Rating: 
Summary: Known Dead
Review: Funnest book I've read in some time. I was a bit concerned about Harstad saying on pg 162 that Melissa's parents had been killed in a car wreck and then coming back on pg 211 with Melissa visiting the jail with her Mother in tow. I can always put up with a little inconsistency for a fun read. I'll be getting his other two books. Try it. So much better than some others I've read lately. I hope he writes lots of books before he retires.
Rating:
Summary: Rolling Code 3
Review: Harstad's stories of Deputy Houseman reminded me a lot of Canadian writer Carsten Stroud's "Deadly Force". Very plausible plots, great sense of humor and truer-than-life characters. Deputy Houseman is no superhero, and constantly draws on his experience to solve the cases he's working. Okay, he looks a lot like Harstad himself. But then again, that what makes this mystery novel so believable.
I would just name one small "area of improvement" for Harstad : Be more precise on the details. Houseman drives an unmarked car, what is it? Hester Gorse has a new gun, what kind ? Otherwise, a great novel, very difficult to put down until you know The End. At least there are already 5 episodes of Houseman adventures. The character being particularly attaching, it's just the better.
Rating:
Summary: Harstad Hits Another One Out of the Park!
Review: How often does it happen that a major-league rookie hits two out of the park his first two at- bats? Not very darn often! But Harstad has managed to do just that with his second hang-on- for-your-life ride through the hills of Nation County. And he really knows how to drive! As a resident of Maitland in Nation County, Iowa (really!), on the banks of the mighty Sparrow River, it was more than just fun to see where he was taking us. It was a trip into the mind of one entertaining and lay-it-on-the-line-when-you-have-to cop. "Eleven Days" woke us up to Don Harstad's prowess as a wordsmith. I'll be surprised if you don't enjoy "Known Dead" with your morning donuts and coffee! In fact, when my wife and I finished reading it (together) I leaned back and thought about how nice a cigarette would taste just then. Just one fine-toothed-comb comment for the folks at Doubleday. Make sure you know when the sun rises and sets in the summer in Iowa. Us rural folks KNOW these things!
Rating:
Summary: Crime in the Heartland
Review: I have read both "Eleven Days" and "Deep Thaw" by Mr. Harstad. I just about did figurative cartwheels over both of them; one for the solid debut and the other as a marvelous thriller. Warning: If you intend to read "Known Dead," read it BEFORE you read "Deep Thaw." Unfortunately, the "Known Dead" story is only Part I. Also, "Deep Thaw" contains many spoilers for "Known Dead." "Known Dead" starts briskly with a drug stakeout gone bad. The "stakeout" is not on the mean streets, but in the forest where a patch of marijuana is being cultivated. Two cops are concealed and watching as a subject appears obviously to tend the "garden." Gunfire erupts from an unknown source and one of the officers and the subject are killed. Deputy Sheriff Carl Houseman is in charge of an increasingly puzzling case. There are small time drug dealers, motorcycle gangs, right wing zealots all seemingly involved and the FBI and DEA have much more than average interest in the case. A shootout takes place at a barricaded farm where a news photographer and police officer are killed and the Nation County sheriff is badly injured. The stakes are high, the cooperation between agencies is poor and Carl seems to be almost alone in really trying to solve the crime. "Known Dead" did not hold my interest like Mr. Harstad's other works. There were too many law enforcement agencies involved. (FBI, DEA, Iowa Crime Agency, and the county sheriff's department). All these competing groups made the story too diffuse and the plot did not hold together. We never were quite clear what the connecting links were. I'm well aware that a good bit of police and military work is "hurry up and wait." But "Known Dead" had far too much waiting for the pace of any mystery. Also, it is open ended (the conclusion is in "Deep Thaw"). I felt decidedly gypped when I read the last page. "Known Dead" was a disappointment from an author who can do so much better.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer
Rating: 
Summary: Bit of a Letdown
Review: I have read both "Eleven Days" and "Deep Thaw" by Mr. Harstad. I just about did figurative cartwheels over both of them; one for the solid debut and the other as a marvelous thriller. Warning: If you intend to read "Known Dead," read it BEFORE you read "Deep Thaw." Unfortunately, the "Known Dead" story is only Part I. Also, "Deep Thaw" contains many spoilers for "Known Dead." "Known Dead" starts briskly with a drug stakeout gone bad. The "stakeout" is not on the mean streets, but in the forest where a patch of marijuana is being cultivated. Two cops are concealed and watching as a subject appears obviously to tend the "garden." Gunfire erupts from an unknown source and one of the officers and the subject are killed. Deputy Sheriff Carl Houseman is in charge of an increasingly puzzling case. There are small time drug dealers, motorcycle gangs, right wing zealots all seemingly involved and the FBI and DEA have much more than average interest in the case. A shootout takes place at a barricaded farm where a news photographer and police officer are killed and the Nation County sheriff is badly injured. The stakes are high, the cooperation between agencies is poor and Carl seems to be almost alone in really trying to solve the crime. "Known Dead" did not hold my interest like Mr. Harstad's other works. There were too many law enforcement agencies involved. (FBI, DEA, Iowa Crime Agency, and the county sheriff's department). All these competing groups made the story too diffuse and the plot did not hold together. We never were quite clear what the connecting links were. I'm well aware that a good bit of police and military work is "hurry up and wait." But "Known Dead" had far too much waiting for the pace of any mystery. Also, it is open ended (the conclusion is in "Deep Thaw"). I felt decidedly gypped when I read the last page. "Known Dead" was a disappointment from an author who can do so much better.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down
Review: I judge a good book by its ability to hook me by the first paragraph; Harstad grabbed me by the first few lines. He writes clear, uncomplicated but descriptive prose that is a pleasure to read. The first chapter is completely riveting (and more than a little humorous), and the author's style almost had me feeling I was standing next to Houseman. Harstad seems to treat the reader as an actual observer of the scene with whom he shares asides (almost like having a 'ride-along' guest to whom he needs to explain events). Harstad does a thorough job of illustrating the world of rural Midwest America and the people who live their often strongly individualistic lives in that environment. The isolation, poverty, paranoia and ignorance of some of these individuals are vividly brought to life, as are the cynical machinations of persons like Gabe who prey on them. His characterisations are solid and sharp; Sally the dispatcher is witty, loyal and very astute. Houseman himself is self-effacing but what he lacks in looks and fitness he makes up for in intelligence and gentle humour. Donald Harstad is an excellent storyteller. I'm looking forward to reading The Big Thaw (described as a sequel to Known Dead) and Code Sixty-One. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Known Dead
Review: I really liked "Eleven Days" but this was a little disappointing for me. It was just a little too technical and it didn't "grab" me right from the start. That doesn't mean I won't get Harstad"s next book but I just didn't like "Known Dead" as much.
Rating:
Summary: A bit technical, but I'm still reading
Review: I truly loved "Eleven Days" so much that I bought "Known Dead" the very next day after finishing Harstad's first book. Only 1/4 through the book, I find it to be a bit disappointing after the first chapter. A lot of rhetoric and technical gun talk. For 80 pages I've been waiting for something to happen...
Rating:
Summary: Another AWESOME Police Procedural from Harstad
Review: If you want to learn what it's like to be a cop in a small midwestern town, read this book. The story and characters are engrossing, and you get the real feeling of what it's like to try and run an in-depth murder investigation with a limited budget, and the involvement of a whole myriad of outside law enforcement agencies. Both "Known Dead" and "Eleven Days" get my enthusiastic approval for stories that keep you up turning pages late into the night!
Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: ISBN: 0-553-58095-7
Title: Known Dead
Author: Donald Harstad
Publisher: Bantam Books
Deputy Sheriff Carl Houseman is back in Harstad's latest novel "Known Dead."
An officer is dead and so is a local small-time addict, ambushed in an Iowa high-grade marijuana field. Houseman's job is to find out why they are dead and who gunned them down. Federal and state crime agency's descend on Nation County and while the case explodes the leads do not. The author's narrative takes on a new twist when an anti-government family blockade themselves in their farm buildings and attack the police. In what appears as an unrelated incident more cops draw gunfire, one more 'known dead' and suspense builds. Housman must ferret out the connection between crimes. Action is non-stop in this second Harstad novel. This author's unique style puts you in the middle of the crime and takes you step by step through to its solution. Great read.
Beverly J Scott author of "Righteous Revenge" and "Ruth Fever." Reviewer for Intriguing Authors and Their Books at http://www.funeralassociates.com/authors.htm
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