Going Local

I enjoyed this book throughly. It was a riveting, spell binding book. I bought it while on vacation, coincidentally in Hamilton, Montana, and read it the whole time. Thanks to Jaime Harrison for a wonderful book and I can't wait to order to rest.

Sometimes you are looking for a light mystery for an easy beach read and I found this perfect for that job. I already knew I liked the leading man, Sheriff Jules Clement, from the earlier novel "Edge of the Crazies". He was even better in this one.Comparisons to the TV show Northern Exposure (with a little Twin Peaks thrown in) are fitting. Not a Pulitzer Prize winner, but worth reading. I look forward to reading the next two novels in the series.

I admit that I was a little worried when I picked up Ms. Harrison's book, the second in her series set in Blue Deer, Montana. I thoroughly enjoyed "The Edge of the Crazies", her debut. Could she keep up the momentum with another humorous account of the goings-on in the tiny cowboy-gone-tourist/Hollywood-crazy town? Much to my delight, the answer is a resounding "YES!" Going Local is, if anything, an even better book than the first. Jamie Harrison's writing is full of flavor, and her characters leap right off the page. She describes her funny, flawed cast with such wry humor that you can't help but feel for them. Her protagonist, Sherriff Jules Clement is an unlikely candidate for a lawman, more Lyle Lovett than Clint Eastwood (in my imagination, at least!) Ms. Harrison's other characters are well fleshed out, making you feel like you have met them in real life. Didn't we all go to high school with a wild Everett Parsons, or date a Bonnie Siskowitz? The plot is fresh, and kept me guessing along the way...I am awaiting her next installment with much anticipation.