White Crosses (Paperback)

~ (Author) "WHEN SHERIFF JACK NEVELSEN GOT THE CALL FROM THE DISPATCHER about the accident out on Highway 284-single car, two fatalities-his first thought was, kids..." (more)
Key Phrases: Ralph Moss, Leo Bauer, Celia Moss (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This is no tale bred from the misguided nostalgia for an older, rural West, although it is set in the presumably less complicated 1950s; rather, it's a tale of moral manipulation and a bone-deep resignation that leads people to come unhinged. Jack Nevelson, the sheriff of Bentrock, Montana, knows his town. His business, as he's come to define it, is to fit everything under the rubric of his stewardship. Nevelson receives a fateful call on the evening after Bentrock High School's graduation, leading him to the site of a tragic accident; there he discovers the bodies of two people who had no business being together in life, let alone death: the principal of the elementary school and a teenage girl, June Moss. Nevelson uncovers three packed suitcases in the wreckage of the accident. Were the two running off together? Nevelson decides to squelch the truth in favor of a less damning story in order to protect his town. But the lie creates a whole new set of problems for the sheriff and the people of Bentrock.

Thus unfolds a small-town saga of lives crippled by slender means--spiritual and material--and the desperation born of dead-end lives. Larry Watson's White Crosses is an ideal read for those who love the rich body of literature the West has produced, that which grapples with timely problems, both dwarfed and defined by the inimitable spaces, the uncultivable arid beauty, the pinched options, and the infinity of stars. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Watson (Montana 1948, LJ 9/15/93) is being hailed as the new voice of the American West. Here, a small-town sheriff investigates the deaths of an elementary school principal and a female student.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Washington Square Press (November 27, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067156773X
• ISBN-13: 978-0671567736
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #659,884 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Larry Watson will get there, eventually. Still a good read., April 1, 2004

By	Traveler (New England) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Larry Watson could be one of the best American writers alive today. I say could be. He's easily one of the most accessible authors when it comes to fiction about the western US. And he comes up with intriguing stories that really make you want to open the book to find out what happens.

But Watson has a problem with characters, particularly women. (Perhaps he should hook up with Robert Hellenga who wrote "The Sixteen Pleasures" to get an idea of how to present a female character.)

In "Laura" Watson depicts multiple negative female stereotypes. In "Justice" and "Orchard" the females are rather bland. Of the five Watson books I've read I'd say that "Montana 1948" is by far his best by a million miles. It's short, to the point, and packs a wallop. Perhaps that's because he focused on the pov of a young boy. Because of the set up we give him allowances. We don't expect a boy to know and understand the feelings and motivations of adults, especially women. So it works. Superbly in fact.

In "White Crosses" we have yet another intriguing story. Why was the principal in the car with the young girl? You open the book and you want to find out more.

"Crosses" is a good read. And I disagree with those who say the character asides are besides the point. Watson is not some Dean Koontz who wants us just to care about the plot. He wants us to get into the hearts and minds of his characters. To do that we need their thoughts and memories.

But still, as pointed out by a female reviewer here, Watson just can't handle those female characters. They're either beautiful or ugly. They're inexplicable. They're unaccessable. They're just not human.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the ending. You'll say aloud "No!" when you finish the tale. It's frustrating and tragic. Does it work? Yes, I think it does. Too often we get stuck on that unrealistic merry-go-round of happy endings. We forget reality, we forget that life is messy. Here, Watson reminds us that things don't always work out as planned.

Overall, a good book that could have been great. But I'm crossing my fingers for Larry Watson. Someday he'll get both the story and the female characters right. Someday he'll give us a female character with all those "annoying" asides with real thoughts and memories.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It REALLY is a surprise ending!, November 23, 2001

By	Kelly A. Eucher - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I picked this book up purely based on the interesting cover photograph and type-set. Basic plot: small town sheriff comes across an accident involving his small town's elementary school principal and a young girl fresh out of high school; he creates a story to protect both victims' reputations that ends up creating unexpected results. Although I thought Watson's highly descriptive prose was impressive, the book did drag at times as Sheriff Jack Nevelsen's thoughts went off onto seemingly unrelated tangents. I hadn't read any previous reviews and wasn't expecting the surprise finale. I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 3 purely because of the creative ending.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars OK, let the man think, and FINISH THE BOOK., October 8, 2000

By	Just_Karen (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: White Crosses (Hardcover)

I am giving this book four stars, but reading these reviews, I remember my own initial dislike of the endless asides in this book. The story begins with a bang, a juicy scandal and two deaths, but every tiny plot happening seems to be no more than a contrivance to allow for yet another flashback. The sheriff bends to tie his enormous shoe, launches into a reverie, then straightens up and looks around three pages later. As our tall sheriff plods through the windswept Montana prairie, can't he step a bit more quickly? But this oblique approach echoes the sidewinding trail the main character treads as he approaches the devastating internal truths at the heart of this story. It's like watching a man step slowly into quicksand and being unable to call out a warning. The ending is powerful, inevitable, excruciating ... and don't you DARE peek.