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Desolation Highway
When two bodies are found in the forest near the Yellowhead Highway in northern British Columbia, Sergeant Wesson and other members of the local detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police begin searching for a serial murderer. Suspects include a woodsman who makes wildlife sculptures using a chainsaw, an antisocial doctor, a strange woman engaged in occult practices, and a group of Native youth addicted to gasoline sniffing. As more dismembered bodies turn up, John Smyth, editor of Grace magazine in Winnipeg, visits the area and starts putting pieces of the puzzle together.
224 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 4, 2018
2.5 stars. Lead character(Wesson) and his dialogue were pretty stiff and did not develop much in the book. Intrigued by the setting (Prince Rupert) and murders on the infamous Highway of Tears. Given when the book was written (2005) it was somewhat sensitive to Indigenous issues. Thank heaven we have progressed from that time. Did not like having the murders committed by an outsider. Ending pretty engaging.
July 3, 2017
First book I've read by Coggins, and thoroughly enjoyed the read. Will definitely check out the other two books in the John Smyth series.
July 24, 2009
2nd in the John Smyth Mysteries
I think a 3 1/2 star rating would have been appropriate for this title. I was wavering between 3 and 4.
The Royal Canadian Mounties are looking for the perpetrator who is cutting up bodies and dumping them in the woods. There are odd characters living in the vicinity where the bodies are found. Everyone nearby or almost everyone owns a chainsaw - the suspected tool used to chop up the bodies.
Interesting enough and moved rather quickly. Considering the locals and their oddities, it made for several suspects. Wesson, the main detective on the case, repeatedly visits 4 of the closest homes to the chain-up area, asking if they saw or heard anything. Considering it is the woods, the sound of chainsaws was pretty much background noise that one could easily block out.
This novel, while having a lot going for it, ended rather quickly with the perp confessing to someone who told what she suspected. That made it a little too implausible, giving the appearance of being in a hurry to bring the story to an end without having the creativity to end the story in a more plausible way.
I think a 3 1/2 star rating would have been appropriate for this title. I was wavering between 3 and 4.
The Royal Canadian Mounties are looking for the perpetrator who is cutting up bodies and dumping them in the woods. There are odd characters living in the vicinity where the bodies are found. Everyone nearby or almost everyone owns a chainsaw - the suspected tool used to chop up the bodies.
Interesting enough and moved rather quickly. Considering the locals and their oddities, it made for several suspects. Wesson, the main detective on the case, repeatedly visits 4 of the closest homes to the chain-up area, asking if they saw or heard anything. Considering it is the woods, the sound of chainsaws was pretty much background noise that one could easily block out.
This novel, while having a lot going for it, ended rather quickly with the perp confessing to someone who told what she suspected. That made it a little too implausible, giving the appearance of being in a hurry to bring the story to an end without having the creativity to end the story in a more plausible way.
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August 3, 2010Edition irrelevant.2007-06-20
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews