Book Review: Superior Position

Reviewed By: Kat - RAM - Wisconsin

Superior Position     Amazon US TPB Amazon Canada TPB
Evan McNamara
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Salvo Press, June 2004, 288 pages

Bill Tatum has settled into life in the idyllic little burg of Dumont, Colorado--an old silver-mining town tucked into the Rio Grande Valley. With a winter population of 600, summer tourism keeps the town going, and the four-person sheriff’s department can usually handle the day-to-day with ease. With the lucrative July 4th celebrations only days away, Deputy Bill finds the body of a visiting reporter near his home. It is during the body retrieval that a sniper shoots one of the investigating officers, signaling that all is definitely not well in their little town. Soon, the town morgue is hosting a Standing Room Only crowd.

Deputy Bill doesn’t have a lot of experience in law enforcement investigation. However, as an ex-Army sniper himself, he recognizes talent when he sees it; and when the sheriff assigns the case to him, he reaches back into his past for the training that will help him out-think his opponent.

McNamara has a way with the story and his descriptive voice is vivid, but not too much—it gives the reader a sense of place and people without seeming to go on and on. This is a solid, well-crafted first novel; a fast-paced read and a good addition to the list of authors who specialize in backwater police procedurals with bite, such as C. J. Box and Don Harstad.

Originally posted in Crimespree Magazine #3, October/November 2004. Thanks to Booksnbytes for sharing this one with me!

Kat - RAM - Wisconsin

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Kat - RAM - Wisconsin