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Joshua Croft #2
At Ease with the Dead
After saving an old Indian from bullies, private investigator Joshua Croft soon forgets the whole incident, but when Daniel Begay reappears seeking assistance in recovering the remains of a long-dead Navajo, Croft feels compelled to oblige
- GenresMysteryMystery Thriller
237 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1990
20 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Walter Satterthwait
50 books31 followersWalter Satterthwait (b. 1946) was an author of mysteries and historical fiction. A fan of mystery novels from a young age, he spent high school immersed in the works of Dashiell Hammett and Mickey Spillane. While working as a bartender in New York in the late 1970s, he wrote his first book: an adventure novel, Cocaine Blues (1979), about a drug dealer on the run from a pair of killers.
After his second thriller, The Aegean Affair (1982), Satterthwait created his best-known character, Santa Fe private detective Joshua Croft. Beginning with Wall of Glass (1988), Satterthwait wrote five Croft novels, concluding the series with 1996’s Accustomed to the Dark. In between Croft books, he wrote mysteries starring historical figures, including Miss Lizzie (1989), a novel about Lizzie Borden, and Wilde West (1991), a western mystery starring Oscar Wilde. His most recent novel is Dead Horse (2007), an account of the mysterious death of Depression-era pulp writer Raoul Whitfield.
After his second thriller, The Aegean Affair (1982), Satterthwait created his best-known character, Santa Fe private detective Joshua Croft. Beginning with Wall of Glass (1988), Satterthwait wrote five Croft novels, concluding the series with 1996’s Accustomed to the Dark. In between Croft books, he wrote mysteries starring historical figures, including Miss Lizzie (1989), a novel about Lizzie Borden, and Wilde West (1991), a western mystery starring Oscar Wilde. His most recent novel is Dead Horse (2007), an account of the mysterious death of Depression-era pulp writer Raoul Whitfield.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 8, 2013
”There’s something obscene and horrific about a stocking mask. The taut translucent fabric distorts the face, reminding you of the malleability of flesh, its fragility, its transience. It transforms the eyes and mouth to evil slits, the nose to a grotesque blob, turns them all into a vision, dreadful, repellent, vaguely remembered from ancient sweat-soaked dreams.”
Joshua Croft, Santa Fe private investigator, was hired by a Navajo named Daniel Begay to help find and recover the bones of his ancestor that were taken by an archaeologist in 1925.
Talk about a cold trail.
This all begins with Joshua going up to the lake to relax. He douses himself with repellent with limited results.
”The deerflies, nastier than the mosquitoes, buzzing like miniature chainsaws, would dive closer and closer to exposed flesh. Finally one of them, braver than others, or maybe suffering from a sinus condition, would shoot through the invisible screen and get to me. THey didn’t just sting, didn’t just draw blood; they ripped out chunks of meat, slung them over their shoulders, and carted them home. I was supplying flank steak to their extended families.”
Joshua ends up saving Daniel from a trio of morons up at the lake who with the courage of a handgun wanted to watch the redskin dance. The old adage of once you save a man’s life you are responsible for that life for the rest of your days may just be a proverb, but to Joshua it wasn’t just words. When Daniel shows up at his office asking for help, despite the seemingly absurdity of the request, Croft doesn’t hesitate to drive down to El Paso to ask some questions at the University where the archaeologist chaired a department.
After dealing with murderers, rapists, adulterers, kidnappers, and serial liars Croft thought the university environment would prove to be just a pleasant diversion from the seedier aspects of his profession. As it turns out the academic closets are bulging with skeletons, but not the one that Croft is looking for. Still it is an alarming development when three rather large men in stocking masks catch him in the dark parking lot of his hotel with the intention of giving him a serious going over. Croft knows he is a bit of smart aleck but does three goons fit the crime?
To the academic that tries to crush his hand.
”He mauled my fist again, but this time I gave him a little something in return. In the right circumstance, I can be as dopey as the next guy.
The grin only widened. He released his grip, looked me up and down appreciatively, and said, ‘You’re in pretty good shape. You work out? Martial arts?’
‘A little origami on the weekends.’
Really is that goon worthy? Or does this all have something to do with those old bones?
After a fortuitous interruption to the the snapping of his limbs and the rearrangement of his face Croft finds himself on a desperate run from El Paso to Santa Fe to the Arizona reservation to get ahead of the bodies that are beginning to pile up.
I adore Santa Fe as do most people who get the opportunity to visit. This book brought back a lot of the memories of reading Tony Hillerman’s Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn series while I was in college in Arizona. Joshua Croft finds himself traversing much of the same terrain as the heros of the Hillerman series. His wisecracks remind me of the Spencer character from the Robert B. Parker series. I didn’t mention that Croft’s boss is the beautiful Rita who is confined to a wheelchair. She had been shot sometime before the series started and the bullet paralyzed her legs. Croft is in love with her and the dynamics of the one sided relationship add some interesting overtones to the plot.
The first book in the series is Wall of Glass and I do believe I enjoyed this one better than the first one. Always a good sign when the books get better. Overall I have to say I was pleasantly surprised considering it was just suppose to be a mild diversion from a stressful week. 3.65 stars.
Joshua Croft, Santa Fe private investigator, was hired by a Navajo named Daniel Begay to help find and recover the bones of his ancestor that were taken by an archaeologist in 1925.
Talk about a cold trail.
This all begins with Joshua going up to the lake to relax. He douses himself with repellent with limited results.
”The deerflies, nastier than the mosquitoes, buzzing like miniature chainsaws, would dive closer and closer to exposed flesh. Finally one of them, braver than others, or maybe suffering from a sinus condition, would shoot through the invisible screen and get to me. THey didn’t just sting, didn’t just draw blood; they ripped out chunks of meat, slung them over their shoulders, and carted them home. I was supplying flank steak to their extended families.”
Joshua ends up saving Daniel from a trio of morons up at the lake who with the courage of a handgun wanted to watch the redskin dance. The old adage of once you save a man’s life you are responsible for that life for the rest of your days may just be a proverb, but to Joshua it wasn’t just words. When Daniel shows up at his office asking for help, despite the seemingly absurdity of the request, Croft doesn’t hesitate to drive down to El Paso to ask some questions at the University where the archaeologist chaired a department.
After dealing with murderers, rapists, adulterers, kidnappers, and serial liars Croft thought the university environment would prove to be just a pleasant diversion from the seedier aspects of his profession. As it turns out the academic closets are bulging with skeletons, but not the one that Croft is looking for. Still it is an alarming development when three rather large men in stocking masks catch him in the dark parking lot of his hotel with the intention of giving him a serious going over. Croft knows he is a bit of smart aleck but does three goons fit the crime?
To the academic that tries to crush his hand.
”He mauled my fist again, but this time I gave him a little something in return. In the right circumstance, I can be as dopey as the next guy.
The grin only widened. He released his grip, looked me up and down appreciatively, and said, ‘You’re in pretty good shape. You work out? Martial arts?’
‘A little origami on the weekends.’
Really is that goon worthy? Or does this all have something to do with those old bones?
After a fortuitous interruption to the the snapping of his limbs and the rearrangement of his face Croft finds himself on a desperate run from El Paso to Santa Fe to the Arizona reservation to get ahead of the bodies that are beginning to pile up.
I adore Santa Fe as do most people who get the opportunity to visit. This book brought back a lot of the memories of reading Tony Hillerman’s Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn series while I was in college in Arizona. Joshua Croft finds himself traversing much of the same terrain as the heros of the Hillerman series. His wisecracks remind me of the Spencer character from the Robert B. Parker series. I didn’t mention that Croft’s boss is the beautiful Rita who is confined to a wheelchair. She had been shot sometime before the series started and the bullet paralyzed her legs. Croft is in love with her and the dynamics of the one sided relationship add some interesting overtones to the plot.
The first book in the series is Wall of Glass and I do believe I enjoyed this one better than the first one. Always a good sign when the books get better. Overall I have to say I was pleasantly surprised considering it was just suppose to be a mild diversion from a stressful week. 3.65 stars.
September 18, 2021
A few years back, I stumbled across a mystery, Miss Lizzie, in which Satterthwait made Lizzie Borden one half of a detective duo. I loved the story, and I loved Satterthwait's poetic writing style. I went looking for more written by him and came across his first Joshua Croft mystery, Wall of Glass. Since the series is set in Santa Fe and I'd fallen in love with the place after a visit, I read it and knew I'd be back for more. I really enjoy Satterthwait's descriptions of the New Mexican landscape, how he develops his characters, and his stories.
Croft works for (and loves) wheelchair-bound Rita Mondragon, an intelligent, beautiful, and stubborn woman who states, "I'll leave this house when I can walk out of it." Croft feels she's making a mistake, but he's willing to accept Rita on her own terms.
The mystery in At Ease With the Dead (the title taken from a quote by Geronimo) is filled with danger, archaeology, oil prospecting, and humor. It's a "buddy movie" in which Croft often finds himself paired with the elderly Navajo, Daniel Begay. The old man has so many tricks up his sleeve that one day Croft looks at him and asks, "Are you really Batman?" This pairing provides much-needed levity in what could have been a very dark story.
Croft has a smart-alecky wit that I really appreciate. Satterthwait has developed a strong cast of characters, and he certainly knows how to construct a mystery that keeps readers guessing as well as bringing his setting to life. He also has the knack of including sentences that can make you stop and think. "Guilt is sometimes a secret sort of self-esteem" or "If you see the world as an organism, a single entity, which of course it is, then you can't help but see the human race as a kind of virus on its surface, actively engaged in killing off the host."
Story, setting, language, characters, Satterthwait's Joshua Croft is an often thought-provoking mystery series that I will certainly be returning to.
Croft works for (and loves) wheelchair-bound Rita Mondragon, an intelligent, beautiful, and stubborn woman who states, "I'll leave this house when I can walk out of it." Croft feels she's making a mistake, but he's willing to accept Rita on her own terms.
The mystery in At Ease With the Dead (the title taken from a quote by Geronimo) is filled with danger, archaeology, oil prospecting, and humor. It's a "buddy movie" in which Croft often finds himself paired with the elderly Navajo, Daniel Begay. The old man has so many tricks up his sleeve that one day Croft looks at him and asks, "Are you really Batman?" This pairing provides much-needed levity in what could have been a very dark story.
Croft has a smart-alecky wit that I really appreciate. Satterthwait has developed a strong cast of characters, and he certainly knows how to construct a mystery that keeps readers guessing as well as bringing his setting to life. He also has the knack of including sentences that can make you stop and think. "Guilt is sometimes a secret sort of self-esteem" or "If you see the world as an organism, a single entity, which of course it is, then you can't help but see the human race as a kind of virus on its surface, actively engaged in killing off the host."
Story, setting, language, characters, Satterthwait's Joshua Croft is an often thought-provoking mystery series that I will certainly be returning to.
November 7, 2017
First Rate
This mystery has everything you could ask...tough hero, intricate plot, great characters, intimate knowledge of Dine culture and the terrain of the Southwest, action and more action. If you miss Tony Hillerman as much as I do then you will love At Ease With the Dead. And with so little back story revealed, one hopes there are more Joshua Croft Mysteries to come.
This mystery has everything you could ask...tough hero, intricate plot, great characters, intimate knowledge of Dine culture and the terrain of the Southwest, action and more action. If you miss Tony Hillerman as much as I do then you will love At Ease With the Dead. And with so little back story revealed, one hopes there are more Joshua Croft Mysteries to come.
June 12, 2018
At ease with the dead
Very good and well written. Lots of twists and turns and comp l early unexpected surprises. I really enjoyed it and never saw the ending coming. I if you like intrigue and suspense and surprises this the book for you. Great reading. Love descriptions of the landscapes. It's a story covering 80 some years.
Very good and well written. Lots of twists and turns and comp l early unexpected surprises. I really enjoyed it and never saw the ending coming. I if you like intrigue and suspense and surprises this the book for you. Great reading. Love descriptions of the landscapes. It's a story covering 80 some years.
October 10, 2023
The Joshua Croft books are detective books set in the southwest. In this story Joshua is asked to find the remains of a Navajo tribal leader that were taken from his burial site back in the 1920s. Investigating a case from so long ago is not easy, but Joshua works hard to come to a resolution and return the remains to where they belong.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2023
Excellent,
I have really enjoyed these few stories, very good work, everything pitched just about right. I regret that there are so few of them. This particular one is a fine example.
I have really enjoyed these few stories, very good work, everything pitched just about right. I regret that there are so few of them. This particular one is a fine example.
December 26, 2019
I liked the plot line it was interesting, but I was in no hurry to finish the book . I can understand why people would like the book but it just was not my cup of tea.
October 26, 2020
I nice laid-back and entertaining private eye novel with enough action and detection to make it interesting.
January 29, 2021
A cleverly written mystery with plenty of twists and turns to the plot.
July 27, 2022
must read
Exceptionally crafted blend of history, mystery, cultures and wisdom. Well written with swift plot development and mysteries within secrets. Highly recommend
Exceptionally crafted blend of history, mystery, cultures and wisdom. Well written with swift plot development and mysteries within secrets. Highly recommend
Read
July 14, 2023Good New Mexico mystery. Captures something so distinctive about the NM west, its own alien/mystic vibe. Cool-ass protagonist and exciting action scenes!
January 23, 2021
Author's second book in the acclaimed series featuring Santa Fe PI Joshua Croft. A compelling story with a genuine treatment of the SW. Satterwhwait isn't exactly a household name and I first learned of his works as some of them along with works by Michael Connoly, George Pelecanos and some less well known "mystery/PI" writers wwere re-published by Dennis McMillan in Tucson (before he went bust) (again).
May 11, 2015
Cross Robert Parker's Spencer with Tony Hillerman's Navajo settings and you'd have Joshua Croft. The mystery and setting were entertaining enough but I spotted the evil doer the second he was introduced, which doesn't ever bode well for a mystery. I'm just not that good at solving mysteries and I'm usually not trying to figure them out that early in the book.
February 14, 2010
I read it, but didn't like it that much, didn't feel any depth to the characters - he kept bring them in and killing them off. Takes place in AZ, TX, reservation, city, but would skip any other books by this author
November 15, 2015
I love living in New Mexico and when I find a author who's story takes place in New Mexico. In this book I am seeing parts of New Mexico I know and Walter's Private Detective, Joshua Croft comes to life. At Ease with the Dead keeps you guessing till the very end. One great read.
June 23, 2009
I like the character of Joshua Croft and I would like to read more of Satterthwait's books. The stolen Navajo Indian bones and their story gave the book an interesting touch - past to present.
October 4, 2015
Read him again--not amazing but good!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews