Book Review: Blue Deer Thaw

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Blue Deer Thaw     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Jamie Harrison
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Humorous
Hyperion, Feb 2000, $22.95, 271 pp.

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

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner