No Comfort in Victory

Harry Starbranch, an ex-homicide cop from Denver, moved to Victory, Wyoming to escape big city mayhem and murder. Now he's sheriff of a county where stock rustling seems to be one of the leading occupations. When a rancher's daughter gets killed along with one of the rustlers who was robbing the ranch, Harry gets the feeling there is more going on behind the scenes than meets the eye and that some of the area ranchers have a shared secret. Bean does a fine job of evoking a sense of place in this book. Everywhere Harry has to go seems like a long way away and he spends a lot of time on the county roads. There are some good minor characters in the book. Harry rents an old farmhouse from a great old lady who's far from ready for a retirement community. He's still in love with his ex-wife and she visits from Denver whenever she can. Sheriff Starbranch is a well rounded, interesting character solving a puzzling mystery with a satifying conclusion. After a bit of an uneven start, this turned out to be a very good book. This is the first book in the series.

I have really enjoyed both of the "Victory" mysteries. The author has a fluid, folowing style that transports the reader to small-town Wyoming. Secretly, it's a place all urban dwellers would love to migrate to, even if it means an occasional murder.