Helpful Score: 2
I had this book and after reading the cover flap, I assumed a very different mystery/story that was presented. I expected the book to solve the mystery of why a graduating senior and a school principal and their suitcases were together when they were killed in an auto accident. So my assumption was it was a mystery.
Wrong! The mystery was why the sheriff of the town was trying to cover-up the true story with one that would save the principal's reputation. I did not like the book and should have stopped reading long before the end. To me the sheriff is nothing more than an immature 19 year old in a man's body who makes one dark dumb decision after an other.
After finishing the book I did what I should have done in the beginning...check PBS to see what genre is listed. Literature/Fiction. Well that fits. Definitely time wasted on what I thought was a mystery.
Even as Literature/Fiction not worth reading.
Wrong! The mystery was why the sheriff of the town was trying to cover-up the true story with one that would save the principal's reputation. I did not like the book and should have stopped reading long before the end. To me the sheriff is nothing more than an immature 19 year old in a man's body who makes one dark dumb decision after an other.
After finishing the book I did what I should have done in the beginning...check PBS to see what genre is listed. Literature/Fiction. Well that fits. Definitely time wasted on what I thought was a mystery.
Even as Literature/Fiction not worth reading.
Helpful Score: 1
This book was one of those that kept me guessing until the very last pages as to how the situation set up in the opening chapters would be resolved. The main character, Sheriff Jack Nevelsen, is someone I liked and disliked at the same time. The plot of the book underscored how the characters weren't necessarily the people others think they are and that events can take on lives of their own for better or for worse.
White Crosses by Larry Watson is set in the 1950's, the setting a small town on the raw, endless prairie of Montana. Jack Nevelson, the county sheriff, is compelled to conjure a series of lies to cover up the grisly deaths in an auto accident of a teenaged girl and a school principal who were ostensibly running away together. While his intent was to spare the surviving family members the humiliation of this act, the unintended consequences of the cover up impact the sheriff in deeply personal ways he never imagined that become the cause of his reflecting on his own life, his marriage and the people he serves. I have really enjoyed this dark, gritty read.
A sheriff in a small town in Montana tries to protect his hometown's innocence. I live in rural Montana and enjoyed reading about places where travel often. Larry Watson, author of Montana 1948, gives a good sense of life in small town on the prairie.
I've never read this author before, but was very pleasantly surprised. I liked this book - not at all predictable! Set in the 1950s and in a small western town, this tale has twists and turns, intrigue, and an unexpected ending. Well done and I would read more by this author.
This book is called a mystery. The only mystery here is why did I keep reading it, especially when I can easily quit a book by the end of the third page. Set in Montana in the 50's, the premise is that the town itself is an innocent and thus when the high school principal and one of the graduating students are killed in a car accident, the sheriff decides he must protect everyone involved, related or living nearby by making up this convoluted story about why the two were even in the same car. All it does is cause more problems. Yet that isn't really the issue with the book. It is the way this character--the author, actually--goes off on these stream of consciousness dissertations in his head that have nothing to do with anything, but take up page after page, that is so miserable. Thinking it me I checked out reviews from here, and other websites, and this was the biggest issue most had.
Hard to believe the same fellow who wrote Montana, 1948, which I read twice, wrote this drivel.
Hard to believe the same fellow who wrote Montana, 1948, which I read twice, wrote this drivel.
This one is kind of depressing. The end took me by surprise. Definitely not "light" reading.
I loved this book! I flew through this book and enjoyed every moment of it! I highly recommend this book. You will definitely NOT be disappointed!
After reading and loving Montana 1948, I found this book to be disappointing. A small-town sheriff becomes obsessed with covering up an apparent infidelity by the high school principal and one of his students. The couple are both killed in a car accident, and the sheriff feels compelled to cover it up with an elaborate story involving the principal's son, a classmate of his father's teen-aged lover. Although well written, there were too many incongruities in the sheriff's character and actions to make the plot believable; however, the irony of the ending is noteworthy.
Mercer County Sherriff Jack Nevelsen has sworn to protect the small, tidy town of Bentrock, Montana. A fatal Accident at the bottom of Sprull Hill one night compels jact to try and protect a part of Bentrock that even a hero would have trouble saving: Its Innocence.
Taut Vivid and Utterly Compelling. A portrait of human Fraility and the choices that can forever change lives.
Taut Vivid and Utterly Compelling. A portrait of human Fraility and the choices that can forever change lives.
