Rating: 
Summary: A police procedural which remembers its humanity
Review: "Known Dead" is an engrossing police procedural novel with a narrator who is very believably a real human being (which not only reflects Harstad's talent as a writer but his own long exerience in the type of police organization featured in his novels). The characters, both main stage and supporting, are clearly delineated and memorable. Perhaps Harstad lets a little bit of Bruce Willis-Hollywood creep into the final confrontation scene, but overall a down-to-earth reality permeates the pages of "Known Dead". I look forward to his next novel.
Rating:
Summary: A thoroughly satisfying police story.
Review: "Known Dead" surpasses its predecessor, "Eleven Days" in the realistic portrayal of police work. The two main characters, Deputy Houseman and Agent Gore are superb. The plot was spellbinding and hits close to home with all the right wing activity taking place today. I enjoy Mr. Harstad's writing immensely. His prose is to the point and moves along quite well. Interspersed with the action are moments of humor that add a degree of lightness to a sinister tale. I am looking forward to the next adventure with Houseman and Gore.
Rating:
Summary: Police procedural at its best
Review: The desolate but peaceful stretch of land of Nation County, Iowa remains home to Deputy Sheriff Carl Houseman. However, as serene and empty as the stark landscape seems, Carl knows that trouble can bubble up at any time. Two of his assistants happen to be watching over a marijuana patch to determine who is cultivating the crop. However, the seemingly easy stake-out turns ugly. One of the deputies radios for help, claiming his partner is hurt and automatic weapon firing is coming from every direction. By the time Carl arrives on the scene, a deputy and the petty crook growing the weed are dead. Law enforcement officials at all levels begin to investigate, struggling to uncover a motive. None of them is yet privy to the monster that now stalks our nation's heartland. KNOWN DEAD is a brilliantly structured police procedural that provides an insider's look into a case from birth to grave. Readers observe the investigators' bursts of excitement when progress occurs and feel the aggravaton and tedium of the boring grunt work. Although this is necessary to find the smallest clue, it often times leads to nothing more than a frustrating dead end. It is these insights into the emotions of the characters that demonstrate Donald Harstad's ability to scribe his experiences in an exciting plot that is filled with unexpected twists and turns. With novels like this one, Mr. Harstad will quickly attain recognition by sub-genre fans as one of its best authors. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: A bit confusing
Review: A DEA agent is ambushed while staking out a marijuana plot in an Iowa state park. Deputy Carl Houseman is the chief investigator but as he digs deeper he becomes more involved in right-wing militia plots and the mysterious "Gabe". As the case progresses it becomes clear that this is not a simple drug murder after all but something more involved. Mr. Harstad certainly seems to know police procedure and he has an ear for dialog. The writing is good and his characters are believable. However, I had two problems with this book. First, the plot seemed overly convoluted to me. At times I had trouble following what was happening and who it was happening to. Second, the ending left things too up in the air for me. Granted, it's usually that way in real life but in a novel most people want the ending neatly tied up. In this book, it was not. That said, I'd still recommend reading this book, especially if you like police procedurals. I'll have to admit that conspiracy novels are not my real interest and I'm sure that colored the way I felt about the plot. Mr. Harstad is still a good writer and I think I'll give his first book a try.
Rating: 
Summary: Too slow by far
Review: After the debut of Harstad's entertaining first novel, "Eleven Days" this sequal is a real let down. Very slow to start and never really takes off. Way too technical for my likes. I'd a very hard time finishing this book and put it down several times in a near coma. Sure hope his next book is better!
Rating:
Summary: Crime in the Heartland
Review: An ambush in the deep woods of Nation County, Iowa that leaves a Federal agent dead marks the return of Deputy Sheriff Carl Houseman in Donald Harstad's second entry in this excellent series. Maitland goes national when the ambush in a Sensemilla marijuana field by an unknown group using hi-tech weapons and military tactics points to something much broader in scope. Harstad brings back DCI Agent Hester Gorse as well as Carl's boss Lamar and the sweet and resourceful dispatcher, Sally, giving us that familiar feel all good series have. Deputy Sheriff Houseman's dislike for the impersonal term 'known dead' gets a good workout before this one is over. When Lamar goes down injured in a tense hostage situation and a federal task force led by a not so forthcoming agent named Volont becomes involved, Houseman and the gang must use old-fashioned police work to discover what the feds and other agencies are keeping them in the dark about. Harstad's blend of police procedural and rural atmosphere goes down like an ice cold pop on a hot day. Deputy Houseman's humor during tense situations and his thoughts on two cop funerals he will have to attend before this one is over add poignancy and depth to a briskly paced story. You can put this series on your shelf with Hillerman and Mosley. Harstad's Carl Houseman is the real deal and you don't want to miss the second entry in this excellent series.
Rating:
Summary: Much Better
Review: As much as I liked Harstad's first book, it was a little gory for my taste. His second book, Known Dead, is much better. The story starts a bit slow and technical, but towards the end I once again found myself reading at 3 in the morning to find out who done it and how. I reccommend this one very highly and cannot wait for the third one!
Rating:
Summary: Carl Houseman is Iowa's answer to Boston's Spencer
Review: Both "11 Days" and "Known Dead" have the authentic touch of a writer who knows police work. The plotting is exciting and intricate, humor is plain old Iowa. Carl Houseman is Iowa's answer to Boston's Spencer. I love reading both books. This Harstad is a real writer.
Rating: 
Summary: The coffee is still perking
Review: Former Clayton County, Iowa, Deputy Sheriff Donald Harstad has written another fine mystery novel/police procedural. You need not have read his first, 11 Days, to enjoy this one. In fact, the author does you a favor by starting this one out: "My name is Carl Houseman. I'm a deputy sheriff in Nation County, Iowa." (In 11 Days, the reader just kept hoping through 1/2 the book for someone to call the first-person narrator by his name! No " Call me Ishmael" there. ;-) The book has the humour and self-effacing good nature of many rural mid-western law enforcement folks. It starts out rather slowly, like a languid Iowa summer heat wave. A drug enforcement agent is murdered in a marijuana patch in Houseman's home county. " `DEA said it (the cultivation of this particular type of plant) couldn't be done in this climate.' I smiled. `Iowa farm boys can grow just about anything on a slab of concrete. Kind of makes you proud.' " The plot eventually thickens to an outcrop of "Posse Comitatus" type militants. Here's another wry observation from an author who knows "who-of" he speaks: "I'd worked fraud cases before, but it had been my experience that the average Iowa farmer would read a speil like that one and spit on the shiny shoes that tried to sell it to him. Politely, of course. Maybe even apologetically. But he'd spit accurately, nonetheless. Herman must have been a little short of saliva one day." The coffee's still on and it's another good read!
Rating:
Summary: The coffee is still perking
Review: Former Clayton County, Iowa, Deputy Sheriff Donald Harstad has written another fine mystery novel/police procedural. You need not have read his first, 11 Days, to enjoy this one. In fact, the author does you a favor by starting this one out: "My name is Carl Houseman. I'm a deputy sheriff in Nation County, Iowa." (In 11 Days, the reader just kept hoping through 1/2 the book for someone to call the first-person narrator by his name! No " Call me Ishmael" there. ;-) The book has the humour and self-effacing good nature of many rural mid-western law enforcement folks. It starts out rather slowly, like a languid Iowa summer heat wave. A drug enforcement agent is murdered in a marijuana patch in Houseman's home county. " 'DEA said it (the cultivation of this particular type of plant) couldn't be done in this climate.' I smiled. 'Iowa farm boys can grow just about anything on a slab of concrete. Kind of makes you proud.' " The plot eventually thickens to an outcrop of "Posse Comitatus" type militants. Here's another wry observation from an author who knows "who-of" he speaks: "I'd worked fraud cases before, but it had been my experience that the average Iowa farmer would read a speil like that one and spit on the shiny shoes that tried to sell it to him. Politely, of course. Maybe even apologetically. But he'd spit accurately, nonetheless. Herman must have been a little short of saliva one day." The coffee's still on and it's another good read!
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