The Huckleberry Murders by Patrick McManus - Book Report/Review Example

Book Review - The Huckleberry Murders by Patrick McManus Section I: Summary Sheriff Bo Tully was in the follow up process of his investigation aboutthe missing Orville Poulson, a local rancher. Marge Poulson, ex-wife of Orville, suspected that Orville was murdered by his ranch caretaker, Ray Crockett, who was known to be a sociopath with police records. However, the Sheriff has no evidence to support his suspicion, or he has not found the body of the rancher to conclude that he was already dead. The sheriff, as suggested by his mother, asked for the help of Mrs. Gorsich, who was said to be a fortune-teller, only to find out she was a financial advisor. Tully took a break and went to pick huckleberries in his favorite spot, in the hill. He was interrupted with the screams of few women who have found three bodies in the forest. They were young men, probably farm worker according to Tully as indicated by their calloused hands, shot at the back of their heads. The investigation was headed by Tully with beautiful FBI agent Angela Phelps as his partner, who then became Tully’s love interest in the story. The two officers were in the quest of determining whether the recent murder is related to the case of missing Orville. They suspected Crockett to be the mastermind of the murder, whom was found to have changed his name from Ray Porter. Another murder incident has happened when Mrs. Poulson was killed along with the appearance of a big white truck. On the process of investigation, Tully and the rest of the gang were brought by his suspicions to the haunted swamp where he was able to tie up and solved the puzzle on the murder cases he handled. Section II Response As the title implies, the story is about a murder case happened in huckleberry patch. It was not boring after all because of the Sheriff’s personality and his dialogue with the female characters. It is too light that readers will enjoy each and every part of the story. It is also amazing how McManus added humor to the ever serious mystery cases handled by Sheriff Tully. However, Tully, as a womanizer, makes the readers annoyed. There were instances where the sheriff flirted with women, which I found to be not necessary in the story. Overall, the book presents a lighter and humorous side of the mystery novels. Thoughts/Feelings/Insights Just by simply looking at the cover, no one could say how the story goes. I might say the story is a little bit predictable. As I read the book, I was hoping to find a major twist along the way. I was expecting a twist like another person might be the murderer instead of the accused. What I want to say is that most mystery readers would want something unpredictable; something expected that would come up along the story. Although the book is too light, it is very ideal to anyone who wants to read mystery books, but does not want to give a lot of thoughts about the story. It is fun and entertaining in some ways, and it is perfect for cooling down from a more intense reading. I guess, sometimes, people just need books like this to be able to escape from the cruel reality and create a room for a lighter atmosphere. Learning Like what Sheriff Tully did, people should not just judge anyone of something without any supporting evidence. Sometimes, humans tend to be judgmental. The reality is, one way or another, we judge others simply by thinking bad about them. For instance, while walking, we see a good-looking young man together with a woman older than him; anyone would then think that they have an affair. Most of us would think the same because it is what our minds perceived to be true. However, seldom would someone think they are mother and son. The idea that the two are couple might be true, but evidences are needed to conclude that they really are. Section III Analysis The book was written by Patrick McManus, an American humor writer known for his outdoor adventures. McManus (2010) identified Sheriff Tully as the protagonist. He was very popular among women. On the other hand, Ray Crockett, or Ray Porter as discovered later on, was the antagonist since he was considered by Tully as his opponent. Some supporting characters in the story include FBI agent Angela, Tully’s mother Rose, secretary Daisy, Orville and Marge Poulson, Etta Gorsich, and other deputy officers. McManus also brought back Pap Tully and Dave as the story progressed and introduced the readers to Poke Wimsey. The whole story happened in Blight County, Idaho. The book presents a mystery behind the serial murder cases in the county. Despite of being too light, the book is equipped with mysteries and humors, which made it entertaining and fun to read. Theme, Conflict, Resolution The story revealed a man vs. man theme that is Sheriff Bo Tully against the other characters in the plot. Here, one can find the struggle of Tully, the protagonist, in finding the person behind the serial cases of murder in Blight County. Together with his FBI partner Angela, Tully was determined to solve the cases and associated each case with the others. They believed that the case of the missing Orville is related to the increasing murder cases in the place. Driven by his instincts that these cases may be related to the other, he found himself in the haunted swamp. He was also able to arrest the suspected Ray Porter, formerly known as Ray Crockett, and questioned him on the incidences involving the caretaker. Section IV: Vocabulary Some of the unfamiliar words in the book are the following with their corresponding definition as suggested by Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (2006): Deputy- a person authorized with the power to act as a substitute (“Deputy”) Genteel- preserving the respectability status (“Genteel”) Josh- to tease or to joke (“Josh”) Quiver- to move with a slight trembling movement (“Quiver”) Rickety- not firmly made usually with an implication that something might collapse (“Rickety”) Sociopath- often associated with psychopathy, a person with mental disorder whose characteristic is antisocial (“Sociopath”) Sheriff- a county’s important officer executing judicial processes (“Sheriff”) Unencumbered- having no burden (“Unencumbered”) Stash- to put something secretly for some future purposes (“Stash”) Gulp- to swallow something in a hurry (“Gulp”) Section V- Conclusion The Huckleberry Murders is the last book in Bo Tully mystery series written by Patrick McManus. Although the book is not much of a mystery as compared to the previous books in the series, it is very entertaining and well-written. It is very amazing how McManus puts humor into the mystery solving of Sheriff Bo Tully. He spent more time with those attractive women in the books than devoting himself to the investigation. Well, it was kind of helpful to the readers especially when the scenes went tough, and such humorous dialogues were thrown by the womanizer sheriff. I would surely recommend this to anyone who wants to enjoy mystery books but does not want to read intense ones. The book is lighter compared to other mystery books because the main purpose of the author is to present the brighter and lighter side of a sheriff’s life. It is not the usual mystery fiction or the typical detective cases we often see in movies and in other books. Becoming a hardcore reader is not necessary to appreciate his tales. This book has an intriguing storyline, funny characters, mystery, action, and suspense. Overall, it was all worth it and readers, although not really into reading, will surely enjoy this one of a kind tale. References McManus, P. (2010). The huckleberry murders. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.). 2006. Springfield, MA: Merriam Webster Inc. Read More