Shawnee Alley Fire

Edward Harter Mystery #1

by John Douglas

Shawnee Fire is the story of murder in a recession-blighted city in the Alleghenies. It is the story of Jack Reese, a young, down-on-his-luck photographer and his attempt to prove his innocence, And of Harter, the detective, and his convoluted search for the truth. But ii is also the story of an American town struggling quietly to survive in an inhospitable age.

215 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1987

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

John Douglas was born in Cumberland, Maryland in 1947. He has lived most of his life in Morgan County, West Virginia. His mystery novels—Shawnee Alley Fire, Blind Spring Rambler and Haunts—are set in this region and were shaped by his experience. Douglas was longtime editor of The Morgan Messenger in Berkeley Springs, W. Va., and The Hancock News in Hancock, Md. During his newspaper career, he won many journalism awards, often for editorial writing and court coverage. He is also author of George Washington & Us, an illustrated history of the First President’s connections with the Berkeley Springs vicinity, and Joltin’ Jim: Jim McCoy’s Life in Country Music (2007), the illustrated biography of the music entrepreneur who discovered Patsy Cline. His work has appeared in Southern Cultures, Blues Access, Goldenseal, Wonderful West Virginia, The Washington Post, the Killing Waters books about the West Virginia Flood of 1985, and elsewhere.

Reviews

[Almeta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a phrase attached: “Mystery of the Alleghenies”. Inside the cover is a quote from E. Somerset Maugham’s The Razor’s Edge: “For men and women are not only themselves; they are also the region in which they are born, the city apartment or farm in which they learnt to walk, the games they played as children, the old wives tales they overheard, the food they ate, the schools they attended, the sports they followed, the poets they read, and the God they believed in. It is all these things that have made them what they are, and these are the things that you can't come to know by hearsay, you can only know them if you have lived them.”

Because of this, I expected to learn a lot about the Alleghenies and to be introduced to some Appalachian culture and folklore. This did not happen. This story could have been set in almost any impoverished USA railroad town. Just insert union workers of coal mines/steel plants/automotive factories, etc. and you have the general idea of the failing economy and the people that suffer within it. So I got over that expectation.

Edward Harter, the detective, is an ordinary guy with tenacity. He isn’t a tortured soul and his love relationship seems healthy. (I liked that!) Jack Reese, a photographer, is a good friend to his neighbors, with a good eye for details. (A plus for shutter bugs!) The storyline is told through the experiences of the two men, switching at various chapters. (Which made the distinction clear, as to whom I was observing at that moment.)

There are some bright spots in the writing that made this book a noticeable read. Like the choreographed preparation for a meal by Edward and Liz. Although they danced about the kitchen cupboards and the dining room place settings; they never got in each other’s way. Not a morsel was spilled nor a chef irritated!

Another scene with Jack and his model was fully expressed with kinetic energy. It transported me to the eye of the camera, unaware of myself; only the rapid succession of changing poses and the sound “click”, “click” in my awareness.

I am going to try the next in this series Haunts, to see if Douglas' writing fleshes out. If you want to try, you might read Murder in Shawnee instead, which includes both Harter novels.

[Kayla Honaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled upon a signed first edition copy of this book in my local bookstore in Charleston, West Virginia.

I purchased this book because of its Appalachian setting. It kept me hooked because it is the perfect "who done it".

Throughout the entirety of my reading, I was constantly changing my own personal suspects and trying to solve the mystery. That, to me, is the best kind of mystery novel. I adore a book that makes me think.

If you are of Appalachian heritage, please read this book. It gave me insight to history that I was unaware of while keeping me entertained from start to finish.

[Burt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shawnee Alley Fire came to my attention when I saw a list of books that had been nominated for Edgar awards. I’m always on the lookout for series mystery novels to read. After finishing this one, I’m still not certain how much I liked it.

The plot concerns a photographer who returns to his small hometown in West Virginia in 1982. He takes pictures of a mysterious woman and gets sucked into a mystery that goes back many decades. Douglas tells the story from both the photographer’s perspective and from the perspective of a police officer who investigates the case.

On the positive side, Douglas does a great job of evoking the Appalachian setting. He makes the dying railroad town come to life. Also, at times, Douglas displays a gift for crafting stylish, evocative prose.

But there are too many drawbacks. Much of the plot development seems wasted, as Douglas develops many threads that don’t come together very well in the end. Also, Shawnee Alley Fire is very political - Douglas uses the novel to sing the praises of FDR and labor unions and to criticize those whose politics he dislikes (Ronald Reagan, Christians, businesspeople, etc.).

With just a bit of editing, this could have been a terrific book. I might read the second (and final) book in the series, but it probably will be a while.