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J.D. Books Mystery #1
On Deadly Ground: A J. D. Books Mystery
Southern Utah’s Kanab is a community bitterly divided by the politics of land management. The conflict pits environmentalist David Greenbriar and his Escalante Environmental Wilderness Alliance (EEWA) against the Citizens for a Free West (CFW), led by powerful rancher Neil Eddins. But when the bullet-ridden body of Greenbriar is found hanging from a barn near Kanab, Kane County Sheriff Charley Sutter turns to newly appointed Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Ranger J.D. Books for help in solving the murder.
Books learns the victim’s widow has been having an affair with another EEWA member, Lance Clayburn. Physical evidence recovered from the murder scene links Clayburn to the killing. Then Books discovers a possible witness: a reclusive teenager with a penchant for disappearing into the desert wilderness for prolonged periods.
And then there’s the Las Vegas business conglomerate that owns valuable mineral rights in an area of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, land that holds vast coal deposits. Books scrambles to find a connection between these businesses and the recent murders. And then a contract killer appears in Kanab....
Books learns the victim’s widow has been having an affair with another EEWA member, Lance Clayburn. Physical evidence recovered from the murder scene links Clayburn to the killing. Then Books discovers a possible witness: a reclusive teenager with a penchant for disappearing into the desert wilderness for prolonged periods.
And then there’s the Las Vegas business conglomerate that owns valuable mineral rights in an area of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, land that holds vast coal deposits. Books scrambles to find a connection between these businesses and the recent murders. And then a contract killer appears in Kanab....
285 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2010
4 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Michael Norman
6 books26 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Michael D. Norman lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with his wife Diane and their two pit bulls, Joyce and Eddie. He is a former police officer, state parole board member, and most recently, a Professor of Criminal Justice at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.
Michael D. Norman lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with his wife Diane and their two pit bulls, Joyce and Eddie. He is a former police officer, state parole board member, and most recently, a Professor of Criminal Justice at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 21, 2015
J.D. returns back to his hometown to become a law enforcement officer for the BLM and on his very first day has a bizarre murder to solve. Lots of animosity between the land owners and the tree huggers.
March 25, 2022
Michael Norman writes in a straight-forward kind of abrupt style that can be off-putting. An almost endless march of short declarative sentences doesn’t allow for much rhythm or flexibility in approach. Nevertheless, the author has constructed a novel with an excellent foundation, logical development, interesting characters and a long-running, intense disagreement at the core of the story, a disagreement which is a real.
To the small southern Utah community of Kanab comes a former Denver detective after the destruction of his marriage and his career. J.D. Books is hurting. He needs a job and he needs to recover. Through the probable intervention of his father, Kanab being the town of his youth, Books lands a job with the Bureau of Land management as the local representative of law enforcement. The town is divided among those who favor environmental concerns for preserving the natural wonders of the area, and others, who see the vast expanses of land as development potential.
David Greenbriar leads an environmental alliance which, in spite of internal disagreements as to strategy, seems to be winning the local fight to protect the millions of acres of relatively unspoiled land against the desires of developers. Books is hardly settled into his doublewide mobile home when Greenbriar is murdered, shot once while camping in the wilderness. With some reluctance, Books BLM boss agrees to let him run the murder investigation, his experience being far broader than anyone in the small community. This decision puts Brooks into conflict with his family’s friends and his efforts to balance impartiality with finding the killer makes an interesting story.
In the end, Norman’s straight ahead style, serves the story well and while twists and turns are not part of the picture, “On Dangerous Ground,” is a solid detective story with comfortable characters many readers will want to see again.
To the small southern Utah community of Kanab comes a former Denver detective after the destruction of his marriage and his career. J.D. Books is hurting. He needs a job and he needs to recover. Through the probable intervention of his father, Kanab being the town of his youth, Books lands a job with the Bureau of Land management as the local representative of law enforcement. The town is divided among those who favor environmental concerns for preserving the natural wonders of the area, and others, who see the vast expanses of land as development potential.
David Greenbriar leads an environmental alliance which, in spite of internal disagreements as to strategy, seems to be winning the local fight to protect the millions of acres of relatively unspoiled land against the desires of developers. Books is hardly settled into his doublewide mobile home when Greenbriar is murdered, shot once while camping in the wilderness. With some reluctance, Books BLM boss agrees to let him run the murder investigation, his experience being far broader than anyone in the small community. This decision puts Brooks into conflict with his family’s friends and his efforts to balance impartiality with finding the killer makes an interesting story.
In the end, Norman’s straight ahead style, serves the story well and while twists and turns are not part of the picture, “On Dangerous Ground,” is a solid detective story with comfortable characters many readers will want to see again.
April 27, 2024
good
Thanks to the author for writing this. Enjoyed it a lot. A little slow to start but well written dialog and character development.
Thanks to the author for writing this. Enjoyed it a lot. A little slow to start but well written dialog and character development.
April 2, 2012
First Line: Environmental activist David Greenbriar climbed steadily higher onto the Kaiparowits Plateau, unaware that this would be his last sojourn into Utah's southern wilderness.
Kanab, Utah is divided by one topic: land management. On one side are those who want federal lands to be opened for ranching, recreation, and the creation of jobs (mining, etc.). On the other side are those who want these delicate ecosystems closely monitored and protected.
Recently arrived from Denver where he was a homicide detective, J.D. Books has returned to his Kanab roots as the first Bureau of Land Management Law Enforcement Ranger in the area. When environmentalist David Greenbriar is found dead, Kane County Sheriff Charley Sutter asks for help from Books. Without too much digging, Books discovers that Greenbriar's wife has been having an affair with Lance Clayburn, and physical evidence links Clayburn to the killing. Everyone else is ready to stamp PAID on the case, but Books keeps digging. When he turns up information that leads to a Las Vegas business conglomerate with ties to organized crime, he knows that the investigation is anything but over.
Author Michael Norman has a strong background in law enforcement and criminal justice, and it certainly shows in On Deadly Ground. Books is a tireless investigator, and the Bureau of Land Management is fortunate to have someone with his expertise. Although the book skates perilously close to the cliched "blind" local police, Norman serves up a welcome surprise.
In fact, that wasn't the only welcome surprise in this book. The killer is one scary guy that actually made me nervous. In addition, the cast of characters is an interesting bunch, and-- along with Books himself-- I'm looking forward to getting to know them better as the series progresses. I'm also looking forward to learning more about southern Utah. It's an area that's beautiful and remote, and I'm certain it's filled with enough investigations to keep J.D. Books occupied (and readers entertained) for a good long time to come.
Kanab, Utah is divided by one topic: land management. On one side are those who want federal lands to be opened for ranching, recreation, and the creation of jobs (mining, etc.). On the other side are those who want these delicate ecosystems closely monitored and protected.
Recently arrived from Denver where he was a homicide detective, J.D. Books has returned to his Kanab roots as the first Bureau of Land Management Law Enforcement Ranger in the area. When environmentalist David Greenbriar is found dead, Kane County Sheriff Charley Sutter asks for help from Books. Without too much digging, Books discovers that Greenbriar's wife has been having an affair with Lance Clayburn, and physical evidence links Clayburn to the killing. Everyone else is ready to stamp PAID on the case, but Books keeps digging. When he turns up information that leads to a Las Vegas business conglomerate with ties to organized crime, he knows that the investigation is anything but over.
Author Michael Norman has a strong background in law enforcement and criminal justice, and it certainly shows in On Deadly Ground. Books is a tireless investigator, and the Bureau of Land Management is fortunate to have someone with his expertise. Although the book skates perilously close to the cliched "blind" local police, Norman serves up a welcome surprise.
In fact, that wasn't the only welcome surprise in this book. The killer is one scary guy that actually made me nervous. In addition, the cast of characters is an interesting bunch, and-- along with Books himself-- I'm looking forward to getting to know them better as the series progresses. I'm also looking forward to learning more about southern Utah. It's an area that's beautiful and remote, and I'm certain it's filled with enough investigations to keep J.D. Books occupied (and readers entertained) for a good long time to come.
January 27, 2010
On Deadly Ground by Michael Norman is thrilling murder mystery set in the surrounding area of Kanab, a small town in southern Utah. Former Denver police officer J.D. Books returns to his home town as a Bureau of Land Management Ranger and immediately gets caught up in a murder investigation.
The story takes many twists when J.D. and Sheriff Sutter investigate the likely suspects and their motives. As the story unfolds there are also surprises both for the investigation and personally for J.D. The plot moves very quickly and is action doesn’t stop.
J.D.’s character is very likeable with a laid-back attitude and a past that haunts him. J.D.’s return to the place where he grew up added greatly to the character development as he interacted with old friends and family.
Michael Norman’s previous novels also take place in Utah, and he conveyed a good sense of where the story was located in On Deadly Ground. This is a new author for me, and I look forward to reading his previous novels, Silent Witness and The Commission. Michel spent 25 years as a Professor of Criminal Justice at Weber State University, Ogden, Utah. During that time, he served on the Utah State Youth Parole Authority followed by a term on the State Board of Pardons and Parole.
On Deadly Ground is the perfect mystery with tension, action, surprises, and a satisfying conclusion.
The story takes many twists when J.D. and Sheriff Sutter investigate the likely suspects and their motives. As the story unfolds there are also surprises both for the investigation and personally for J.D. The plot moves very quickly and is action doesn’t stop.
J.D.’s character is very likeable with a laid-back attitude and a past that haunts him. J.D.’s return to the place where he grew up added greatly to the character development as he interacted with old friends and family.
Michael Norman’s previous novels also take place in Utah, and he conveyed a good sense of where the story was located in On Deadly Ground. This is a new author for me, and I look forward to reading his previous novels, Silent Witness and The Commission. Michel spent 25 years as a Professor of Criminal Justice at Weber State University, Ogden, Utah. During that time, he served on the Utah State Youth Parole Authority followed by a term on the State Board of Pardons and Parole.
On Deadly Ground is the perfect mystery with tension, action, surprises, and a satisfying conclusion.
October 3, 2014
In Book 1 of the J.D. Books Mystery Series, we meet J.D. Books, who had had to leave his position in the Denver police force and returns to his childhood home of Kanab Utah as a BLM Ranger. He quickly gets embroiled in a recent homicide and this is the book about him tracking down this killer.
There were a few things in the execution of the writing that put me off a bit. The author makes sure you understand the points that are being made a bit too heavy handedly, in my opinion, and some of the dialog didn't ring true, but only in a very few places.
Overall, I found the story well paced, and intriguing and I am glad I spent the time to listen to this book. It was read by Patrick Lawlor, who I have a bit of a fangirl crush on. He is an excellent narrator and a great choice for this work. If he has read the subsequent books in this series, I will definitely be listening.
There were a few things in the execution of the writing that put me off a bit. The author makes sure you understand the points that are being made a bit too heavy handedly, in my opinion, and some of the dialog didn't ring true, but only in a very few places.
Overall, I found the story well paced, and intriguing and I am glad I spent the time to listen to this book. It was read by Patrick Lawlor, who I have a bit of a fangirl crush on. He is an excellent narrator and a great choice for this work. If he has read the subsequent books in this series, I will definitely be listening.
August 14, 2015
On Deadly Ground is very readable. The thing I liked best is that the detective works for the Bureau of Land Management. I hadn't seen anything like that before. So I had the opportunity to look at Western land use issues that I never thought about before.
The author is careful to make no judgements about right or wrong uses of the land. Both views are presented, as characters from both sides of the playing field are suspects in the murder of an environmentalist. I'm sure many readers choose a likely criminal based on their environmental stance.
While not as engaging as a Longmire book, this reminded me of that series both in geography and story development. I will certainly look at another book in this series.
The author is careful to make no judgements about right or wrong uses of the land. Both views are presented, as characters from both sides of the playing field are suspects in the murder of an environmentalist. I'm sure many readers choose a likely criminal based on their environmental stance.
While not as engaging as a Longmire book, this reminded me of that series both in geography and story development. I will certainly look at another book in this series.
January 25, 2011
The characters were kind of flat. The small town mormon population was not true to form. It was in interesting idea for a mystery and the setting was great.
April 26, 2013
This has it all -- the Mafia, a high school love, land issues. I enjoyed the read. Also enjoyed the trip to Kanab. Haven't been there in a long time.
January 4, 2016
Liked the cast, plot and twists. Will read author again. Well narrated Patrick Lawler. text 2010. Some foul language. Recommended to those who like ecological issues and mystery novels.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews