Friday, December 31, 2010

Stewball by Peter Bowen


Title: Stewball
Author: Peter Bowen
ISBN: 9780312277307
Publisher: Minotaur Books, 2005
Hardcover, 224 pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth, #12 Gabriel Du Pré mystery
Rating: B+
Source: Purchased from Bookcloseouts.

First Line: Du Pré and Madelaine and Pallas were standing in the Billings Airport.

When Du Pré's Aunt Pauline asks him for help in finding her missing husband, Badger, Du Pré reluctantly agrees. The first thing he finds is Badger's body out in the middle of nowhere with a bullet hole in the base of his skull.

Since Badger was known to be mixed up in all sorts of things that agencies like the FBI would be interested in, Du Pré calls his FBI friend, Harvey Wallace, with the information. Before you know it, Du Pré has gone undercover with a pair of horses and a jockey in the world of illegal brush racing.

I enjoy the interactions of Du Pré, his partner of many years, Madelaine, and his children and grandchildren, and this book has plenty of that. When Stewball goes into the world of brush racing, it is as if the book has wings. Bowen could easily have included a hundred more pages about this and I would not have tired of it.

This is another strong entry in one of my favorite series, but I can't help being rather sad. There's only one book left, and then there will be no more new entertaining tales of this wonderful, colorful fiddle player.





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