Friday's Forgotten Books: Eleven Days by Donald Harstad

Eleven Days by former deputy sheriff Donald Harstad was published in 1999, fourteen years ago which is a good while, and I guess qualifies as a forgotten book. It's a cop novel of very exceptional merit and gets my recommendation. Deputy Carl Houseman works is Maitland, Iowa, which qualifies as the truest American heartland. He encounters a multiple homicide which is traced to the handiwork of a local Satanic cult. Ghoulish, yes. Carl plainly sees he's overmatched here, but he plugs away in his investigation. I believe he surprises himself with his dogged tenacity and country boy smarts to solve what happened at the farmhouse of death. It takes him eleven days before he's finished. As with most police procedurals, I want to find the protagonist a likeable and sympathetic character. Carl is both. He's married to Sue, and they have their differences over his long work hours and his cop job's dangers. Still, they love each other, and that makes for a satisfying read. There is also a strong sense of authenticity to the narrative as Carl relates it to us. This makes sense because of the author's extensive law enforcement background in rural Iowa. The voice is Carl's frank, straightforward speaking style. He has a cop's often earthy sense of humor, and generally he gets along with his fellow cops, even the hot shot psychological profiler sent out from the New York City PD. The cult leader's identity was a surprise to me. The tension mounts at a nice pace, and Carl collects his share of hard knocks. All in all, I enjoyed my reading week riding alongside Deputy Carl on the job that turns bloody over eleven days before it ends.