The Tumbler

Gabriel Du Pre #11

by Peter Bowen

Gabriel Du Pré, the old Métis fiddler at the center of Peter Bowen's atmospheric, engrossing series set in the dirty, dusty Montana that's rarely featured in travel brochures, has a knack for finding trouble. Or rather, trouble has a knack for finding him. There's a rumor going around that Du Pré and his old sorceror friend Benetsee have come across a parcel containing the lost journals of Lewis and Clark, and outsiders, drawn by the spirit of the legendary explorers, are beginning to invade Toussaint.

Du Pré won't say whether he's got the journals or not, preferring his usual routine of cigarettes, a whiskey ditch or two and a few fiddling gigs up and down Montana's highways to getting involved in this controversy. Benetsee isn't talking, either, but when a journalist goes a little too far in trying to get the story of the lost journals, and the two men's friends and family are put squarely in the face of danger, Du Pré doesn't have much choice but to wade in and set things right.

The Gabriel Du Pré mysteries have become required reading for fans of the vanishing West, and Peter Bowen's storytelling talent continues to thrive in The Tumbler, a dazzling entry in what has become a classic series.

Genres: Mystery, Westerns, Fiction, Native American, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Crime

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 12, 2004

About the author

Peter Bowen (b. 1945) is an author best known for mystery novels set in the modern American West. When he was ten, Bowen’s family moved to Bozeman, Montana, where a paper route introduced him to the grizzled old cowboys who frequented a bar called The Oaks. Listening to their stories, some of which stretched back to the 1870s, Bowen found inspiration for his later fiction.

Following time at the University of Michigan and the University of Montana, Bowen published his first novel, Yellowstone Kelly, in 1987. After two more novels featuring the real-life Western hero, Bowen published Coyote Wind (1994), which introduced Gabriel Du Pré, a mixed-race lawman living in fictional Toussaint, Montana. Bowen has written thirteen novels in the series, in which Du Pré gets tangled up in everything from cold-blooded murder to the hunt for rare fossils. Bowen continues to live and write in Livingston, Montana.

Reviews

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best Du Pré story. Still had the entertainment of the characters but the plot itself was weak.

[Greta · Rating 3 out of 5]

In preparation for a long weekend at Fairmont Hot Springs in Montana, I chose a Montana mystery writer, Peter Bowen. He has written a series of mysteries featuring Gabriel Du Pre, a native American detective and part time musician. As a new comer to the cast of characters, I struggled a bit to keep the story line clear of the characters. By the end, I knew who was a regular and who was an outsider. I will read another of these mysteries the next time I plan to visit Montana.

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had me guessing 'til the end!

[Rick Bostian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it

[Barbra · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been awhile since I visited this series and it didn't take me long to get into the speech patterns. Another great read.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a differently plotted Du Pre mystery. More of a thriller than usual. I think also a bit tighter writing than the earlier books.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

"...sly wit and comic touches, combined with colorful characters and lyrical prose" --from a review of another of the series on this website.

"Maybe," said Madelaine, "It is better long time gone. We fight over buffalo then."
"Die maybe twenty-five," said Du Pré, "starve every winter, one kid out of five maybe lives, eighteen, no, it was not better."

I love these rough and funny tales of a certain sub-culture and place. Am now listening to some Métis fiddle music.

[Granny Swithins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the dialect off-putting for the first few pages, the characters have a very distinct way of speaking. However I quickly got used to it and became absorbed in the book, getting to know a people I'd never heard of before (Metis). Evocative, spare writing that doesn't labour the point. Want to read more by this author.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

The notebook of Lewis and Clark hidden by Benetsee plays a major role in this installment: Du Pre is being sued for its return to the U.S. Government, who feel that since they sponsored the expedition, the notebook belongs to them. But soon, it is apparent that someone else wants it too, and Gabriel has to figure out who it is.

[Helen Fleischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Du Pre, odd twist at end

[Jaye Sudar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blew through this second reading. Wow. So enjoyable, and I swear that I hear 'pret damn good!' in my head.

[Michele bookloverforever · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story. Last read 2013. Re-read with pleasure in November 2020.

[Mellodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. It had a very different plot twist at the end. I can definitely recommend this series.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audible Audiobook
October 2020
August 2022

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good series by this author. Highly recommend