Wolf, No Wolf and Notches

As a long time, dedicated extreme tree hugging Sierra Clubber I very strongly recommend Wolf, No Wolf to all other extreme tree hugging Sierra Clubbers. Too often we try to impose our values on those we see as backwards and unenlightened neandrathals. Bowen through Du Pre shows us the other side of the endangered species issue, its effects on those on whom we attempt to impose our values, in this case, ranchers and other residents in a dying Montana culture. If their reaction to outsiders forcing change on them is sometimes violent, that is understandable if not forgivable. I also live in a small rural town and have been to meetings almost exactly as Bowen describes them and can testify that Wolf, No Wolf does not contain a false note. We enviros must try to better understand the other side and be much more empathetic towards others needs and feelings. It is unfortunate that Notches has been paired with Wolf, No Wolf. The first is very trenchant social commentary wrapped up as a mystery. The second is a very bloody mystery whose only redeeming quality for me is the byplay between the usual cast of characters. If this were not a Du Pre mystery I would not read it.

Wolf/No Wolf is on the sad juxtoposition of those who have lived on the land and loved it, trying to eke out a living, and those who would like to return the Earth to its natural wonder. Interesting to point out that some environmentalists might be a tiny bit control-oriented, and that those against them may have agendas other than just protecting a way of life. Notches takes up serial killers, who prey on young people who may have been bounced from home or run from an abusive situation and are not just spoiled brats. Du Pre's solution to problems recalls Tony Hillerman's Jim Chee and Ellis Peters's Cadfael in which justice prevails, perhaps ignoring externally-applied laws. Additional is telling of a way of life of the Metis, of whom I never learned in school.

Notches is the book that saved me from giving this whole thing a bad review. Wolf, No Wolf is about how a bunch of tree huggers (yes I have Montana blood in me!) end up dying. Du Pre and Bart (the sheriff in this book) know its one of the locals, but they aren't sure who. Benetsee is his mysterious self and theres a couple of new characters that play a fairly large role. They don't last long, but they are interesting to see. Bart and Du Pre wrap this case up in usual fashion. Although some might think that Notches is a bit grim, I did enjoy it. Notches is the story of how Du Pre takes matters into his own hands regarding two serial murder's (skinned little girls keep showing up along Highway 2 and another highway that runs north and south...can't remember the name right now). This book is a quick read and the pace keeps things moving along.

"Wolf, No Wolf" will never make the Sierra Club's list of recommended reading. It is third in a series of mysteries starring Gabriel Du Pré, the Métis descendant of French Voyageurs and Plains Indians, and it is rabidly anti-environmentalist and pro-rancher."Notches" is the fourth in the series, and while the former features four-legged predators, the latter concerns itself with the two-legged variety.Rabid or not, such is the power of Bowen's writing and the nobility of his characters in "Wolf, No Wolf" that even clean, green bunny-huggers (like me) might end up voting for the ranchers and against the re-introduction of wolves into Big Sky Country at story's end.All of the regulars at Touissant Bar are part of the action. Du Pré, master fiddler and part-time brand inspector is cast in the role of peacemaker. With help from his friends, the Shaman Benetsee, Bart the rich-guy-turned-sheriff, Du Pré's long-time mistress, Madelaine, and Booger Tom, the ancient, homicidal cowhand, he braves avalanches, gunfire, and false medicine men in order to prevent open warfare between the ranchers and the Earth First! crowd.There are good ranchers, and there are really evil ranchers who sell dead horses for dogmeat.There are good FBI agents (not very many) who are either Montanans and/or part Amerindian. The vast majority of agents are feeble, clueless, and from out-of-state. Some of them are so dim-witted as to try and arrest the Shaman Benetsee, who plays a wonderful joke on them with his coyotes. All of the environmentalists, New Age mystics, and Yuppies in "Wolf, No Wolf" are easily identified by their expensive, crassly-colored, mail-order garments of many pockets. They are even dumber than the FBI agents, and are easily led astray, even unto death, by the book's villains. And die they do, by avalanche and grizzly, by gunshot and knife, and by freezing to death in Alberta Clippers. The ranchers rescue as many as they can, but winter in Montana is truly hell-frozen-over. Some of Bowen's leanest, most vivid prose is devoted to descriptions of out-landers and cattle that venture out into the jaws of a Blue Northerly. Better to stay in the Touissant Bar and drink fizzy, pink, screw-top wine, and listen to Du Pré fiddle the sad, old Voyageur songs. On the other hand, if you're still in the mood for mayhem, follow him into "Notches" where he is asked to assist police on the trail of two serial killers.There are good reasons why the police might not want Du Pré at the scene of a crime. He spits a lot as he circles the corpse, rolls his own cigarettes and mashes them out beneath his boot heel. A forensic specialist would find traces of him all over the scene. In "Notches," he even hides evidence because he wants to track a killer without interference from the FBI.On the plus side, nothing at the scene escapes him. If he is called in to examine one body, he may find two others near by that no one else has noticed--which is exactly what occurs in "Notch