Eleven Days

Rating:
Summary: A little below average.
Review: Character development was poor, causing confusion because of so many characters. The writing was choppy and crude; needs to make the words flow better. The plot was good, but just found it hard to get through because of the choppy writing. If someone would help him with better descriptions and word usage, he would be a good writer.

Rating:
Summary: Watch this author.
Review: Donald Harstad has spent time behind a police cruiser's wheel. An ex-Deputy Sheriff, he knows what he's writing about - and he writes very well, indeed.

This is a police procedure book that stacks up against the best of Ed McBain. Told in the first person, the story rattles along at a good pace, never dull, and always giving the reader that delicious thrill of another twist being just over the next page.

The reader will warm to the hero immediately: he's all too real. A heavy smoker, a heavy eater, a man who's definitely not cast in the Hollywood hero role. He's a little more than Mr Average - he's very bright, very quick - but not a man of great ambition. In short - a hero we can all relate to. It's not until we get two-thirds through the book that we also realise he's middle-aged, with a daughter on college. His home life is chaotic, as he's a night-shift worker, and the very suburban dialogue he shares with his wife is witness, again, to his reality, and to the fact that his feet are planted firmly in the rich Iowan loam.

The murders are, at first glance, Satanic in origin. I was, at first, sceptical that this storyline could be maintained: Fox Mulder aside, there are very few satanic murders anywhere in the world. However, the story is not only sustained, but made believable by the developments.

If you like a good cop book, then try this out. The chances are excellent that you'll enjoy it.

Rating:
Summary: Just the facts, ma'am
Review: Here's a writer whose style is so spare that he makes Hemingway look like Pat Conroy by comparison. However, the dry voice is particularly suited to telling this grisly tale of a satanic cult murder in the heartland. There's no need to embellish a tale this vivid with rhetorical flourishes; as it is, "Eleven Days" gave me nightmares. What you see in your mind's eye is scarier than anything a writer's overly descriptive pen could produce.

I will admit that I saw the ending coming, and that I had a hard time telling all the cops apart. However, police procedural fans will LOVE this book, because it's pure procedure from the first page to the last. After you finish this gripping novel, you will truly have experienced what it is like to be a small-town policeman investigating a murder.

Rating:
Summary: AN ABSORBING NOVEL...DISTURBING & ENGAGING...
Review: This novel was fast-paced & suspenseful. I completed the novel in a few days since it was so absorbing. If you begin this novel, make sure you allocate ample time to finish it since you won't want to prolong the suspense. Basically, the novel deals with the investigation of some gruesome murders occurring in an Iowa farming community. The murders seem to have occult (specifically Satanic) overtones so they are quite shocking to the residents of the quiet Iowa town. The bulk of the novel deals with the investigators trying to identify the perpetrators and making sense of the bizarre events. The ending is convoluted and unexpected...but still satisfying. I have to re-read sections of it to follow the author's line of reasoning. The prose of the novel is Hemingwayesque so the book is a fast read. You won't get bogged down with flowery language or excessive exposition. Donald Harstad, the author, writes in a straightforward and succinct manner...he sticks to the point & doesn't ramble. Since Mr. Harstad also worked in the law enforcement field, the novel has an added sense of realism in terms of investigative police-work. Moreover, Mr. Harstad states at the beginning that this novel has been inspired by true events - which makes "Eleven Days" an even more frightening story. If you read & enjoy this novel, I also recommend "Falling Angel", by William Hjortsberg. It deals with a similar theme. Mr. Harstad's first novel is a great achievement. It's quite engaging & sections of it are creepy. It goes quickly so the action seems to be constanstly sustained...it's like an adrenaline (epinephrine) rush. I hope I can duplicate this success w/ my first novel. Email me if you have any questions.

Rating:
Summary: Very good, very gruesome!
Review: Its hard to believe that this was Harstads first novel. It is as good of a novel as many more established authors usually write. The main character, Carl Houseman, makes for an excellent narrator with his straight-forward, no-nonsense style and often deadpan wit. The rest of the characters are solid, and basically what you expect from this type of novel. The plot itself revolves around some very gruesome, Stephen King type ritual murders. Harstad doles out the information and twists in such a way as to maintain a fast pace, and keep the suspense level high throughout. I look forward to reading more of his work soon.

Rating:
Summary: Great Read!
Review: If you can get past the first scenes in this book you will be glad you stuck with it. This is a great who done it that keeps you guessing till the end. I usually don't read police procedure books but I found that this one really gets you involved with the characters. Read and enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: One Half a Good Book
Review: I was half-way through Eleven Days and bored silly. Came online to this site and read your reviews. I persevered and enjoyed the last half. It was a good plot, but Mr. Harstad needs help in making his books more readable. I, like others, felt it was too much about making coffee and how much everyone drank of it. To pare out these boring details and have more active dialog would be helpful. I have looked ahead to his next book and find the same critical remarks. I can write this type of book (I think!), but I don't have the imagination it takes to make it enjoyable. Neither, I fear, does Mr. Harstad. He has the technical knowledge, but not the ability to make his story flow. I wish he did.

Rating:
Summary: eleven days
Review: Very good book, especially for a first one. I read the book in one sitting, found it hard to put down. Nice to have a "regular" hero like Carl Houseman as compared to a "Clint Eastwood" type.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully written. Excellent narrative voice!
Review: I had read that this "thriller" was above-average and well written. After devouring it in a few short days, I must say I was very impressed. The novel doesn't fall into the usual cliche holes of many in the genre and the distinct and well-formed voice of the narrator gives the story tons of extra impact. Instead of a hard-boiled detective or a supercop, we get a real person along with small glimpses into his life, even if they are glimpses into typical Midwestern life.

There's nothing better than a good read that's well-written. That's what you'll get with Eleven Days.

Rating:
Summary: Eleven Days--Best of the Year
Review: Don Harstad's "Eleven Days" is the by far the best book I read in 1999. The chilling detail and terrific narrative that Harstad brings makes him one of the best police procedure novelist. This and it is only his first novel. Harstad being an ex-cop gives you the gritty real cop of the world. I'm tired of most novels were the cops are perfect and do nothing wrong. Harstad's characters are more human.

Harstad also has the ability to let the reader know that something bad is going to happen when his characters cannot. The whole time reading the book I found myself saying "turn around" or "go back and double check". It truly made the book a chilling read.

There are parts in this book that are quite grusome, so this novel may not be for the squimish. Remember this is based on true facts which also makes it pretty scary in the more violent scenes. I strongly recommend!