carl Wilcox Mysteries) (Paperback)

I thought this book was very good. It takes a really good book to get me past the first chapter, and this one kept me interested throughout the whole story. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a good mystery!