Blue Deer Thaw

This, the fourth in the Blue Deer series, was my first. I picked it up on a free-book-exchange table at work, and to tell the truth I wasn't expecting much, given some of the miserable books I've found there. I was pleasantly surprised to find a good mystery with some of the other elements popular in mysteries these days (local color, humor) mixed in with a steady authorial hand. Jamie Harrison's humor is dry, not raucous, and she leaves it to the reader to "get it"; it's nice, as a reader, to be trusted by the author. Nor does the mystery or the seriousness of the crimes take back seat to humor as happens in some books--everything works together. I enjoyed the descriptions of small town Montana, which convey the beauty of the area without romanticizing it or small town life. Well plotted, and although it isn't super hard to figure out the crime the author presents further difficulties to keep the reader from feeling superior.

As the fourth in Ms. Harrison's series set in Blue Deer, I couldn't help but get the impression this was also the last! Please tell me it isn't so! As usual, Blue Deer remains the most dysfunctional town I've ever read about, and the characters all remained true to their personalities. The story moves along quickly, with twists and turns and additions, but sometimes I wonder about the dispatching of so may citizens in one area. I sure wouldn't move to Blue Deer! But if Jules was back and available, I might. What with Jules going off to be an archaeologist again, and taking Caroline with him; Edie and Patrick Ankeny neatly wed; Mom has a sleep-over; and Peter and Alice wed with child, what else can happen? While I don't wish Jules another decapitated lover, I sure want him (and Caroline) back in Blue Deer. If you read one of these stories, you'll want to read them all!

The ending was a bit stressful but I believe Ms. Harrison is just toying with us. (Isn't she?) The 3 earlier Blue Deer novels were very good but this one really entertained and amused. Wonderful work and a joy to read!

Jamie Harrison's Blue Deer Thaw exemplifies what can be done when a major talent works to combine the elements of traditional literature and mystery. The characters in this novel are living and breathing - real people living real lives - entrancing us with their needs and desires. And yet we have a mystery. And beside the mystery, we have humor, love and romance. In addition, the quality of the writing is absolutely dazzling, with example after example of fresh, funny usage of the language. I found this book completely fascinating for ALL of the characters, for the tremendous writing, and the subtle, subtle plot. This book, and her last book (An Unfortunate Prairie Occurrence), remind me of John LeCarre at his best (with Smiley), but with humor added. This is a tremendously interesting and wonderfully talented novel. Simply Outstanding fiction! It does, though, help to have read at least her most recent earlier work - An Unfortunate Prairie Occurrence.

A Montana winter can be so brutal that only the hardiest of individuals survive the sub-freezing temperatures, icy cold winds, and blizzards. For instance, the residents of Blue Deer, a small town near Yellowstone, know how to cope with the adverse climate, though an outsider would classify the pioneer behavior as weird and eccentric.March and April remain cruel months leading to people behaving like lunatics. A wealthy person places his entire estate up for grabs so he can observe his heirs cheat one another and him. A woman freezes to death within five feet of her home. A stranger drowned and another outsider was knifed to death. Sheriff Jules Clement believes there is more to the double deaths than the coroner's finding. As he struggles to persuade Deputy Caroline Fair into going out with him, Jules decides to conduct an investigation to at least satisfy his hunch.Fans of the TV series "Northern Exposure" will fully enjoy BLUE DEER THAW, a satirical look at the quirky but charming inhabitants of a modern frontier town. Jamie Harrison renders a unique perspective on justice that concludes that satisfaction is not always attained even though justice is achieved. This tale is not a fast ride down the rapids, but rather a delightful, humorous look at the human condition.Harriet Klausner