First published 1977
F. Y. Grimsley owns twenty thousand acres and five hundred head of cattle, but few people in Midbury like the rancher. When someone kills Grimsley and leaves his body on his back doorstep with a gash on his head, Chief Chick Charleston faces a difficult investigation. Charleston works with Deputy Jason Beard, a local who returned from two years of college. The two men navigate their small Montana community carefully, avoiding local prejudice while sorting through rumors and gossip. They pressure reluctant witnesses and deal with unsavory suspects. The case grows more complex when a second murder occurs. Tensions rise between the sheriff's department, the Indian reservation, and the townspeople. Charleston realizes that catching the killer means more than enforcing the law. He must preserve peace in this ranching community where everyone knows everyone else's business.
Genres: american-fiction, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, found-family
Setting: Midbury, Montana
Period: 20th-century
180 pages · Hardcover · Houghton Mifflin