What do you think?
Rate this book
Sean Stranahan #4
Crazy Mountain Kiss
In the latest addition to this acclaimed series, PI Stranahan and Sheriff Ettinger reunite to investigate a young girl’s death
It’s April, but there’s still snow on the Montana mountains the day a member of the Madison River Liar and Fly Tiers club finds a Santa hat in the chimney of his rented cabin. With the flue clogged and desperate to make a fire, he climbs up to the roof, only to find the body of a teenage girl wedged into the chimney. When Sheriff Martha Ettinger and her team arrive to extract the body they identify the victim as Cinderella “Cindy” Huntingdon, a promising young rodeo star, missing since November.
Was Cindy murdered? Or running for her life—and if so, from whom? Cindy’s mother, Etta, hires private detective Sean Stranahan to find out. Jasper Fey, the girl’s stepfather, believes moving on is the only way to heal. But Etta’s not willing to let it go, and neither are Sean or Martha, who find clues to the death in the mysterious legends of the Crazy Mountains. The fourth book in McCafferty’s mystery series features a brisk, savvy plot and charming yet authentic characters—perfect for fans of C. J. Box and Craig Johnson.
It’s April, but there’s still snow on the Montana mountains the day a member of the Madison River Liar and Fly Tiers club finds a Santa hat in the chimney of his rented cabin. With the flue clogged and desperate to make a fire, he climbs up to the roof, only to find the body of a teenage girl wedged into the chimney. When Sheriff Martha Ettinger and her team arrive to extract the body they identify the victim as Cinderella “Cindy” Huntingdon, a promising young rodeo star, missing since November.
Was Cindy murdered? Or running for her life—and if so, from whom? Cindy’s mother, Etta, hires private detective Sean Stranahan to find out. Jasper Fey, the girl’s stepfather, believes moving on is the only way to heal. But Etta’s not willing to let it go, and neither are Sean or Martha, who find clues to the death in the mysterious legends of the Crazy Mountains. The fourth book in McCafferty’s mystery series features a brisk, savvy plot and charming yet authentic characters—perfect for fans of C. J. Box and Craig Johnson.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published June 9, 2015
317 people are currently reading
1021 people want to read
About the author
Keith McCafferty
23 books375 followersKeith McCafferty is the Survival and Outdoor Skills Editor of Field & Stream. He has written articles for publications as diverse as Fly Fisherman Magazine, Mother Earth News, Grays Sporting Journal and the Chicago Tribune, and on subjects ranging from mosquitoes to wolves to mercenaries and exorcism. Based in Montana and working on assignment around the globe he recently spent a month in India trekking the Himalayas, fishing for golden mahseer and studying tigers. Keith has won numerous awards, including the Robert Traver Award for angling literature. He has twice been a finalist for a National Magazine Award.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews
September 19, 2017
The body of a teenage girl is fond wedged into a chimney in a cabin in the Montana mountains in April. When Sheriff Martha Ettinger and her team manages to extract the body they identify the victim as Cinderella “Cindy” Harrington who has been missing since November. Cindy's mother Etta hires privet detective Sean Stranahan to find out the truth about her daughter's death.
I read the first book in this series a little while ago so I felt well acquainted with the characters even though I haven't read the previous two books in the series. One of the reasons I was eager to read this series is that I'm a big fan of Craig Johnson's Longmire series and this felt like a perfect series to read now when I don't have any more Longmire books to read.
The case in this book was very tragic, a young girl has gone missing and now she is found dead and now Sean must figure out why she went missing and if her death was accidental or murder. Also, his relationship with Martha is a bit rocky since Martha isn't sure about a relationship with him, especially now that her son, who is living with his father, is coming for a visit. I liked the book very much, the book was well written and the case wasn't predictable, which was nice.
It was a very sad case, Etta has lost her daughter and I could really feel her pain while I read the book. Beside the case did I like to read about Sean and Martha's relationship. I'm glad that they have got to know each other a lot more since the first book, even though they now seem to be a bit estranged.
I received this copy from Viking through NetGalley in return for an honest review! Thank you!
I read the first book in this series a little while ago so I felt well acquainted with the characters even though I haven't read the previous two books in the series. One of the reasons I was eager to read this series is that I'm a big fan of Craig Johnson's Longmire series and this felt like a perfect series to read now when I don't have any more Longmire books to read.
The case in this book was very tragic, a young girl has gone missing and now she is found dead and now Sean must figure out why she went missing and if her death was accidental or murder. Also, his relationship with Martha is a bit rocky since Martha isn't sure about a relationship with him, especially now that her son, who is living with his father, is coming for a visit. I liked the book very much, the book was well written and the case wasn't predictable, which was nice.
It was a very sad case, Etta has lost her daughter and I could really feel her pain while I read the book. Beside the case did I like to read about Sean and Martha's relationship. I'm glad that they have got to know each other a lot more since the first book, even though they now seem to be a bit estranged.
I received this copy from Viking through NetGalley in return for an honest review! Thank you!
December 16, 2016
I’ve been to Montana more than once, but I am no expert on a state that can show you Big Sky, treacherous mountains and prairie that goes on almost forever. McCafferty’s book, to me rings true to the country he has set it in. That includes the culture, the way people talk to each other and the various venues he describes.
The plot starts out simply with the discovery of a young woman, missing for months, and her corpse found stuck in a remote cabin’s chimney. Then, things get a lot more complicated with grief, anger, stealth and more death. You learn a lot more about the major characters: an investigator who is also a fly fisherman, artist and a few other things; a sheriff who is attracted to him and is not sure if she wants to be; a cowboy who now earns his living teaching Hollywood actors how to ride, walk and hold a gun; a librarian with other things on her mind; a fishing guide who may not be welcome in Florida; a grieving mother who first lost her arm before losing her daughter; and a giant of a man who likes to live out in the wild and not take his meds.
Somehow McCafferty makes all of this work well together. Along the way you may learn a thing or two, or a phrase or two.
A good sandwich is leftover venison meatloaf with cheese and ketchup.
Horsetails are worth stealing.
“I wouldn’t want to be the one letting the ghost out of the ground…A man would need two hookers and a fifth of Jack to get through the night after seeing something like that.”
A string of pictographs (ancient or modern) might tell a compelling story.
or
“She’s mighty loquacious tonight,” he muttered.
“What’s that….You learn a new word?”
“Yeah, it means voluble or garrulous. I’m thinking about becoming a cowboy poet and you got to know a lot of words to rhyme with things.”
“But you’re not a cowboy.”
"That’s what would give me the edge. You got to set yourself apart from the pack."
Entertaining, with a good mystery that keeps some surprise right up to the end.
The plot starts out simply with the discovery of a young woman, missing for months, and her corpse found stuck in a remote cabin’s chimney. Then, things get a lot more complicated with grief, anger, stealth and more death. You learn a lot more about the major characters: an investigator who is also a fly fisherman, artist and a few other things; a sheriff who is attracted to him and is not sure if she wants to be; a cowboy who now earns his living teaching Hollywood actors how to ride, walk and hold a gun; a librarian with other things on her mind; a fishing guide who may not be welcome in Florida; a grieving mother who first lost her arm before losing her daughter; and a giant of a man who likes to live out in the wild and not take his meds.
Somehow McCafferty makes all of this work well together. Along the way you may learn a thing or two, or a phrase or two.
A good sandwich is leftover venison meatloaf with cheese and ketchup.
Horsetails are worth stealing.
“I wouldn’t want to be the one letting the ghost out of the ground…A man would need two hookers and a fifth of Jack to get through the night after seeing something like that.”
A string of pictographs (ancient or modern) might tell a compelling story.
or
“She’s mighty loquacious tonight,” he muttered.
“What’s that….You learn a new word?”
“Yeah, it means voluble or garrulous. I’m thinking about becoming a cowboy poet and you got to know a lot of words to rhyme with things.”
“But you’re not a cowboy.”
"That’s what would give me the edge. You got to set yourself apart from the pack."
Entertaining, with a good mystery that keeps some surprise right up to the end.
January 9, 2023
Très sympa. Peut être lu sans connaître les trois premiers tomes de la série
January 7, 2019
Such a fun read and I really couldn’t figure out the WHOLE case until it was spelled out for me. Most fun reading about places and people I know from around Bozeman, MT.
August 11, 2021
The story Crazy Mountain Kiss follows private investigator Sean Stranahan and sheriff Martha Ettinger as they try to solve the horrific death of a corpse found stuck in a chimney. The corpse is later identified as Cinderella “Cindy” Huntington a runaway girl who’s been missing for the past five months. As the story goes on we find out more about events leading up to her death.
Crazy Mountain Kiss is an extremely well written mystery. I wouldn’t necessarily say that this is a fast paced thriller and that you can’t turn the pages fast enough. This is not that type of mystery. The author does an excellent job of telling the story. Every few chapters a new plot twist would be revealed and new information would come to light. At first the book was a little slow but after about 60 pages the pace started to pick up. I haven’t read the earlier books in this series so
I wasn’t that familiar with the characters relationships and at times it would become confusing. I would definitely recommend reading the series in order because there are some instances where they refer to previous events in the story and will definitely spoil earlier books. Another interesting thing about this book is how the Crazy Mountain played an integral part of the story. The mix of characters consisted of ranchers, former rodeo stars, law enforcement and other disreputable people. They were all very well written and diverse. One of the main characters was a Native American so being able to read about the culture and their beliefs was a nice touch to the book. I did have an issue with the dialogue it read more like a 50s western than a modern day investigation. Other than that this book exceeded my expectations and was a quick leisurely read. I would recommend this series to fans of Jø Nesbø I think that their characters and their writing style is very similar.
Crazy Mountain Kiss is an extremely well written mystery. I wouldn’t necessarily say that this is a fast paced thriller and that you can’t turn the pages fast enough. This is not that type of mystery. The author does an excellent job of telling the story. Every few chapters a new plot twist would be revealed and new information would come to light. At first the book was a little slow but after about 60 pages the pace started to pick up. I haven’t read the earlier books in this series so
I wasn’t that familiar with the characters relationships and at times it would become confusing. I would definitely recommend reading the series in order because there are some instances where they refer to previous events in the story and will definitely spoil earlier books. Another interesting thing about this book is how the Crazy Mountain played an integral part of the story. The mix of characters consisted of ranchers, former rodeo stars, law enforcement and other disreputable people. They were all very well written and diverse. One of the main characters was a Native American so being able to read about the culture and their beliefs was a nice touch to the book. I did have an issue with the dialogue it read more like a 50s western than a modern day investigation. Other than that this book exceeded my expectations and was a quick leisurely read. I would recommend this series to fans of Jø Nesbø I think that their characters and their writing style is very similar.
June 17, 2016
Another great book by McCafferty. This series is outstanding.
August 27, 2022
Sean, Martha and the regulars are tasked with discovering how the body of a teenage girl got wedged into a chimney where she apparently died. The case becomes quite convoluted with shifting suspects. Sean, once again, places himself in great peril by confronting one of the bad guys without any weapons to protect himself with and with what turns out to be a half baked plan to call for reinforcements. Still, I like the interaction between the main characters and the characters involved in the murder(s) to be solved are quite colorful.
May 1, 2018
This is a 4&1/2 star book. I really enjoyed reading this book. The author is new to me and I will definitely read more of this series. I liked the two main characters although they are far from perfect and seem determined to mess up their lives. Martha Ettinger is sheriff and Sean Stranahan a sometimes PI, artist, and sometimes fly-fisherman and guide. Martha and Sean are sometimes lovers but off right now. The series is set in Montana in modern times. This book is in the middle of the series but I was never lost as the author gives enough background on the characters. The mystery keeps the reader guessing. The only problem I had was that some of the Montana sayings were a bit hard to figure out but otherwise this is a great read. Recommended!
March 8, 2018
Another good one from McCafferty, had me going till the end. Totally enjoyable reading, looking forward to the next one.
will-finish-someday
October 20, 2025haven’t finished this but I swear I really liked it for a random book I picked up bc I happened to be in Montana
April 30, 2017
Another wonderful mystery with interesting characters and well written dialogue.
August 1, 2020
A mystery with the Montana mountains as the setting. For the reader who loves the outdoors and “who done it” novels.
December 31, 2017
Terrific series, well plotted and smart writing--not just dialog. Takes place in Montana, outside of Bozeman.
July 26, 2015
I enjoy novels of the American West. After seeing the cover blurb in "Crazy Mountain Kiss," that the story would be perfect for fans of Craig Johnson, I was sold.
A member of the Madison River Liar and Fly Tiers club comes to a rented mountain cabin in order to work on his manuscript. Wanting to warm the cabin up, he checks the chimney and finds a Santa hat there. Then he climbs on the roof of the cabin and finds the body of a teenage girl wedged in the chimney.
How could the teenager get into this spot? What caused her death? These are questions that on again off again private investigator Sean Stranahan is hired to find out.
The story moves at a liesurly pace as we learn about the characters and life in the Montana mountains.
The deceased, Cindy Huntington is well described. She seemed so full of life and ready for the happiness in her future that her untimely death hits the reader and the other characters hard.
Stranahan keeps at his trade and discovers that there is an adult couples club that would rent the mountain cabin from the Forest Service. Sean begins interviewing the members of the club and comes across a group of wacky characters. Then he begins to get closer to the person responsible for Cindy's death.
It is easy to see why there is a comparison to the work of Craig Johnson. One of the characters is a consultant for a modern TV show about the American West. The show has an American Indian as the sidekick to the sheriff and the sheriff himself, being a tall man who has to duck his head to enter rooms, good comparison to Johnson's TV show, "Longmire".
The life of the characters is well portrayed but the action suffers and it is drawn out before Stranahan makes further headway into solving the crime.
McCafferty is skilled with the character descriptions and tales of their adventures but I would have enjoyed it more if he got right to solving the mystery. In addition, some of the characters seemed to be right out of a Hallmark TV movie. However, "Crazy Mountain Kiss" is an enjoyable read and excellent for a book to read on a vacation.
I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
A member of the Madison River Liar and Fly Tiers club comes to a rented mountain cabin in order to work on his manuscript. Wanting to warm the cabin up, he checks the chimney and finds a Santa hat there. Then he climbs on the roof of the cabin and finds the body of a teenage girl wedged in the chimney.
How could the teenager get into this spot? What caused her death? These are questions that on again off again private investigator Sean Stranahan is hired to find out.
The story moves at a liesurly pace as we learn about the characters and life in the Montana mountains.
The deceased, Cindy Huntington is well described. She seemed so full of life and ready for the happiness in her future that her untimely death hits the reader and the other characters hard.
Stranahan keeps at his trade and discovers that there is an adult couples club that would rent the mountain cabin from the Forest Service. Sean begins interviewing the members of the club and comes across a group of wacky characters. Then he begins to get closer to the person responsible for Cindy's death.
It is easy to see why there is a comparison to the work of Craig Johnson. One of the characters is a consultant for a modern TV show about the American West. The show has an American Indian as the sidekick to the sheriff and the sheriff himself, being a tall man who has to duck his head to enter rooms, good comparison to Johnson's TV show, "Longmire".
The life of the characters is well portrayed but the action suffers and it is drawn out before Stranahan makes further headway into solving the crime.
McCafferty is skilled with the character descriptions and tales of their adventures but I would have enjoyed it more if he got right to solving the mystery. In addition, some of the characters seemed to be right out of a Hallmark TV movie. However, "Crazy Mountain Kiss" is an enjoyable read and excellent for a book to read on a vacation.
I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
September 23, 2015
Keith McCafferty's 'Crazy Mountain Kiss' (Viking 2015) is as much about the glorious wild Montana setting as it is about the dead girl found stuffed in a rustic cabin chimney. At the core of the murder mystery are the people who call these remote mountains and streams home and accept a life dependent on the whims of nature. Sean Stranahan, star of McCafferty's four-book series, is an eclectic small-town detective that doesn't look for clients and takes only those with interesting cases. This one--a wealthy sixteen-year-old cowgirl who disappeared without a trace to be found four months later in the tattered remains of the clothes she went missing in--leads down paths he never expected to results he didn't want to find. He spends half the book collecting seemingly disconnected clues that are then tied together into a satisfying conclusion, made more difficult because the girl's family has secrets they don't give up willingly. Along the way are trucks, dogs, broken hearts, and unrequited loves that add spice to the plot.
Sean Stranahan is unlike any character I've met. I might compare him to Lee Child's Jack Reacher, but only because of Stranahan's nomadic free spirit and moral tenacity for following clues. Stranahan lives in a teepee, is an artist, and loves fly fishing. He accepts people at face value, is non-judgmental, but can read between the lines of their hidden, unspoken thoughts. Everything he does is colored by the Montana landscape, its geography, and the people who call this tough habitat home.
This is the type of story I love--honest people, solid morals, flawed but forgiving, made stronger by failure, toughened by a life spent struggling to survive off land that is ruled by Nature. I fell in love with this sub-genre with Tony Hillerman's eighteen-volume Navajo series, and then CJ Box's twenty-volume Joe Pickett series set in Wyoming. McCafferty is an excellent addition to my reading list.
Sean Stranahan is unlike any character I've met. I might compare him to Lee Child's Jack Reacher, but only because of Stranahan's nomadic free spirit and moral tenacity for following clues. Stranahan lives in a teepee, is an artist, and loves fly fishing. He accepts people at face value, is non-judgmental, but can read between the lines of their hidden, unspoken thoughts. Everything he does is colored by the Montana landscape, its geography, and the people who call this tough habitat home.
This is the type of story I love--honest people, solid morals, flawed but forgiving, made stronger by failure, toughened by a life spent struggling to survive off land that is ruled by Nature. I fell in love with this sub-genre with Tony Hillerman's eighteen-volume Navajo series, and then CJ Box's twenty-volume Joe Pickett series set in Wyoming. McCafferty is an excellent addition to my reading list.
April 25, 2021
I have read the first three books in this series. This is the first in the series that I have listened to on Audible, so I am curious if listening has changed my opinion of the author and the series. If I had read this one I wonder if I would find it more believable. It is a great story and I was impressed by it. Still, I found it very grating that there were so many characters that seemed to have been teleported in from the bar in Star Wars. There isn't a single person I can think of in this book that isn't nearly an entire story in themselves. I like well developed and unique characters, but this book seemed to have no one that displayed much in the way of normal characteristics. It is rural Montana we are talking about here. In one small circle of people we have a simmering female Sheriff, a writer/artist/fly-tying/babe magnet/private detective, a film consultant, a one-armed minor celebrity, a popular but struggling author, an anonymous swingers club made up of lesbian glass-blowers, librarian gypsies, and others that share a penchant for kinky sex and geocaching. Let's not forget the alternative lifestyle boy, the girl with a traumatic brain injury, the newly minted thieving rapist tweeker, and the giant hermit mountain man who lived under a cloud of misunderstood history. Oh, and then there is Sam, the guy who gets run out of his private business, and all of Florida, by the brother of a girl he latched on to, under threat of certain death, but at least he could help our protagonist.
I say again, I liked this story, but it took a lot more work than it should have to suspend my disbelief over and over. I will read the next book to see if reading it on the page translates better.
I say again, I liked this story, but it took a lot more work than it should have to suspend my disbelief over and over. I will read the next book to see if reading it on the page translates better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2023
Départ pour le Montana, à la rencontre de Max Gallagher, romancier en mal d’inspiration. A peine arrivé dans son bungalow, il constate que la cheminée est bouchée…et y découvre le cadavre d’une jeune femme. Accident tragique ou meurtre bien dissimulé ? Entrent alors en jeu la shérif Martha Ettinger et Sean Stranahan, un passionné de pêche détective à ses heures.
J’ai apprécié cette lecture, où plusieurs histoires se mêlent à l’enquête en elle-même. On tire un fil et plusieurs pistes sont à explorer. Ce roman nous emmène dans un coin isolé du Montana, proche des montagnes. L’ambiance ajoute un petit plus au récit et à l’enquête, avec ce côté ranch américain et sa communauté plus ou moins soudée. Les deux enquêteurs (Martha et Sean) n’en sont pas à leur première enquête ensemble, et j’ai aimé faire leur connaissance. L’enquête est d’ailleurs bien ficelée, même si peut-être légèrement prévisible par moments.
En bref, c’était une bonne lecture ! Rien de transcendant, c’est vrai, mais l’ambiance de ce roman ajoute un vrai plus. J’ai bien envie de me pencher sur les autres livres de l’auteur qui impliquent Martha et Sean.
J’ai apprécié cette lecture, où plusieurs histoires se mêlent à l’enquête en elle-même. On tire un fil et plusieurs pistes sont à explorer. Ce roman nous emmène dans un coin isolé du Montana, proche des montagnes. L’ambiance ajoute un petit plus au récit et à l’enquête, avec ce côté ranch américain et sa communauté plus ou moins soudée. Les deux enquêteurs (Martha et Sean) n’en sont pas à leur première enquête ensemble, et j’ai aimé faire leur connaissance. L’enquête est d’ailleurs bien ficelée, même si peut-être légèrement prévisible par moments.
En bref, c’était une bonne lecture ! Rien de transcendant, c’est vrai, mais l’ambiance de ce roman ajoute un vrai plus. J’ai bien envie de me pencher sur les autres livres de l’auteur qui impliquent Martha et Sean.
August 18, 2016
A very nicely constructed mystery with impressive character development and dialogue. Montana is treated as another protagonist, and this works beautifully. I'd be happy to read another in this series.
December 20, 2017
I really enjoyed this Montana murder mystery filled with Western folklore and quirky characters. The setting and writing style contributed a fresh tone to the crime genre, and made this an entertaining read.
October 15, 2018
I love this series. Martha and Sam are my favorites. Is it just me or does Sean sleeping with every woman he meets getting a bit too much? Why does he have to sleep with every woman he works with or meets? Talk about the other character's sex lives/romances a bit more. Change it up.
July 16, 2023
I kept falling asleep on this one. Somehow the manly man sexism was harder to look past and just seemed like little boy swagger. I guess I am not the target audience.
I may or may not finish this series. It is great to visit this part of the country but I’m definitely traveling second class.
I may or may not finish this series. It is great to visit this part of the country but I’m definitely traveling second class.
January 4, 2016
Another good book in the series. A great story that keeps going after you think you have solved it. Great characters.
November 5, 2017
I have read all the Sean Stranahan books in order. So far this is the best.
March 4, 2018
Love this series. The characters are fun. The dialogue is humorous and intelligent. The settings are lush and beautifully described.
June 29, 2021
My favorite so far in this series. The story was great but my Lord, Sean's sexcapades are getting so predictable they are barely interesting any more.
April 15, 2024
SPOILER ALERT
When a local girl disappears, Sean Stranahan is hired by her mother Etta Huntington, to find her. Cinderella, Cindy, was a champion rodeo performer and had the prospect of several scholarships to college. At the same time, a writer has rented a remote cabin to finish a book that will hopefully restart his writing successes. When he attempts to start a fire the chimney is blocked and smoke fills the room, a Santa hat falling from the chute. When he climbs on the roof to investigate, he finds crows building a nest, the damper gone. Removing the branches he looks into the chimney to discover a face with no eyes staring up at him. Sheriff Martha Ettinger suspects it may by the missing girl, which is later confirmed. It now falls to Sean to lead the hunt for the killer. A young man that Cindy loved, but was gay, is suspected. He car had been found a distance away. Sean may find him in the process. As he researches, he comes to believe that he is looking for the body of Landon Anker.
He finds that Cindy was five months pregnant. Landon Anker was not the father. Sean also finds that Cindy had been helped by a mountain man, Bear Paw Bill, who has been seen a few times in the wilderness. When they look for Bill, they find him nearly dead. His foot has been chopped off. (When Bill had stepped on the nail, it had gone clear through his foot, which had become infected and had gangrene. Cindy had to take it off.) Both he and Cindy had stepped on a nail near the cabin. He reveals that Cindy had gained access to the cabin via the chimney. They had used it to escape the "clowns" after her. But either her pregnancy had had her getting stuck, or her foot injury may had caused her to slip so her knee got caught. She died in the chimney. Bear Paw was also found not to be the father. Sean looks to the other men who could have been involved. Jasper Fey was her stepfather. He was once a rodeo performer, and now advises film productions on horses and western culture. Charles Watt is the horse trainer at the Huntington ranch, and Earl Hightower is the ranch manager. When it is determined that Watt raped Cindy, getting her pregnant, and she flees to escape him, Bear Paw finds him and squeezes him to death. Then Sean determines that Jasper was saved by Charlie when Charlie was a clown who distracted bulls in the ring. They had had identical tattoos done, showing clowns.
When searching the cabin Sean and Martha had found a cellar that met the coordinates of a geocache and Sean found the tin box. In a doll in the box was hidden a memory card that filmed a couple having sex, the man in a mask. They had also found the visitors log on which Cindy had written over a previous entry, "The Clowns are here". Interviewing individuals from the rentals, they find that there is sex club that uses the cabin. Charlie was the man in the mask, and had been rough, and not the man expected that night by Ariana. It had been Jasper who had the appointment. Sean interrogates Jasper. Sean believes that Jasper killed Landen and buried him in the stock burial site. He waits for Jasper, who knows he is there because of his dog, and tries to bury him. Sean grabs him with a hay hook he found where he was waiting, Jasper dies. But not before he tells Sean that he had found Landon holding Cindy, naked, and believed he had raped her. He choked him, Cindy trying to tell him he was wrong and to stop.
Sean has to be dug out by Martha and the others he had alerted by had been delayed.
When a local girl disappears, Sean Stranahan is hired by her mother Etta Huntington, to find her. Cinderella, Cindy, was a champion rodeo performer and had the prospect of several scholarships to college. At the same time, a writer has rented a remote cabin to finish a book that will hopefully restart his writing successes. When he attempts to start a fire the chimney is blocked and smoke fills the room, a Santa hat falling from the chute. When he climbs on the roof to investigate, he finds crows building a nest, the damper gone. Removing the branches he looks into the chimney to discover a face with no eyes staring up at him. Sheriff Martha Ettinger suspects it may by the missing girl, which is later confirmed. It now falls to Sean to lead the hunt for the killer. A young man that Cindy loved, but was gay, is suspected. He car had been found a distance away. Sean may find him in the process. As he researches, he comes to believe that he is looking for the body of Landon Anker.
He finds that Cindy was five months pregnant. Landon Anker was not the father. Sean also finds that Cindy had been helped by a mountain man, Bear Paw Bill, who has been seen a few times in the wilderness. When they look for Bill, they find him nearly dead. His foot has been chopped off. (When Bill had stepped on the nail, it had gone clear through his foot, which had become infected and had gangrene. Cindy had to take it off.) Both he and Cindy had stepped on a nail near the cabin. He reveals that Cindy had gained access to the cabin via the chimney. They had used it to escape the "clowns" after her. But either her pregnancy had had her getting stuck, or her foot injury may had caused her to slip so her knee got caught. She died in the chimney. Bear Paw was also found not to be the father. Sean looks to the other men who could have been involved. Jasper Fey was her stepfather. He was once a rodeo performer, and now advises film productions on horses and western culture. Charles Watt is the horse trainer at the Huntington ranch, and Earl Hightower is the ranch manager. When it is determined that Watt raped Cindy, getting her pregnant, and she flees to escape him, Bear Paw finds him and squeezes him to death. Then Sean determines that Jasper was saved by Charlie when Charlie was a clown who distracted bulls in the ring. They had had identical tattoos done, showing clowns.
When searching the cabin Sean and Martha had found a cellar that met the coordinates of a geocache and Sean found the tin box. In a doll in the box was hidden a memory card that filmed a couple having sex, the man in a mask. They had also found the visitors log on which Cindy had written over a previous entry, "The Clowns are here". Interviewing individuals from the rentals, they find that there is sex club that uses the cabin. Charlie was the man in the mask, and had been rough, and not the man expected that night by Ariana. It had been Jasper who had the appointment. Sean interrogates Jasper. Sean believes that Jasper killed Landen and buried him in the stock burial site. He waits for Jasper, who knows he is there because of his dog, and tries to bury him. Sean grabs him with a hay hook he found where he was waiting, Jasper dies. But not before he tells Sean that he had found Landon holding Cindy, naked, and believed he had raped her. He choked him, Cindy trying to tell him he was wrong and to stop.
Sean has to be dug out by Martha and the others he had alerted by had been delayed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2022
I bought this book 8 years ago, when I was living in Montana. My best friend and I were actually headed out for a camping trip with family/friends. We stopped at a small town in Montana— with amazing huckleberry ice cream— but of course I forget the name of the town. A few days ago, I decided to actually pick this book up and read it. Now, I live in Virginia, so I loved reading about the towns in Montana (ones that I had been to, or even lived near). Everything was very spot on in that aspect. I will say this is the only book of Keith McCafferty’s that I’ve read… and I wasn’t thrilled about it. One of my biggest pet peeves in books, is when an author repeatedly addresses the characters in the book with both first, and last name. It went on through the entire book. It had me rolling my eyes. Still, the story was intriguing enough to keep me pushing through. Intriguing, but also… a little boring. Some of the characters seemed rather flat to me. I’m glad I read it, but I won’t be reading it again. Because, well, I never read the same book twice.
Edit to add: the way the book ended was a real bore. Two chapters before the last chapter: absolute goosebumps with the end of that chapter. I honestly thought that was going to be the last chapter in the book, seeing as I was wrong I kept reading ‘till the end and— no goosebumps. No good feeling. No feeling at all, really. I looked at my dog and said “WELL THAT WAS A BORING ENDING”. And I put it back on the shelf.
Edit to add: the way the book ended was a real bore. Two chapters before the last chapter: absolute goosebumps with the end of that chapter. I honestly thought that was going to be the last chapter in the book, seeing as I was wrong I kept reading ‘till the end and— no goosebumps. No good feeling. No feeling at all, really. I looked at my dog and said “WELL THAT WAS A BORING ENDING”. And I put it back on the shelf.
January 25, 2019
I tell you what, Keith McCafferty can really start off a book with a bang.
Another unique grabber of a beginning in this, the fourth book of the Stranahan series, and a nice setup to the mystery, as yooge.
And, as usual, it gets a little weird at times. And gruesome. And a little over-the-top with the action/adventure stuff by the end.
But it's not over-written, the banter is enjoyable, the characters are interesting, and the flow is brisk and entertaining. Plus, as a bonus, this one goes easy on the fly fishing minutiae and (for the most part) the ... uh ... boinkerage. (not a word)
#3 was a bit of a let-down, so I'm pleased to say that #4 comes back strong, and I will look forward to reading the next one in this fun, outdoor adventure mystery series. (I hope Martha is featured more prominently in the next one.)
Four stars. (UCBC rating 4.0)
Another unique grabber of a beginning in this, the fourth book of the Stranahan series, and a nice setup to the mystery, as yooge.
And, as usual, it gets a little weird at times. And gruesome. And a little over-the-top with the action/adventure stuff by the end.
But it's not over-written, the banter is enjoyable, the characters are interesting, and the flow is brisk and entertaining. Plus, as a bonus, this one goes easy on the fly fishing minutiae and (for the most part) the ... uh ... boinkerage. (not a word)
#3 was a bit of a let-down, so I'm pleased to say that #4 comes back strong, and I will look forward to reading the next one in this fun, outdoor adventure mystery series. (I hope Martha is featured more prominently in the next one.)
Four stars. (UCBC rating 4.0)
March 24, 2023
A down on his luck writer rents a forest service cabin hoping to work on his new book. Needing to unblock the chimney, he climbs up on the roof to unseat the crows building their nest. What he finds beneath the nest has him calling 911.
The body of a female is found stuck inside the chimney. Martha, Harold, and Sean have their work cut out for them determining the series of events that put the women, a girl really, in the situation in which they found her. Why would anyone climb down a chimney then back up? What was she even doing there?
This book was tougher to read in places due to the theme. When you get to the end, what seemed at first like a crazed series of events pull together. A fitting ending for a tale set in the Crazies. I'm burning through this series. The setting is a character all on its own and the narration is spot on.
The body of a female is found stuck inside the chimney. Martha, Harold, and Sean have their work cut out for them determining the series of events that put the women, a girl really, in the situation in which they found her. Why would anyone climb down a chimney then back up? What was she even doing there?
This book was tougher to read in places due to the theme. When you get to the end, what seemed at first like a crazed series of events pull together. A fitting ending for a tale set in the Crazies. I'm burning through this series. The setting is a character all on its own and the narration is spot on.
September 14, 2020
Another outstanding entry from Keith McCafferty, although without much fly fishing. A young girl's body is found wedged in the chimney of a remote mountain cabin, which only opens a lot of questions as to how she got there. Stranahan is hired by the girl's mother to provide some answers, and he joins the investigation already underway by his friend, the local sheriff and some of his other friends. The story develops quickly and never lets up until all the questions are answered, with a lot of action along the way. The author once again reveals himself as a master story teller, and demonstrates his intimate knowledge of the Rocky Mountain West in Montana.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews