The Tumbler (Gabriel Du Pre Mystery) [Hardcover]

Peter Bowen (Author)

Book Description

Series: Gabriel Du Pre Mystery | Publication Date: April 12, 2004

Gabriel Du Pré, the old Métis fiddler at the center of Peter Bowen's atmospheric, engrossing series set in the dirty, dusty Montana that's rarely featured in travel brochures, has a knack for finding trouble. Or rather, trouble has a knack for finding him. There's a rumor going around that Du Pré and his old sorceror friend Benetsee have come across a parcel containing the lost journals of Lewis and Clark, and outsiders, drawn by the spirit of the legendary explorers, are beginning to invade Toussaint.

Du Pré won't say whether he's got the journals or not, preferring his usual routine of cigarettes, a whiskey ditch or two and a few fiddling gigs up and down Montana's highways to getting involved in this controversy. Benetsee isn't talking, either, but when a journalist goes a little too far in trying to get the story of the lost journals, and the two men's friends and family are put squarely in the face of danger, Du Pré doesn't have much choice but to wade in and set things right.

The Gabriel Du Pré mysteries have become required reading for fans of the vanishing West, and Peter Bowen's storytelling talent continues to thrive in The Tumbler, a dazzling entry in what has become a classic series.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Distinctive characters and the rich Montana setting lift Bowen's Gabriel Du Pré adventure, the 11th (after 2003's Badlands) to feature the Metis-Indian tracker. Billionaire Markham Millbank wants to buy the journals of explorer Meriwether Lewis, allegedly found by Du Pré while looking into the disappearance of some Missouri River boaters in 2001's Cruzatte and Maria. Du Pré refuses either to acknowledge or produce the priceless material, and scornfully tosses to the ground envelopes filled with money he receives from Millbank. An increasingly ominous cloud hangs over the Toussaint Saloon, where Du Pré hangs out and sometimes plays the fiddle. When a fellow musician and a friend's niece are attacked, Du Pré must admit the seriousness of the situation. Nosing around between fiddling, drinking "ditchwater" highballs and receiving counsel from his wise longtime love, Madelaine Placquemines, Du Pré is soon at the heart of a murder case that's not what it seems. The author's proseâ€"including unusual punctuation and speech rhythmsâ€"may take some getting used to for the uninitiated. Yet the lure of Du Pré and his cronies is not in Bowen's sometimes elliptical language but in the texture of the storytelling, soaked in folklore, mysticism and wry humor in the face of human folly.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* The lost journals of Lewis and Clark are said to reside somewhere in Toussaint, Montana, and it's rumored that Gabe Du Pre is the only man who knows their whereabouts. The feds want Du Pre to surrender them as a national treasure. Technically, Du Pre doesn't know where they are, though his spiritual guide, Benetsee, an Indian with mystical powers, does. And no one can make Benetsee do anything he doesn't want to do. But even as Gabe and his lawyer tangle the feds up in a legal stalemate, other, less benign forces have made it clear they want the journals. Gabe isn't interested in the riches that anonymous callers offer him, but the scent of money draws trouble, and soon two people in Gabe's inner circle have been kidnapped, with the journals sought as the ransom. Toussaint isn't just a small rural community. It's a battleground where the irresistible forces of technology and greed run headlong into the immovable concept of personal integrity. Gabe speaks pidgin English, drinks too much, and scratches out a living as a roadhouse fiddler. But like the most memorable creations in detective fiction, his moral center is unshakable. Another wonderful adventure in a great series. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (April 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312277334
• ISBN-13: 978-0312277338
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #979,972 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and thoughtful, April 7, 2004

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Tumbler (Gabriel Du Pre Mystery) (Hardcover)

Violence is never far removed from Gabriel Du Pre's life. It starts when an angry girlfriend breaks in on Du Pre's band and starts shooting the bass player. But things get worse when someone attacks one of his friends and maces the friend's daughter. And the legal troubles Du Pre finds himself in over the journals he's discovered from the Lewis and Clark Expedition suddenly explode when someone starts offering big bucks for the journals--no questions asked. Du Pre isn't selling, but Indian wise man Benetsee tells Du Pre that his troubles are only starting. Before long, there will be death. And Du Pre and his friends will be in the middle of it.

Author Peter Bowen tells a fascinating story of old treasure, modern greed, Indian wisdom, and the west. Du Pre, Benetsee, and several of the other characters ring absolutely true and Bowen paints a vivid picture of rural life in Montana.

As with the other books in the Gabriel Du Pre series, THE TUMBLER is both a fascinating mystery and an even more fascinating look into character and the land. Du Pre and the other characters don't speak much and when they do, their dialect takes a bit of getting used to, but I found charm, wisdom, and a nice sense of humor combined in what they had to say. THE TUMBLER is a definite winner with plenty of red herrings, lots of people with more money than sense, and an ending that is exciting and satisfying, while being as wistful as is Bowen's picture of the dying west.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Up above the world you fly..., October 29, 2004

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Tumbler (Gabriel Du Pre Mystery) (Hardcover)

It is easy to get accustomed to Peter Bowen's mysteries starring Gabriel Du Pre. In a sense, the Metis Indian is someone we all want to be. Smart, deeply in tough with his community and its environs, a man with strong relationships, good friend, and a wry, penetrating wit. Equally at home with the mysticism of medicine men and FBI agents. And very determined to see his way to the truth.

The truth is what is most elusive in The Tumbler. Du Pre and Benetsee (the ageless medicine man) have discovered some important Lewis & Clark artifacts (or have they?) and the government is suing to get them, people are dropping money in an effort to buy than, and someone seems perfectly willing to murder to get their hands on them. In the midst of this Julie, the niece of Bart Fascelli (Du Pre's rich friend) shows up in Toussaint to work on her own issues. All this makes for a rich, multi-layered stew of motives and priorities.

In retrospect, the story is even more of a tapestry than Bowen's previous efforts. Thieves, murderers, the law, sorcerers and gymnasts are the threads, and Du Pre, with the help of his companion Madelaine and the mysterious Benetsee must find where the knot is and untie it before the worst happens. Bowen's stories are noted for luring you in with light banter and intriguing characters only to his you firmly over the head at the end. And The Tumbler is no exception. Be prepared.

One thing I had not realized is that Peter Bowen is a private person. I was curious about why this particular title was chosen. Young Julie and her boyfriend are gymnasts, which is part of it, but my intuition tells me that there is more. Something like the sacred clowns of the Navaho. After scouring the web I can report that other than book reviews and short bios, Peter Bowen has a very light network footprint for this day and age. Yet another mystery in a book that asks more questions than it answers. In many ways this is the most thoughtful and, perhaps, the best written of the Du Pre stories. Enjoy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great mystery, April 1, 2004

By 

Alise "beatha" (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tumbler (Gabriel Du Pre Mystery) (Hardcover)

Peter Bowen has a knack for capturing the language and customs of the Metis in a way that makes you feel you are really there -- then throws in a mystery that keeps you guessing until the last page.