A review by lisa_mc
An Unfortunate Prairie Occurrence by Jamie Harrison

4.0

After being most disappointed with the endings of the previous two Blue Deer mysteries, I'm glad to say this one nailed it. The quirky characters and great setting are still strong, but the plot of this book is a great mystery. Sheriff Jules Clement is dealing with two long-dead bodies (one decades more recent than the other) when a fresh one turns up, made to look like a suicide but definitely murder. Jules has to approach the death from several angles, trying to get the truth from town elders tight-lipped about the past. Everyone's related to someone involved in this case, and on top of everything, Jules is trying to track down a rapist targeting single women in Blue Deer. He finally manages to untangle everything, making a few more enemies on the process. Harrison does a great job capturing the harsh beauty of the Montana landscape as well as the near-incestuous nature of some small towns. In all, a most satisfying mystery. Skip the first two and go straight to this one.