Beth Fish Reads: Today's Read & Giveaway: Dead Man's Fancy by Keith McCafferty

14 January 2014

Today's Read & Giveaway: Dead Man's Fancy by Keith McCafferty

What do you think about wolves? Perhaps you think they're beautiful creatures that hold spiritual significance. Now imagine that you're Montana rancher who depends on your stock to keep food on the table. Would you feel the same way about wolves if they threatened to destroy your livelihood? That's the tangle of issues confronting Sheriff Ettinger and part-time investigator Stranahan as they try to track down a flyfishing guide who has gone missing from a guest ranch.

At the sound, Martha Ettinger glanced from the trail, the brim of her hat rising to uncover the early stars. In the foredistance loomed the indigo silhouette of Papoose Mountain. Crooked fingers of pines groped toward the peaks and it was from one of those forests the howl had risen, a deep, sustained note haunted by a higher harmonic that now stirred to song other voices, the lament of the pack dying away to leave her in silence, feeling the beating of her heart.

—Dead Man's Fancy by Keith McCafferty (Penguin USA / Viking, 2014, p. 1)

Quick Facts

Setting: current times, Montana mountain country and the Madison River Valley
Circumstances: a missing flyfishing guide, a murder, local politics surrounding wild wolves
Characters: Martha Ettinger, Hyalite Country sheriff; Sean Stranahan, former New England PI, flyfishing guide, artist; the missing woman and her sister; ranchers; tourists
Genre: police procedural mystery with a Western slant
What I know so far: love McCafferty's descriptions of the natural environment; sympathetic characters; murder mystery that revolves around current, relevant topics
Recommended for: If you like the Nevada Barr mysteries (Anna Pigeon series) or Craig Johnson's Longmire series, you'll likely love the Sean Stranahan mysteries
Extras: McCafferty is a veteran outdoor writer and avid flyfisher; Dead Man's Fancy (the third in the series) has gotten starred reviews and lots of praise within the mystery writers' circle.

The Gray Ghost Murders by Keith McCafferty

The Giveaway

I can't wait to finish reading and find out what happens, not only with the mystery but in Sheriff Ettinger's and Stranahan's lives. I hope I've caught your attention because, thanks to Viking Books, I'm able to offer one of my readers a two-book set of Keith McCafferty's novels: The Gray Ghost Murders, published last year, and Dead Man's Fancy, out just this month. All you have to do to enter for a chance to win is have a U.S. mailing address and fill out the following form. I'll pick a winner via random number generator on January 21. Once the winner is confirmed, I'll delete all personal information from my computer.

ISBN-13: 9780670014699 (Dead Man's Fancy), 9780143124382 (Gray Ghost Murders)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy).

23 comments:

Karen and Gerard, 1/14/14, 6:32 AM: Great teaser, sounds good. Hope we win!
gautami tripathy, 1/14/14, 6:38 AM: Love that teaser/intro. I would definitely go on! It is just my kind of book!

Here is my post
(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea, 1/14/14, 6:45 AM: I do like the intro - I'd read more.
Unknown, 1/14/14, 6:56 AM: I really like your teaser! Here's mine: http://takeawalkonthewriteside.blogspot.it/2014/01/teaser-tuesdays-14012013.html
rhapsodyinbooks, 1/14/14, 7:21 AM: Well obviously this author or the protagonist never read White Fang or he wouldn't dream of harming wolves! :--)
Ellison Bay Pottery, 1/14/14, 9:23 AM: I really enjoy reading 'fly-over' books and these sound great. Hope I win. First time here and I'll be back.
Ellison Bay Pottery, 1/14/14, 9:24 AM: I really enjoy reading 'fly-over' books and these sound great. Hope I win. First time here and I'll be back.
Laurel-Rain Snow, 1/14/14, 9:26 AM: I probably wouldn't have picked it up, but after reading the intro, I do want to keep reading. Thanks for sharing...and here's MY TUESDAY POST
(Diane) bookchickdi, 1/14/14, 9:38 AM: This series is new to me, it sounds good if you like Western mysteries.
Daryl, 1/14/14, 9:43 AM: oh sounds like a winner ... count me in!

thanks!
bermudaonion, 1/14/14, 11:10 AM: I imagine cattlemen do face quite a conundrum when it comes to wolves and other animals like that. This series sounds terrific!
Kailana, 1/14/14, 11:25 AM: I really like the covers. Glad you are enjoying it so far. :)
Sandra Nachlinger, 1/14/14, 11:45 AM: What an amazing description. I'll read this one.
My Teaser is from THINGS WE SET ON FIRE.
Literary Feline, 1/14/14, 11:59 AM: I like the sound of this one. I would keep reading.
Beth Hoffman, 1/14/14, 11:59 AM: Though I'm curious, I don't think I could read it as I get so upset when animals are harmed.
Sarah (Sarah's Book Shelves), 1/14/14, 12:29 PM: The first paragraph didn't grab me, but the Quick Facts did….love the mystery and local politics angles. Sounds interesting.

Here's Mine: http://www.sarahsbookshelves.com/fiction/first-chapter-first-paragraph-tuesday-intros-return-to-tradd-street-by-karen-white/
CHRISTIE, 1/14/14, 2:00 PM: I love how descriptive your teaser is! I've always wanted to visit Montana, but it may be too cold for me :)

My TT: http://thefictionenthusiast.blogspot.com/2014/01/teaser-tuesday-january-14th.html
Heather, 1/14/14, 2:35 PM: Great teaser--sounds like a good set of mysteries. My teaser: Dance Upon the Air
grammajudyb, 1/14/14, 4:23 PM: I am so interested in these stories. The setting, Montana, our neighbor to the North. Fly fishing, my brother-in-law's favorite hobby. Awesome! Thanks for sharing.
Nise' , 1/14/14, 8:32 PM: I do like the Longmire series!
Margot, 1/14/14, 11:34 PM: I'd keep reading after the first paragraph. I like the setting and the old question of wolves vs. cattle.
Laurie C, 1/15/14, 6:37 AM: These sound good, although I still haven't tried Craig Johnson's or Nevada Barr's books yet, either. Thank you to you and Viking for the giveaway!
Belle Wong, 1/16/14, 12:23 AM: This sounds like an interesting read! I have yet to read a Nevada Barr book, but those have been on my radar for a while, too.