Book: Blue Wolf in Green Fire by Joseph Heywood

A Woods Cop Mystery.

Grady Service is a Conservation Officer (CO) in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

The story here reminded me of a John Sandford novel in that it takes place Up North and has a main character somewhat like Lucas Davenport, but the writing is less nuanced, not as elegant. It's like bar-room juke-box music while Sandford's is smooth bluesy jazz. And Sandford usually has odd little observations or curiosities that have nothing to do with the main story but which add depth to his writing. His characters are more finely drawn, more interesting, and his plots are only complicated enough for credibility.

I think Mr. Heywood is certainly capable of writing a compelling novel but he has way too much happening here: a mysterious wolf sanctuary with a rare blue wolf, Grady's very wealthy sexy girlfriend who also wants to be a CO, a state governor who does not like Grady, major accidents that happen when Grady is in the vicinity, like a bear ambling across the road in front of a car right after a drunken hunter falls from his deer blind onto his arrow, is mortally wounded and then also stumbles out onto the road, a moose/car wreck, an airplane crash as Grady just happens to be driving by, an Amish versus Mennonite confrontation in the woods; there is a far-fetched IRA connection who becomes an undercover US Fish and Wildlife operative, big-league poaching, a Native American thread, FBI, BATF, county and state police involvement, local bombings, ...all happening in the fall of 2001, during and right after the 911.

Also the attempt to render local dialogue is distracting and overdone. Yes, many Yoopers have a way of speaking as do the Irish and the backwoods folk, but it seemed patronizing to me and overdone.

She was "out in da truck. She come in tru da back door....No, dude. I went out and tolt her da room number and I go in first and open da door and den she slips in."

"Yah I been watchin' dis galoot coupla weeks, eh. Seen him a half dozen times."

I did finish the book although the ending made my eyes glaze over as the twists of the plots were untangled.

Still, the general sense of life in the UP comes through which was good enough for me, with roads I've travelled and towns I've passed through, along the shores of Lakes Michigan and Superior, through the woods and rolling hills, swamps and farm lands.