Boy, Howdy! I had a lot of fun with this one. Love the character, Thumps Dreadfulwater. Laughed out loud several times, which I rarely do while reading. Nice little mystery story. ( )

Thumps Dreadfulwater has retired from police and works as a photographer in a town near a reservation. He becomes involved in investigating the murder of a computer programmer. Prime suspect is the son of the tribal chief with whom Thumps has a relationship. Despite the local sheriff's opposition Thumps investigates and eventually solves the crime. Author teases with background in California.

Thumps DreadfulWater is a Cherokee ex-cop who has transplanted himself from California to Chinook, a town somewhere in the northwestern United States. He’s trying to reinvent himself as a photographer, but the pay isn’t great, so he has a sideline in photographing for the police. When a body is found at the soon-to-be-opened casino on the local reservation, Thumps finds himself pulled into asking questions more befitting a cop than a photographer.

This is a great introduction to the series, although do bear in mind that it was first published in 2002, so some of the technology discussion feels a bit outdated. The characters, however, are timeless. King’s writing is smooth and sprinkled with moments of dry wit that had me snorting out loud. And breakfast at Al’s sounds amazing.

I actually started this series with the 4th book, A Matter of Malice, so this book was the second one I’ve read in the series. So you can probably do the same, or you can start at the beginning and watch the characters grow.

I’d recommend this if you like mysteries and are looking to try some work by Thomas King in that genre. ( )

Ein Kanada-Krimi mit diesem Buchtitel – da konnte ich nicht widerstehen. Doch ich hätte genauer hinschauen sollen, denn der Handlungsort Chinook liegt in Montana/USA und nicht in Kanada.
Der indigene Polizist DreadfulWater hat von Kalifornien die Nase voll und kehrt zurück in das kleine Örtchen Chinook. Er verdient sein Geld mit Landschaftsfotografie, doch das örtliche Polizeirevier ist unterbesetzt und Sheriff Hockney braucht immer wieder Unterstützung. DreadfulWater macht die Tatortfotos, lässt sich aber immer weiter in die Fälle hineinziehen. Wieder einmal muss er ermitteln, als ein Mann, der bei einer Umweltkonferenz im Ort war, in einem Mietwagen tot aufgefunden wird. Der ganze Ort ermittelt mit, was die Sache nicht einfacher macht.
So ganz überzeugt hat mich dieser Krimi nicht. Eigentlich mag ich ja einen etwas sarkastischen Schreibstil, doch hier wurde es mir dann etwas viel. Der Krimi geht eigentlich spannend los, aber die Ermittlungen schleppen sich zeitweise so hin. Die Vorgeschichte von Thumps wird zwar angeschnitten, aber da fehlt mir doch einiges.
Die Charaktere sind alle recht eigenwillig gestaltet. Thumps DreadfulWater ist etwas aus der Bahn geworfen und würde gerne sein ruhiges Fotografenleben führen. Doch einmal Polizist, immer Polizist. Er lässt sich gerne in die Fälle hineinziehen. Warum nur gehen Sheriff Hockney und Thumps der Sache dann nicht professioneller nach. Auch den notwenigen Arzttermin schiebt der Protagonist vor sich her, bis er die Untersuchung durch die Leichenbeschauerin Beth Mooney über sich ergehen lässt, die ja auch Ärztin ist. Auch seine Beziehung läuft irgendwie so nebenbei. Aber nebenbei ermitteln ja auch noch die anderen Dörfler.
Der Krimi behandelt aber auch ernsthafte Themen. Es geht um Wasser, das ein begehrter Rohstoff ist und auch um das Land der indigenen Völker, das Begehrlichkeiten weckt.
Die Geschichte hatte Potenzial, war für mich aber nicht überzeugend umgesetzt. ( )

I loved the Dead Dog Café Comedy Hour when it was on CBC Radio about 20 years ago. That radio comedy show was written by Thomas King so I shouldn’t have been surprised that he also wrote a mystery series with comedic elements.

Thumps DreadfulWater is a Cherokee ex-cop turned photographer who ends up becoming a detective. A casino/condo complex is about to be opened when the body of a computer programmer is found on the premises. Stick Merchant, a young activist opposed to the development, is the prime suspect so his mother Diane, the band chief and Thumps’ sometimes lover, asks Thumps to investigate. As is expected, Thumps solves the case, though not before more murders occur.

This is the first book of the series so there is considerable background given about Thumps. He left the police force in Eureka, California, because of a tragedy after which “being a cop was something he could no longer do.” He is now a photographer but considers himself “self-unemployed.” One friend calls him lazy – “’the laziest man I’ve ever known’” – and napping does seem to be his favourite past-time. That same friend also tells him that he is “’good at what you do’” and it does not come as a surprise that he is better at detective work than the sheriff, Duke Hockney.

The touches of humour make the book an entertaining read. There really isn’t the biting social and political satire I expected; chuckles are a more typical reaction to the light-hearted humour. There are comments like “Trouble . . . was like a man, never in short supply, never too far away” and descriptions like a man having “no more romance than a Kleenex.” Another character is introduced as “a skinny reed of a man who enjoyed complaining the way some people enjoy chocolate. He was an uncomplicated, unrepentant mix of bigotry, sexism, and general vulgarity, a social garbage can on legs.” About the most pointed comment is the reference to one man’s hatred of Native-Americans: “That was the nice thing about hate . . . You didn’t have to be right. You just had to be committed.”

The one element that had me puzzled was setting. When Thumps left California, he moved east and he seems to be living somewhere in the northwest in a town named Chinook. I think of King as a Canadian writer, but it becomes clear that the fictional Chinook is in the U.S. because the F.B.I. comes to investigate. So what’s with the Tim Horton’s reference? It and the mention of Calgary are an appeasement to Canadian readers?

This is a fast, non-taxing read. The mystery is fairly straightforward and identifying the villain is not too difficult. It is the sharp dialogue and witty exposition combined with the indigenous view of the world that make this book more than ordinary.

Note: Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski). ( )