Winter Seeks Out the Lonely by Larry D. Sweazy

First Line: January 13, 1935. Sonny Burton stood on the front porch and watched an open-topped jalopy sputtering down the hardpan road, rolling slow enough to kick into the air any dust worthy of noting.

 

It's a bleak, cold January in the Texas Panhandle. The Depression lingers on, digging its dirty fingers deep into every nook and cranny of life. The local Texas Rangers office is closing, which means Sonny Burton's son Jesse will probably lose his job. A ragtag, tired circus camps outside Wellington, needing rest before continuing on its journey, but most townsfolk don't seem to want it there. 

 

Sonny Burton is retired from the Texas Rangers, but that doesn't stop anyone from coming to him for help. His friend, Aldo Hernandez, comes seeking help for his cousin who got into a fight and cost another man his chance to work in the Civilian Conservation Corps. Although Sonny doesn't want to get involved, he finally agrees to help and finds himself in a snarled mess of corruption, bigotry, and hate. 

 

Sonny would much rather focus on the letters he's been receiving from Edith Grantley. While he worries about Edith being willing to share her life with a one-armed man who's used to living alone with his three-legged dog, Edith has grown tired of waiting for a response to her letters. She's jumped into her car, left her home in Huntsville, and is driving all the way to Wellington to see him-- not necessarily the wisest thing to do in these hard times. For both of them, it's a time of dangerous confrontations.

 

~

 

I've been a fan of Larry D. Sweazy's Sonny Burton mysteries since the very first one, A Thousand Falling Crows. During a shootout with Bonnie and Clyde, Bonnie Parker's aim cost Sonny his arm. There can't be any one-armed Texas Rangers, so she cost him his job, too... the most important thing in his life. His dedication to his job took a huge toll on his personal life, and even though his son Jesse joined the Texas Rangers in his father's footsteps, their relationship is strained. Sonny lives outside of town with his three-legged hound, Blue, feeling very much the outsider, and the cold, bleak winter is making him feel rootless and lonely. He's not the only one.

In the second book in the series (there are now three), The Lost Are the Last to Die, Sonny met boardinghouse owner Edith Grantley who's also feeling lost and alone. While Sonny thinks he's not fit to share Edith's life, Edith has her own thoughts on the matter and is brave enough to jump into her Pierce Arrow and make the journey from Huntsville all the way to the Texas Panhandle where Sonny lives. I could talk about these two characters all day because Sweazy brings them to life, but Sonny and Edith aren't the only reasons why you should read this book.

 

Sweazy also sets readers down right smack dab in the middle of the Dust Bowl and the Depression. You get a real feel for the landscape, how people lived, what they thought. If you enjoy historical mysteries set in the western United States, then don't miss Sonny Burton. 

The mystery concerning Aldo Hernandez's cousin is a good one, and it kept me trying to figure out what happened, but the part of the book that really grabbed me was Edith's journey across the state of Texas. Any female reading Winter Seeks Out the Lonely is going to put herself in Edith's shoes and find herself wishing that Edith's bright yellow Pierce Arrow would go faster. Faster. Faster. What makes this part of the book so memorable is that it isn't only adrenaline-churning action, it shows us just what kind of a person Edith is.

For Edith, "The road trip had revealed a world desperate to survive, to express its rage, and to take whatever it wanted without consequence." For readers, Winter Seeks Out the Lonely is a road trip deep into the Depression with two characters who show the strength and resiliency of the human spirit. I am so glad I found these books.

Winter Seeks Out the Lonely by Larry D. Sweazy

ISBN: 9781432868963

Five Star © 2021

Hardcover, 290 pages

 

Historical Mystery, #3 Sonny Burton mystery

Rating: A

Source: the author

The Lost Are the Last to Die by Larry D. Sweazy

First Line: Sonny Burton downshifted the Model A Ford pickup truck and pulled it over to the side of the road.

Texas Ranger Sonny Burton retired after losing his arm in a shootout with Bonnie and Clyde, and you'd think they would leave him alone. But when Billy Bunson escapes from the prison in Huntsville, Texas, Sonny is asked to help capture him-- and his partner will be his son, Jesse.

No one knows Billy Bunson like Sonny Burton, and when Sonny learns that Billy escaped while taking a pregnant woman hostage, he knows there's more to this than meets the eye. For one thing, Billy has vowed revenge on Sonny and fully intends to carry it out because of the history between them. From his beginnings as a simple thief, Bunson has turned into a ruthless killer, so Sonny needs to proceed with caution.

The Lost Are the Last to Die unfolds over the twenty-five years that ex-Texas Ranger Sonny Burton and escaped convict Billy Bunson have known each other. In timelines varying from 1911 to 1934, readers are told these two men's stories from both points of view, and it's all about perspective. Sweazy does an excellent job of portraying both men. We see Burton's unhappy home life, his World War I service, and his slightly uneven career in the Texas Rangers. And throughout this time, Billy pops in and out. Billy, whose mother is a prostitute and his grandmother a brothel owner. Billy, a little boy who travels with the women from place to place when business gets too slow. Billy, who's trained as a thief and whose best friend and teacher is a former slave named Jim Rome. And throughout his life, there's the shadow of Sonny Burton, a laconic Texas Ranger who always seems able to outthink him and who always seems to expect more from Billy than Billy wants to give-- and that makes Billy angry.

As I read this engrossing story, two things stood out. One, a scene where Sonny comes across a rabbit cull. He sees a little four- or five-year-old boy covered in blood and screaming for his mother, and as he drives his Model A Ford pickup truck down the dirt road, he thinks about that little boy, wondering what he would remember of that day and what sort of man he would become. This scene not only brings to life a common occurrence during the Dust Bowl (rabbit culls), but it also tells us a lot about Sonny himself. The second thing? In many ways, the character who stood out the most (and who didn't get that much "screen time") was Jim Rome. In a few words, Sweazy manages to bring this man to life and make readers ponder all the things he had to endure. This is some marvelous storytelling.

This is the second Sonny Burton mystery I've read and enjoyed. The time period, the plots, and the characters all capture my imagination, so it should be no surprise to anyone when I say that I hope Sonny makes a third appearance. I really hope he's not done telling us his story.

The Lost Are the Last to Die by Larry D. Sweazy

ISBN: 9781432857233

Gale Publishing © 2019

Hardcover, 332 pages

Historical Mystery, #2 Sonny Burton mystery

Rating: A

Source: the author


 

A Thousand Falling Crows by Larry D. Sweazy

First Line: The farm-to-market road was vacant, the day's traffic settled and tucked away as the big red sun dropped below the horizon.

Sonny Burton now has only one arm, thanks to Bonnie Parker. Losing the shoot-out with the infamous Bonnie and Clyde in such a way meant his retirement from the Texas Rangers, and he's finding it hard to acclimate to his new life.

Then Aldo Hernandez, a hospital janitor, asks for Sonny's help. Aldo's young daughter has gotten mixed up with two brothers who are involved in a series of robberies. He knows that type of life means death, and he wants his girl back before that happens. Sonny agrees to help, but he finds his attention divided. You see, someone in the area has started killing young women and leaving their bodies out in the fields for the crows to feast upon.

Having really enjoyed Larry Sweazy's Marjorie Trumaine mysteries set in 1960s North Dakota, I didn't hesitate to pick up A Thousand Falling Crows. It's one of the best decisions I've made so far this year. Sweazy's lean, poetic writing style is so evocative of the Depression and the Dust Bowl that I felt as though I were following along with Sonny every step of the way. 

Sonny Burton is a sort of Everyman, struggling with all the changes in his life, with loneliness, and with his lack of relationships. He's a man without a safety net, and just as we see him reaching the end of the long, dark slide that leads to eating his gun, two things happen: Aldo Hernandez reaches out for help, and so does Blue, a mangy stray hound with a broken leg.

Sweazy has written the compelling story of a lonely man who finds a reason to get busy living. As he tracks down Aldo's daughter, Carmen, we see her life from her point of view. As he is forced to live with Blue, we see him coming out of his shell of loneliness. The excellent mystery the author has crafted almost comes as an afterthought in my mind because of the strength of the book's characters and setting.

And above it all is a Greek chorus of crows, letting us see it all from their vantage point. If you haven't sampled Larry D. Sweazy's writing, I hope you change that as soon as you possibly can. I did, and now I want to read everything he's ever written. 
 

A Thousand Falling Crows by Larry D. Sweazy

ISBN: 9781633880849

Seventh Street Books © 2016

Paperback, 280 pages

Historical Mystery, Standalone

Rating: A+

Source: Purchased from Book Outlet.