The Devil's Backbone

"The Devil's Backbone" is solid. The writing is elegant. Sentences come in regular, full prose style. While I love Lee Child and Elmore Leonard, don't look here for that clipped, "modern" prose from some thriller writers. Robert Greer has a beautiful way of setting up a scene and takes his time developing his characters. The investigation of the death of a former rodeo star in this mystery takes some time to get rolling. Bail bondsman CJ Floyd, who approaches life in somewhat laconic, seen-it-all fashion, takes his time building a list of likely suspects and then methodically works his way through to find the perp. Some of the sleuth work is good thinking, some it just dogged stuff of covering all the bases. Surrounding CJ is a terrific cast of sharply distinct characters, some of whom add to his woes and worries, some of whom prove quite valuable. The Denver and Colorado settings ring true, so does the solid plot. I would not say this is the "thrill a minute" ride that another reviewer suggested, just an intriguing mystery and one well done.

This is a well put together mystery novel with revealing information on the little known history of black americans in the west and the Rodeo circuit. The book is a nice read and I enjoyed it.

African-American bounty hunter C.J. Floyd is frequently without money but never without adventure. His entourage includes Jamican born cowboy Billy De Long, the beautiful,patient, loving girlfriend Mavis; outgoing secretary and soon to be lawyer, Julie; ex-marine, new secretary Flora Jean; and ex-rodeo cowboys Dittier and Morgan. C.J needs these key individuals to maintain his business and actually to sustain his life. He is a bail bondsman and sometimes bounty hunter who performs his work in the new, wild west.This is the third in a series of novels by Mr. Greer and I think it is his best work yet.

After earning $3K on a difficult but successful chase, Denver bail bond agent and bounty hunter CJ Floyd is looking forward to some needed R & R with his main woman. However, Morgan Williams and Dittier plead with CJ to look into the strange death of another friend, rodeo Hall of Famer Cletus Dolbey. Though CJ prefers to stay out of the way of the official police investigation, he agrees to investigate what happened to Cletus. CJ soon learns that Cletus was found in a body of water, wearing a wet suit though the deceased was deathly afraid of water. He also learns that Cletus claimed to have found diamonds on his property. CJ begins to wonder if the murder of Cletus is over the diamonds or a simple act of jealousy over the rodeo star's success on the circuit. As another one of his cases interferes with his inquiries, CJ tries to uncover the identity of the culprit responsible for murdering a friend. The third CJ Floyd novel, like the previous two books (THE DEVIL'S HATBAND and THE DEVIL'S RED NICKEL) is a wonderful who-done-it due to the lead protagonist and his friends. The story line consists of two cases that constantly moves forward in a fast-paced, exciting way. However, what makes this series so entertaining is Robert Greer's brilliant talent which allows CJ, a middle class black American, to struggle with white society without condemning anyone. This turns a well-written who-done-it into a top notch book. Harriet Klausner