Edited by Tony Hillerman
SUMMARY:
First compiled in 1994 as a hardcover, HarperTorch Publishers subsequently released this 451-page paperback edition in 2003. In this short story anthology, mystery novelist Tony Hillerman introduces twenty tales (each by a different author) all set somewhere in the present-day American West.
Not all of these stories (all copywritten for 1994) are murder-mysteries – some sleuths take a break from an ongoing series — others are grim dramas – and some don’t really fall into a particular genre. As one can imagine, it’s the locales that supply the enigmatic backdrop. The stories are:
- “Forbidden Things” by Marcia Muller: Leaving Los Angeles for a fresh start, young Ashley Heikkinen is eerily drawn to a sleepy little town on California’s northern coast called Camel Rock.
- “New Moon and Rattlesnakes” by Wendy Hornsby: A woman named Lise cunningly hitch-hikes and thieves her way out of Arizona on a desert road trip towards a vengeful destiny outside Palm Springs.
- “Coyote Peyote” by Carole Nelson Douglas: Starring ‘Midnight Louie,’ the cruel poisonings of several coyotes sends the feline sleuth to infiltrate an upscale housing development outside Las Vegas.
- “Nooses Give” by Dana Stabenow: In remote Alaska, reclusive Aleutian sleuth Kate Shugnak tracks down an unrepentant bootlegger after the double murder-suicide of three local teenagers.
- “Who Killed Cock Rogers?” by Bill Crider: In a small Texas cattle town, rising animosity aimed towards a local radio personality leads to murder.
- “Caring for Uncle Henry” by Robert Campbell: Already coping with dementia, elderly widower Henry Ridder finds himself saddled with two greedy relatives that he would have preferred remain long-lost heirs.
- “Death of a Snowbird” by J.A. Jance: Retired blue-collar couple Agnes and Oscar are at odds over a Native American relic he stumbles upon in the desert outside Tombstone, Arizona.
- “With Flowers in Her Hair” by M.D. Lake: Forty-something Kate Austin spends a post-Christmas vacation visiting family in Minnesota, only to increasingly ponder the cryptic death of a teenage friend decades before.
- “The Lost Boys” by William J. Reynolds: For a bereaved client, a private eye travels to South Dakota to question the long-estranged ex-husband re: two missing teenage sons.
- “Tule Fog” by Karen Kijewski: Sacramento private detective Kat Colorado helps a family friend at a Bakersfield farm unravel odd recurring flashbacks re: an incident from childhood.
- “The River Mouth” by Liz Matera: On a secluded hike off Oregon’s Klamath River, a couple’s private talk is interrupted by a strange interloper.
- “No Better Than Her Father” by Linda Grant: In Southeastern Colorado, seasoned forty-something journalist AJ Thomas and her cagey father are threatened re: a mysterious crate he acquired at auction.
- “Dust Devil” by Rex Burns: Boulder, Colorado private eye “Snake” Garrick looks into a shady horse sale.
- “A Woman’s Place” by D.R. Meredith: A small Texas town’s first-ever female Justice of the Peace, Elizabeth Walker, investigates a county employee’s peculiar death.
- “Postage Due” by Susan Dunlap: Police negotiator Jill Smith contends with both a self-righteous troublemaker holding the Berkeley, CA post office hostage and a pompous Acting Postmaster.
- “The Beast in the Woods” by Ed Gorman: The mentally-handicapped adult son of a distraught Iowa farmer becomes involved in a darkly tragic series of events rapidly spiraling out of control.
- “Blowout in Little Man Flats” by Stuart M. Kamisky: In rural New Mexico, a skeptical sheriff must protect his prime suspect in a triple-homicide from suffering local mob justice.
- “Small Town Murder” by Harold Adams: Two part-time sleuths discreetly look into the suspicious Midwestern death of a small-town lawyer.
- “Bingo” by John Lutz: Living in a Phoenix retirement community, Harry & Gretta Archambault’s mundane existence is disrupted by Harry’s small-time yet increasingly brazen fraud schemes.
- “Engines” by Bill Pronzini: Fate and attempted suicide bring together two strangers deep within Death Valley.
REVIEW:
Reminiscent of the Malice Domestic anthology series, this well-written collection’s niche works best as a sporadic read: i.e. bedtime, road trips, etc. A few tales, such as “Nooses Give;” “Tule Fog;” and, surprisingly, the manure-themed “Who Killed Cock Rogers?” might deserve multiple looks. However, the bulk of these stories are one-and-done reads where only the scenic details leave lasting impressions.
Still, none are flat-out duds — the slice-of life “Bingo” comes closest, as its mundane plot opts for an oddly pointless finish. The runner-up is “New Moon and Rattlesnakes,” as no likable characters (aside from a loyal dog) are to be found on this premise. Most of these tales pursue reasonably satisfying arcs, but only “Coyote Peyote” and, to some degree, “Engines” resort to disappointingly icky twists that savvy readers will likely sense coming.
Ultimately, The Mysterious West is an intriguing adult read (in terms of sample stories re: Kate Shugnak, “Snake” Garrick, ‘Midnight Louie,’ and Kat Colorado), but it isn’t necessarily a long-term keeper.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
Hillerman thoughtfully introduces each tale, commenting on the author, his/her prior work, and/or the story’s theme.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
