Western Justice by Dean L. Hovey

 

 

Western Justice

by Dean L. Hovey

 

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GENRE:   Mystery

 

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BLURB:

 

When human remains are found at the Vore Buffalo Jump, the short-staffed local sheriff’s department requests assistance from Park Service Investigators Doug and Jill Fletcher.

 

ATV tracks lead the investigators to the victim’s boots and a hunting blind constructed on the edge of the Black Hills National Forest. With more questions than answers the Fletchers find themselves pulled into the community dynamics of tiny Aladdin (population 15) where the café and general store are the hub of information for the county.

 

The surprising identification of the victim only opens more questions about him, and his connection to the location of his murder. When the Fletchers follow up on the few leads provided by John Doe’s identification, they unwittingly open a can of worms.

 

 

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Excerpt:

 

Jill’s voice was soft and even. “Have you noticed anyone sitting in the timber behind the store?”

 

Tanya opened her mouth, but hesitated. “I don’t often look up the hill. I mean, it’s just trees and stuff. I’m usually focused on doing something for the store when I’m in the back.”

 

Jill nodded toward Tanya’s pistol. “I used to carry a 9mm when I was younger. I could never handle the recoil of a .45.”

 

Tanya relaxed a bit. “I’m not concerned about the recoil because I only plan on shooting once. When you shoot something with a .45, it stays shot.”

 

Randy leaned forward to look at Jill. “Unlike the well driller you shot thirteen times with your 9mm before he stopped running.”

 

Zane’s eyes went wide, and he turned toward Jill. “That was you in the Hulett shootout?”

 

I gestured for Randy to zip his lips. He saw Jill look away, then made a circle on the bar top with his beer bottle. “I might’ve spoken out of school. Sorry, Jill.”

 

Seeing Jill’s remorse, Zane turned toward her. “I’m sorry. I get it. I really do. I take no joy in shooting an animal. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if I shot another person.”

 

Jill nodded. “Thank you. Can we talk about something else?”

 

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My latest book, "Western Justice" is set in the Black Hills. A body is discovered when volunteers open the Vore Buffalo Jump National Historic Site for spring cleaning. The local sheriff's department is understaffed, so they request assistance from US National Park Service.investigators, Doug and Jill Fletcher. Although the body is unidentified, the coroner comments that the damage to the corpse appears to be the result of being dragged behind a horse, as was a common punishment for horse thieves and cattle rustlers in the Old West.

 

"Western Justice" is the 14th book in the Doug Fletcher park service series which began with Doug investigating the murder of a visitor in Walnut Canyon National Monument, near Flagstaff, Arizona. Since that first book, Doug's investigations have taken him to Padre Island National Seashore, Everglades National Park, St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, Devils Tower National Monument, Little Bighorn National Battlefield, and Tuzigoot National Monument. Through the course of his travels, he married his partner, Jill Fletcher, who grew up in the Black Hills. Doug's a divorcee, and Jill had been married to her job in the Park Service before becoming soul-mates with Doug. Being middle-aged adults when they married, they each have established lifestyles and their attempts at blending them leads to some humorous dialogue.

 

At a recent Left Coast Crime Convention, a panel moderator asked if I'd ever had any humorous interactions. I told the story about a reader who called me one evening and said, "There was way too much sex in that last Doug Fletcher book." There are romantic situations, which I choose to end with the closing of a bedroom door. With that in mind, I was confused. The reader's husband took the phone and explained that his wife had gone to Catholic schools, and grew up in a small Iowa town where every child was born by immaculate conception because no one's parents had ever had sex. "The excess sex is totally in my wife's mind!' The panelist next to me waited for the laughter to end, then asked, "Why quit with the closing of the door? You could invent a whole new genre of Mystery Erotica!" I explained that would result in my divorce and the resignation of at least two of editors and proofreaders.

 

The niche I've chosen is to hint at romance, without getting into the salacious details after the door closes. I've also chosen to rarely use profanity. I'll say something like, "Rob swore like a trucker after hearing the news," without writing out exactly what Rob said. That's led to a couple of reader comments about tough characters should not use "proper English." That's true, but my beta readers and editor "correct" all my incomplete sentences and dangling participles, and I agree to let it slide.

 

I was once asked who reads my books. My readers tend to be mostly female, often with gray in their hair. They're well-read, polite, and appreciate the effort I put into detail. I rarely sell a book to anyone with children, because they don't have time to read. They appreciate the strong female characters I've created, and the realistic dialogue. My male readers have commented on the action scenes, tempered by the use of humor. I also get comments about how much my readers feel that each story stands alone, is unique, and not the result of some plot formula.

 

I hope I've tantalized you with a little background on me, my writing process, and the stories I create. One of my beta readers said that "Western Justice" is the best book I've ever written. I can't weigh one book against the other. They're all my children and I appreciate each of them for their uniqueness.

 

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Dean Hovey is a Minnesota-based author with three mystery series. He lives with his wife south of Duluth.

 

Dean’s award-winning* Pine County series follows sheriff’s deputies Floyd Swenson and Pam Ryan through this police procedural series.

 

Dean’s Whistling Pines books are humorous cozy mysteries centered on the residents of the Whistling Pines senior residence. The protagonist is Peter Rogers, the Whistling Pines recreation director.

 

In Dean’s latest series  his protagonist, a retired Minnesota policeman, is drafted into service as a National Park Service Investigator after a murder at a National Monument.

 

* “Family Trees: A Pine County Mystery” won the 2018 NEMBA award for best fiction.

https://bookswelove.net/hovey-dean/

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00J78JMLY/about

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:

 

Dean L. Hovey will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Enter here:

 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4749

 

Follow the tour:

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