Wild Thorn

Rating:
Summary: strong anti-hero tale
Review: Charley LeBlanc comes from a rich and powerful Tidewater, Virginia family, but that doesn't mean he had an easy life. His father was a drunken abusive person so Charley left home to join the army and served in Vietnam. He was dishonorably discharged and did hard time in Leavenworth. He finally has his act together living with his lover Mildred "Blackie' Spurlock in an isolated area of Montana.

He and Blackie return to Cliffside in Shawnee County, West Virginia to check up on Aunt Jessie Arbuckle, a woman who befriended him when many others turned their backs on him. He arrives to find Aunt Jessie dead and Esmeralda, a homeless woman who depended on the charity of Shawnee County to feed and clothe her, charged with her murder. Charley knows through the ties that bind him to Esmeralda that the wrong person is locked away and he intends to find the real perpetrator.

William Hoffman uses words to convey colorful images in the mind's eye so that the reader senses the environment that the flawed protagonist struggles to adapt to so he can have a peaceful life. Charley is an anti-hero who makes very serious mistakes but is likable because of the tenderness he shows to those few people that he cares about. The story line is beautiful in its simplicity but the author writes about complex people who are put in difficult situations and that makes this novel a fabulous read.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: A Mystery That Feels Real
Review: I just love William Hoffman's work. He writes mysteries that feel real. The plot isn't some intricate conspiracy that has to be unraveled. It's a loose connection of facts that have to be worked and reworked for the protagonist to make progress. One small shred of evidence leads to the next until he builds a case. People lie to him and he sometimes gets distracted, pretty much like the real world.

Hoffman has brought back Charley LeBlanc, the flawed but fascinating main character from his Hammett Award winning Tidewater Blood. Charley is a former Viet Nam vet and convict. He definitely has flaws but to me that's what makes him fascinating. I think the best mysteries are the ones where the detective isn't a cop.

Hoffman clearly knows the mountains of West Virginia. Whether it's his vivid description of the land and wildlife, his depictions of the people who inhabit the abandoned coal mine towns or the history of the region, you'll feel you've been there when you finish the book.

Rating:
Summary: TAME THORN
Review: One cannot dispute the writing skills of William Hoffman; he has a stunning sense of character, place and time. Unfortunately, his laconic, laid back style hinders the suspense in this novel. Charley's back (from "Tidewater Blood"), and his character is not one of my favorites. Although he was done wrong in the first book by his own family, his retreat into a fantasy, anchorite's world only makes him irritating. His desire to leave the world behind, live in the wild and avoid people may be idealistic but still unrealistic, too. He's hooked up with Blackie, a woman with a criminal record, and his relationship with her forms a strong foundation for what drives a lot of the story. The mystery surrounding the mysterious death of Aunt Jessie takes a back seat to Charley's own obstinance and lack of perception. His sudden act of infidelity only shows how shallow he can be, and his decision to keep it from Blackie leads to the inevitable dissolution of their relationship. It doesn't take long to figure out the culprits in this one.
Although not an exceptional book, Hoffman's skills make it one worth reading; let's hope he picks up the pace in future novels.