Blog Tour: 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 One:

 

Drawing a sharp breath, she reached into her back pocket for her cell phone. Punching 911 into the keypad, she waited two rings before the dispatcher answered. “Crook County emergency services. How can I assist you?”

 

Having not considered what she was going to say when the phone was answered, Peggy stated what came to her mind. “I’m looking at a dead body. Could you send someone over to fetch it?”

 

“Is the body human?”

 

Peggy cocked her head to examine details that became clearer as he eyes adjusted to the shadows behind the building. “It appears so.”

 

“You can’t tell?” The dispatcher asked.

 

“It’s complicated. It’s kind of tangled in some brush partway up a hill.”

 

“Do you need an ambulance?”

 

“No, this soul is well past the ambulance stage.”

 

“Where are you, ma’am?”

 

“I’m standing behind the Vore Buffalo Jump Museum building.”

 

“Where exactly is that?”

 

“It’s along the interstate, between the Beulah and Aladdin exits.”

 

“I’ll dispatch a deputy to your location. The nearest officer is in Hulett, so it might take him the better part of a half hour to get there, if he’s through with lunch.”

 

“There’s no rush. Whoever this is, isn’t going anywhere.”

 

 

 

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What makes this book different from other books in this genre?

I created the Doug Fletcher series after creating the very dark “Pine County mystery” and the cozy “Whistling Pines mystery” series. With the Fletcher series. I decided to take the readers to some of the more obscure National Park Service locations across the United States, with characters who are professionals, but not really cops, who deal with murders and deaths, but not in a terribly gruesome way. My protagonists’ job is investigation of crimes in National Parks, most often cold cases, or cases where the small park service sites lack resources to conduct an investigation. Doug Fletcher, who is married to his partner, Jill, shuns the spotlight and views his role as supporting the local law enforcement people.

For instance, Park Service investigators don’t usually arrest suspects, they provide broad perspective and experience to local law enforcement agencies. The local police make the arrests, and announce solution of the case, usually while Doug and Jill are reluctantly in the background, or flying back to their home base in Texas.

I like using wry humor, usually resulting from the banter between Jill and Doug, as they work through the investigation. I take the Fletchers to the Black Hills frequently because that’s where Jill’s family ranch is located. The family dynamics are fun as Jill’s family wrestle with the fact that their daughter, who grew up in rural South Dakota, has married a divorced “city kid” who hates horses. Doug’s dealing poorly with horses is a recurring theme, with him being knocked off, falling off, being terrorized by riding after a suspect at a gallop, and being scared to the point of wetting his pants.

As far as I can determine, Doug and Jill Fletcher are one of the very few married pairs of investigators since Nick and Nora Charles were in the 1930s “Thin Man” series.

A reader wrote in an Amazon review, “Dean creates characters I’d like to invite over for a beer and conversation.” I try to make them professional, but human and vulnerable, too.

 

Editorial review snippets:

Another great book that I couldn't put down. The dialog between Jill and Doug is so much fun and the mystery is always interesting leaving me anxiously waiting for the next book! – Linda J.

 

The pace is riveting, and grabs you from the start. You will greatly enjoy your experience with these two best friends. Highly recommended. – Greg P.

 

Another great story, how many different stories do you have saved in your head Dean??? Thanks, I enjoyed reading this one as much as I have all the others. – Kathy W-B.

 

 

Excerpt from “Western Justice”

“I don’t know if you remember me, but this is Hank Stoddard. I’m the Crook County sheriff, in Wyoming.”

“I remember you, Sheriff. Have you had any shootouts lately?” Doug asked.

After a chuckle, Stoddard replied, “Well, we haven’t had to shoot anyone, but a body was found on a National Park Service site. I was wondering if you and Jill happened to be in the neighborhood and would be willing to take a look at it.”

“I’m in Texas right now. But you’ve intrigued me. Did you have another person fall at Devils Tower?”

“A volunteer found a body in Vore Buffalo Jump when they were cleaning up for the tourist season opening.”

I searched the recesses of my mind and vaguely remembered seeing a sign for the historic site but couldn’t recall the location. “Where is the buffalo jump?”

“It’s just west of Beulah, Wyoming, within sight of I-90.”

“That’s just across the border from South Dakota, right?”

“That would be the spot. I was hoping you were visiting your South Dakota in-laws and might be willing to take a peek at the mess that was once a person.”

“Let me make a couple of calls, Sheriff. We may need to make an unexpected trip to Spearfish.”

“I’d be mighty appreciative if you could make that happen. This death is strange. The coroner and I have stewed over this a lot. It appears the victim was dragged across the prairie like a horse thief, then dumped at the buffalo jump site at some point over the winter.”

“Dragged like a horse thief?”

“Dragging a horse thief across the prairie was called western justice.”

 

 

Where to find “Western Justice” and my other books

 

Books We Love author page: https://bookswelove.net/hovey-dean/

On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/.../Dean-L.-Hovey/author/B00J78JMLY

 

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 :

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