Spider Mountain

Cam Richter #2

by P.T. Deutermann

A huge dog came out of the woods from our right and lunged at my face. I ducked the snapping jaws by throwing myself backward hard enough to crack my head on the ground. The dog went over my head, landing in a heap, but then whirled around . . .

Summoned by a friend, ex-cop Cam Richter agrees to do a investigate the assault of a young woman in a remote area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Cam knows the misty hills and shadowed hollers of the park, and his outdoor skills might break a case that local cops can't---or maybe don't want to---solve.
Cam has no idea how dangerous his search will become, because in this part of Appalachia, matriarch Grinny Creigh and her extended family destroy those who intrude into their web. The Creighs control the crystal meth trade and own just about everything and everyone in their neck of the woods. But they also operate a much worse enterprise, a dark secret that terrifies any children unfortunate enough to come within their grasp.
Blocked by a menacing sheriff with ties to the family, Cam is shut down and sent away, no wiser about why the young woman was attacked and what she saw. He returns, stealthily stalking the Creighs and their secrets, moving ever closer to Grinny's mountain house and what it might conceal . . . not knowing that his presence on her web has been detected, and that the Creighs are hunting him with creatures bred for that purpose and starved into relentless fury.
Spider Mountain features nonstop action, frightening night pursuits through deep wilderness, and a shocking finale---a masterful novel of suspense by the author of The Cat Dancers .

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Suspense, Crime, Action, Audiobook

309 pages, Hardcover

First published December 26, 2006

About the author

P. T. Deutermann is a retired Navy captain and has served in the joint Chiefs of Staff as an arms control specialist. He is the author of eighteen novels, and lives in North Carolina. His World War II adventure novel Pacific Glory won the W. Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction, administered by the American Library Association; his other World War II novels are Ghosts of Bungo Suido and Sentinels of Fire. His most recent novel is Cold Frame, a contemporary thriller set in Washington, D.C.

Reviews

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot is not totally insane, but it just doesn't hold together very well. The underlying device driving the story is that the heroes have to get evidence. But they don't even do what a six-year-old would know to do, like bring a camera!!!!!! What kind of private detective doesn't have a camera?????!!!!!!!!!!

[Mark Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having finished The Edge of Honor prior to this one, I found myself in a different realm with Spider Mountain. Spider Mountain was more in line with the type of novels I enjoy. It was a good "bang, bang, shoot em' up, fast paced read. Plenty of action, good characters, a realistic protagonist and a good story. Set in the 'hollers' of the Appalachians, Deutermann's portrayal of mountain folk was spot on, both the good ones and the bad ones. I recommend this book and author. A gritty tale.

[Bruce Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audiobook read by Dick Hill. It passed the time and almost descended to the one-star threshhold, when the plot becomes too ridiculous to continue. Dick Hill 's reading is the redeeming facotr, even tho he has a habit of running out of breath as a key sentence ends and the words are lost in road noise. Pervasive Appalachian stereotyping is also exhausting.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Spider Mountain", second in the Cam Richter series, is a big improvement on its predecessor - it's a linear plot with little or no deviation and enough happening to keep you happily reading.
Two years have passed since the events of "The Cat Dancer" but Park Ranger Mary Ellen Goode is still haunted by them. She's avoided Cam so he is surprised to get a call from her asking for help - a young female trainee has been brutally attacked and sexually assaulted in a remote part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Local enforcement isn't trying very hard to find the criminals.
That investigation leads to the extended Creigh family, led by the vicious, 300-lb., Grinny Creigh. She's producing and distributing crystal meth, trafficking children and god only knows what else but, again, the various law agencies won't take her down in her isolated and heavily defended mountain compound.
And just about everyone warns Cam off, some verbally, others through violence.
Along with special agent Carrie Santangelo, his dogs Frick and Frack, Cam sets off into the wildness to get some answers.
The basic premise that no evidence can link Grinny to any crime is a bit farfetched given the list of agencies that are on her trail - but I can live with it.

[Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spider Mountain is the second Cam Richter thriller from P.T. Deutermann, and it wastes no time pulling you back into Cam’s world. After the nightmare that ended his police career (told in book one), Cam now runs a licensed private-investigation shop in North Carolina. Money isn’t an issue—he inherited millions when his wife died—but sitting around sipping Scotch all day doesn’t suit him either. So he takes cases.

One phone call changes everything. A friend who works in Great Smoky Mountains National Park begs him for help. Three local thugs ambushed a young female ranger, gang-raped her, and left her for dead in the woods. She survived. The sheriff of the neighboring county—whose jurisdiction covers the crime—refuses to lift a finger. Those boys are his people, after all, and everyone in that holler ultimately answers to one woman: Grinny Creigh. Think Appalachian matriarch on steroids, only evil. She oversees crystal meth labs, massive marijuana grows, psychedelic mushroom patches, illegal ginseng harvesting—pretty much anything that turns a dirty dollar in those mountains.

But drugs and moonshine are just the surface. The deeper secret Grinny guards explains why Cam keeps slamming into her operation long after he identifies the rapists. Once she realizes an outsider has poked around her fortified compound, the kid gloves come off. From that point on the book turns into a wildfire of chases, ambushes, and brutal confrontations across some of the roughest terrain in the Southeast.

Cam doesn’t fight alone. He teams up with Carrie Santangelo, a sharp, no-nonsense agent from North Carolina’s Bureau of Special Investigations. When her own bosses flinch at taking on Grinny Creigh, Carrie quits on the spot and goes rogue with Cam. Whatever horror Grinny hides in those hollows, Carrie is determined to drag it into the light—no matter who tries to bury them both.

Spider Mountain moves like a banshee down a mountain road: fast, loud, and impossible to look away from. Deutermann still delivers the smart procedural details I love, but this time he cranks the action and betrayal up to eleven. Four rock-solid stars. If you like your thrillers raw, tense, and soaked in mountain menace, clear your weekend—this one will own you until the last page.

[Shera Melton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This second book was definitely better than the first, but could still use some polishing overall. I still found it to have a lot of editing mistakes, though not as many as the first book. I definitely liked the characters in this book a lot more than those in the the first, and a couple of the surprises at the end were surprising, where I wasn't really surprised with the twist in the first. It still doesn't hit that "this book was GREAT" place for me though. Its fun, lots of action, and I really did enjoy it. I think I will continue on to book three since that's the last one in the series that I own right now, but I am not sure I would go out of my way to buy more of the series. My feelings are really conflicted with these books. They are GOOD and while I am reading them I have a good time, but they both had a point where I felt they were drawn out a little to much and it felt like the climax should be happening now, but instead we are having another chase scene which makes the pace feel weird.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cam Richter series is an interesting read. It's like going back to an old friend after many years. Cam is asked to look into a problem in a National Forest in the Smoky Mountains. What he finds is much worse than he could ever imagine. With his usual tenacity, he just can't let things go. Mayhem ensues with many twists and turns.

[JR Carlson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plot good. Flow bumpy

The elements of the crimes were hard to handle. The storyline was long and too drawn out with unnecessary description. The adventures build and then poof law enforcement comes in. This happened over and over. The escape of Grinny was a little unbelievable. Not his best work. Cat Dancers was better. Not sure if I will continue the series.

[Phyllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a nail bitter! Loved the writing and the characters! It grabbed me from the beginning and didn't let go until the end. I spent a lot of time yelling at the main character "don't do that! You'll get yourself killed!" So good.

[Susan Krich · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great thriller. Continuous action cover to cover with surprising twists. You won't want to put it down.

[Elaine H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sounded so much like a Jack Reacher type story & not just because it was read by same narrator. Same kind of tough man main character. Just not so single minded.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Well written, just not necessarily my cup of tea. Main villain was a sick bitch.

[Roger Scherping · Rating 3 out of 5]

This guy's motto is, why write a single paragraph when you can write three pages? My advice: Skim.

[Karen Suhorsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book hope to read some more from this author as this is the first one I have read.

[Farha Hasan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very involved novel about a crime ring operating in the remote areas of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
@farha_writing

[Denny]

NOOK

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some bad folks lurking up in the Appalachian mountains.... terrifying folks.

[Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non-stop action and incredible descriptions of both characters and Smoky Mountains territory. I really enjoyed it but could be too graphic for some.

[William Bentrim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spider Mountain by P.T. Deutermann
Keep in mind, I see myself writing recommendations rather than reviews. I can save you some time, I recommend the book. Deutermann and this book once again, kept me up late reading. Cam Richter who we met in Cat Dancers is back. Cam, Frick and Frack once again face myriad dangers, psychopathic hillbillies, ravenous dogs and corrupt law enforcement.

I have all four books in this series and will be enlightening my readers with my reactions, sweaty palms and all. I reviewed Cat Dancers on this blog a few weeks ago, this is every bit as good. I have to feel that Deutermann is a dog person, he writes of Cam’s sidekicks with respect and love but also is able to be pragmatic about them.

Mary Ellen Goode, the National Park Ranger, from Cat Dancers is back and needs help. Cam feels obliged to stick out his neck again. Deutermann portrays his protagonists with nearly bottomless loyalty and unbelievable persistence, often to their determent.

I’m sure there are some folks who live on mountains and down “hollers” will be dismayed at the portrayal of some of their own. Realistically there are bad folks in suburbs, cities and the country but if these country folk don’t scare the “bejabbers” out of you, then you are tougher than I am. This is a great follow up to the first book in the series, I can’t wait to read the next one.

I highly recommend it.

[Tony Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summoned by a friend, ex-cop Cam Richter agrees to do a favor: investigate the assault of a young woman in a remote area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Cam knows the misty hills and shadowed hollers of the park, and his outdoor skills might break a case that local cops can’t---or maybe don’t want to---solve.
Cam has no idea how dangerous his search will become, because in this part of Appalachia, matriarch Grinny Creigh and her extended family destroy those who intrude into their web. The Creighs control the crystal meth trade and own just about everything and everyone in their neck of the woods. But they also operate a much worse enterprise, a dark secret that terrifies any children unfortunate enough to come within their grasp.
Blocked by a menacing sheriff with ties to the family, Cam is shut down and sent away, no wiser about why the young woman was attacked and what she saw. He returns, stealthily stalking the Creighs and their secrets, moving ever closer to Grinny’s mountain house and what it might conceal . . . not knowing that his presence on her web has been detected, and that the Creighs are hunting him with creatures bred for that purpose and starved into relentless fury.
Spider Mountain features nonstop action, frightening night pursuits through deep wilderness, and a shocking finale---a masterful novel of suspense by the author of The Cat Dancers.

[Coralie]

A suspense novel. Pretty violent and quite over the top, but still, I finished it in one sitting. Takes place in the mountains of North Carolina. I'm pretty sure things aren't quite the way the author describes them there, seeing as how I've been there. A family of really creepy people way up in the mountains are doing some horrible things. Cam, an ex cop turned private eye, goes there to do a favor for a friend and ends up right in the thick of a nightmare. Cam has these two well trained German Shepherd attack dogs, and wouldn't you know, the bad guys have German Shepherd attack dogs too. What a coincidence! A scary, intense, ridiculous book that I nevertheless read in about two sittings, neglecting lots of housework and more productive tasks. Oh well. It was scary enough to make me lock my car doors as I am sitting at a wifi in my very backwoods mountain town.

[Tom Tischler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cam Richter is back in the Smoky Mountains of N.C. this time
in pursuit of the secretive Creigh Clan headed by Grinney
Creigh and her son Nathan. They control most of the crystal meth
trade in this part of the mountains but they also operate
another enterprise on the side. This one involves abandoned and
abused children. Richter and special agent Carrie Santangelo of
the N.C. State Bureau of Investigations uncover this secret
while experiencing how much power the Creighs have and why they
have been able to get away with this for so long. This is the
second book in the Cam Richter Series from about 1997. It's a
pretty good story with non stop action and worth reading.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deutermann's Cam Richter character is right there with Joe Pickett, Walt Longmire & Quinn Colson...I loved Deutermann's WWII books & launched into this series & put these right with those mentioned above...There's just as compelling stories in rural law enforcement as there is with the gritty urban ones...This the 2nd following "Cat Dancers" and, I think, better than the intro novel... A good "bang, bang, shoot em' up, fast paced read. Plenty of action, good characters, a realistic protagonist and a good story dealing with the meth epidemic & some more deeper evil up on thar "hollers"...theres also an added bonus for dog lovers with Deutermann...Loved It

[Connie]

This is the 2nd in the Cam Richter series. I loved it. There were only 2 German Shepherds in this one Frick and Frack and it was about a woman in the hills of NC that was selling organs from children in the hills. It involved an SBI agent and a DEA agent that was bad. You didn't know that he was bad until the end, but I kind of had that feeling. I liked the Big brothers too. Really well done.

This was narrated by Dick Hill and as always I enjoyed listening to him. I think he is one of the better narrators.

[Wendy Dingwall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book pulled me in little slower than Cat Dancers, but it was very good and difficult to put down, especially as it picked up steam. It was set in the wild mountains of Appalachia in the Smokies and I was set right in the terrain with Richter, the protagonist in each and every scene. The villains were about as evil as they can get, and the good-guys/girls/shepherds characters were likable and easy to root for. Several twists, turns and surprises occur clear up to the end. Readers won't get bored with this novel.

[Chuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unbeknownst to me, this is a sequel to The Cat Dancers. Our hero, who
is now retired as a law enforcement officer, is called in to advise a National Park Ranger, who we met in the previous novel, in western North Carolina. They get immediately on the trail of a family of subhuman hilbillys. P.T.'s story telling is going downhill.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second Cam Richter novel that I listened to via audio book. There is plenty of action and it certainly makes for a good listen. Dick Hill's narration is excellent and the characterization is well-done (both by author and narrator). Entertaining, though, a little too testosterone-charged for this series to become one of my favs.

[Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good murder mystery. An ex-cop PI gets called to Smoky Mountain National Park to help a ranger with a case of a young ranger-in-training getting assaulted and winds up stumbling on something much larger and more insidious. The narrator (the PI) is fun to listen to and his German shepherd dog are pretty cool.

[Rosalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was pretty fast paced and entertained us for many hours on a cross country driving trip.
Cam Richter was called into the Great Smokey Mountains to solve an attack of a young forest ranger. It became quite a maze of low life people with very twisted ideas on money making. I was surprized that it took the turns that it did.

[John Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first of P. T. Deutermann's books which I've read; although, the book stands on it's own well. I liked the multiple plots and sub plots, the detail of dogs, and the "good guys." I suspect the author knows more about the area that I do; I'm from Piedmont North Carolina. Sure sounds like the mountains are rough and tumble.