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3.5 

The Peaceful Valley Crime Wave

By Bill Pronzini
The Peaceful Valley Crime Wave by Bill Pronzini digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

Bill Pronzini’s riveting western mystery, The Peaceful Valley Crime Wave, takes on the modern world with old-fashioned violence--and his Peaceful Valley is anything but…

Nothing much happens in Peaceful Valley, Montana. And that’s just how Sheriff Lucas Monk likes it.

Aside from the occasional drunken brawl or minor disturbance out on the reservation, he hasn’t had to resort to his fists or sidearm in years.

That is, until mid-October, 1914, when the theft of a wooden cigar store Indian sets off a crime wave like nothing Lucas has ever seen. Teenager Charity Axthelm goes missing, Reba Purvis’s housekeeper is poisoned with cyanide Reba is sure was meant for her, and Lucas’s gut tells him that this is only the beginning.

It’s not long before the first corpse shows up, bringing the peace in the valley to a thundering end.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

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4 Reviews

3.5
“I wouldn't have read this book cause I usually don't read this type, but I got it as a blind date with a book. And this book is very interesting. This took place in 1914. Lots of stuff happened in this lil town all at once. It had me hooked from beginning to end. And wondering who has been doin all these crimes. The sheriff Lucas is a good sheriff, and he tries hard to get to get the bad guys. And doesn't listen to all the Karen's in Peaceful Valley. If ur thinking bout reading this book, u definitely should.”
“A bit slow at first, but gets really good at the end, even if a bit predictable”
“This standalone mystery by the author of the long running *Nameless Detective* series (40+ books but I haven't read a one!) is set in 1914's Montana, at the end of the Wild West. The sheriff drives around in a hard to handle Model T but little else has changed. Suddenly, there is a spurt of violence in the Peaceful Valley and Sheriff Lucas Monk is trying to solve these crimes, while also battling the local gossip and prejudices. An interesting time indeed. It still feels like the edge of lawless West yet modernization is slowly happening, from cars to electric lights. The Indians are forced into squalid conditions and the women gossip mightily about any woman who might want to stand on her own two feet. Sheriff Monk tries to walk the narrow line to keep everyone placated, but sometimes events just push him too far. It was a fun quick read. My biggest complaint is one that I just can't stand in my first person mysteries, my preferred point of view. And that's where the narrator thinks he may have solved the puzzle (or puzzles) but doesn't let the reader in on the secret. You know, "Oh, I think I know what happened but first I need some more information" without telling us their suspicions. It just seems a cheap way to generate drama. Maybe the author thinks I should have figured it out by now, but I still don't like it. And it happens in two of the mysteries here. Grrr. And I also think that Sheriff Monk is just a little too open minded for the sheriff in a small town in the middle of nowhere Montana. You know, all too "live and let live", whether it is attitudes towards women or Indians. Seems like projecting some 21st century morals on him. But don't let that stop you from giving it a read. There are some funny scenes and the mysteries (at least 3 of them) are interesting and fun to play along. I recommend it and wouldn't mind hearing more from Sheriff Monk. And I will get started on the Nameless Detective series pronto!”

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