Just Jennifer

Dry Bones in the Valley by Tom Bouman (W.W. Norton, July 2014)

“The night before we found the body, I couldn't sleep.”  The opening sentence of this first novel sets the tone for what is to follow.  There has not in recent memory been a murder to solve in Wild Thyme Township in northeastern, Pennsylvania; neighbors and property owners are arguing and fighting over the fracking taking place but Officer Henry Farrell doesn't think the tensions have risen to the level of murder.  Reclusive Aub finds the body of a younger man in the outreaches of his property and becomes a suspect in the murder.  Farrell doesn't think the elderly man has anything to do with the murder but follows protocol as county and local officials swarm his territory.  As Henry searches the backwoods of his township, he finds there is a lot more going on than he realizes: the drug trade has taken root with meth labs and heroine dealers, both local and those passing through Wild Thyme.  The more Henry, who came to the area from out west, searches for answers, the more secrets he uncovers and the more he disturbs things that are best left alone.  A shy, thoughtful widower, Henry isn't typical of many law enforcement officials found in novels today.  He is somewhat of an enigma to locals, both a skilled deer hunter and proficient fiddle player; he is shy yet always watching, absorbing the details, never knowing when he will need to recall a specific moment.  He slowly, and painfully, reveals the story of the courtship, marriage and death of his wife Polly and mourns the more recent loss of a colleague, if not a friend.  Bouman’s prose reveals not only the beauty of northeastern Pennsylvania, but the sometimes abject poverty and despair, and hope given to people by the gas drillers.  This is a startling debut rich in setting and character with an intricate plot that will stay with readers after the last page.  The first of four planned mysteries featuring Henry Farrell, Dry Bones in the Valley was chosen as a LibraryReads pick for July: http://libraryreads.org/