Code 61 - Donald Harstad [0]
Code 61
“STUNNING.”
—Deadly Pleasures, Best U.S. Crime Novel of 2002
“YOU HAVE TO LOVE CARL.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“The endearingly wry first-person narration is
splendidly handled; and the characterization—
especially Gorse—is very good.”
—Colin Dexter
“Harstad knows how to sustain a readable story
while showing a remarkable talent
for depicting lifelike characters and
believable dialogue.”
—Star Tribune, Minneapolis
THE BIG THAW
“Compelling … [with a] spectacular finale … Harstad
writes ‘cop talk’ that's not only believable but
often (intentionally) funny.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Escape the urban thriller to the heartland with
Harstad, a real rising star.”
—Booknews from The Poisoned Pen
“Plenty of laughs, skewed violence, and marvelous
takes on how weird Iowa winters can be—in
the third, and best, procedural featuring easygoing
Nation County Deputy Sheriff Carl Houseman,
from a former Iowa deputy sheriff who
knows the territory inside out.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“A truly great storyteller … He sets up the story
beautifully, with intense suspense, an intriguing
investigation that has all the authentic trappings, and a
believable cast of police personnel. He gets better and
better with each book.”
—Library Journal
“It's fascinating to follow Harstad's hero-narrator,
Deputy Sheriff Carl Houseman of Nation
County, Iowa, through a crime scene. Houseman
proceeds with absolute confidence, making
the slightest depression in the carpeting intriguing,
treating the reader to insights gleaned from
physical evidence that only a firsthand authority can
render…. Harstad is one of the most reliable and
riveting police-procedural writers in the business.”
—Booklist
KNOWN DEAD
“Instantly propels him into the top ranks of
mystery writers.”
—Booklist
“A complicated little conundrum of a plot that keeps
Houseman, the Feds, and the reader guessing all the
way through … An author who knows his territory.”
—The New York Times
“A series to watch.”
—The Plain Dealer
“Crackles with the electricity of an adrenaline-laced
shoot-out.”
—The Denver Post
“Hard-core procedural fans will find Carl's second
case authentically … realistic.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Harstad … advances the scary (and perversely
entertaining) notion that people are just as cuckoo
in the heartland as they are in the wicked city.”
—The New York Times Book Review
ELEVEN DAYS
“A hell of a first novel.”
—Michael Connelly
“[Harstad's] dry, even droll account of these macabre
crimes makes them all the more terrible.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“With one startling twist after another, this grisly
but cunningly sophisticated story is truly
frightening…. A debut spellbinder.”
—San Francisco Chronicle
“A major achievement and thriller debut by an
ex-cop; a novel that smells and feels right.”
—TimeOut
“Downright explosive! The descriptions
of the police work rival Wambaugh's best.”
—Publishers Weekly
“The very best procedural novels are those that follow
police personnel through the solving of a
crime from its discovery to evidence-gathering to
the apprehension of the guilty…. As a former
deputy sheriff from Iowa, Harstad has the procedure
down…. Deputy Carl Houseman is the epitome
of a police officer, and his humanity, intelligence,
and ability place him at personal risk as the
case races to a heart-stopping climax.”
—Library Journal (starred review)
Also by Donald Harstad
Eleven Days
Known Dead
The Big Thaw
And coming soon in hardcover from Doubleday
The Heartland Experiment
To Erica Harstad, our daughter,
whose excellent mind, quick wit,
and honest appraisals make her
the most reliable of critics.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to express my thanks to those who so generously shared their time and thoughts with me as I worked on this book.
First, to Larry and Maria Brummel of McGregor, Iowa: Their gracious permission to tour their marvelous house set the scene for much of what follows.