When the accidental death of a ne'er-do-well drifter puts Police Chief Parris and Deputy Moon in the cross-hairs of a crime family matriarch, an unlikely protector emerges: struggling bounty hunter and aspiring crime novelist Louella Smithson, aka Missy Whysper, who tumbles into town hot on the trail of the cold-blooded "Cowboy" killer.
The Old Gray Wolf, the 17th book in James Doss's Charlie Moon series, is not your average mystery. Indeed, it might be easier to define what it is not. Despite having a full-blooded Ute protagonist with an irascible shaman auntie in a rustic Southwest setting, it's nothing like the novels of the late great Tony Hillerman. Nor do its humorously idiosyncratic, frequently bumbling heroes place it in the comic caper camp of Janet Evanovich. The narrator, a nameless, excessively verbose cross between Truman Capote and Henry James given to sotto voce asides, isn't even a part of the action.
Reading The Old Gray Wolf is a lot like taking a sip of what you are sure is cola only to find yourself with a mouthful of sarsaparilla; instinct tells you to spit it out, but if you let your palate acclimate, the novel begins to draw you in with its quirky characters. Still, be warned before you settle in for a nice light read: The Old Gray Wolf has a few other surprises in store. With this series, Doss may have done the impossible and invented an entirely new style of mystery. --Tom Lavoie, former publisher