BUTCHER PEN ROAD

2 stars out of 5

Honestly, I wanted to like this one; it's got the major ingredients I love, like being a series with a couple of intriguing-sounding characters, here in the form of Chickasaw Lighthorse Police Sergeant Bill Maytubby and his friend, Johnston County Deputy Hanna Bond. This book is the third in the series and my first) - and therein, perhaps, lies my problem. By the end of the first handful of chapters, I was totally lost - in part, I suspect, because I had no background from which to draw.

Character after character came into play, many of whom go by different names and nicknames depending on the chapter and who's mentioning them - some I suspect made appearances in previous books and some probably are new to this one. Interspersed often in the conversations were words and phrases I've never heard of before, with no explanation as to what they meant nor context to provide a way to figure it out. Add to that jumbled sentences here and there - Kindle formatting errors, I suppose - and by the halfway point I really wanted to call it quits. But I persevered, mostly because the book came as a pre-release review copy courtesy of the publisher (via NetGalley) - and with these, I've always pledged to finish what I start.

What I gleaned is this: Maytubby and Bond are called to a local creek to examine the dead body of a man who was found by a young deaf boy who lives with his mother. At first, it looks to be some kind of fishing accident, but clues like finding fish in the dead guy's creel that don't live in the creek suggest it's more likely murder. Later, it appears someone wants to permanently silence the boy, and it's up to Maytubby - who has ties to the local Native American tribes (and may be one himself - never did find that out, nor how he ended up in this relatively desolate place) and Bond to keep him and his mother safe. When he gets a spare minute, Maytubby makes nice with his fiancee, Jill, who I think may be some kind of health food expert (or alternatively, a total nutcase on the subject). He also buys tons of food for friends and rents airplanes with his own money; I have no idea where or how he got it, but I find it hard to believe he has that much to spare on a backwoods Oklahoma sheriff's salary.

I will concede that the final chapter cleared up some of my confusion, mostly done in a conversational summary of everything that happened from beginning to end. And ttttthat's all I've got. The crimes pretty much get solved in the end (there's more than one here, but I never understood the others nor was able to connect the dots among them, if any), mostly by Maytubby's sleuthing around, sometimes barefoot (okay, so what's up with that)? My conclusion and recommendation? Reading the first two books is a requirement before tackling this one. Sorry I can't be more positive, but it is what it is.

Butcher Pen Road by Kris Lackey (Blackstone Publishing, July 2021); 177 pp.