A Thousand Falling Crows

by Larry D. Sweazy

Sonny Burton was forced to retire from the Texas Rangers after taking a bullet from Bonnie Parker in a shoot-out. The bullet so damaged Sonny’s right arm that he had to have it amputated. While Sonny struggles with recuperating and tries to get used to the idea of living a life with only one arm, Aldo Hernandez, the hospital’s janitor, asks Sonny to help find his daughter and bring her back home. She has got herself mixed up with a couple of brothers involved in a string of robberies. Sonny agrees to help, but is more concerned about a wholly different criminal in town who has taken to killing young women and leaving them in local fields for crows to feast on. Just as Sonny is able to track down Aldo’s daughter, he comes to an uncomfortable realization about who might be responsible for the string of murders and races to nab the killer before another girl is left to the crows.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Crime, Fiction, Book Club, Thriller

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 5, 2016

About the author

Larry D. Sweazy (pronounced: Swayzee) is the author of nineteen novels and five series: the Trusty Dawson series (LOST MOUNTAIN PASS, THE BROKEN BOW), WHERE I CAN SEE YOU, a standalone thriller, the Marjorie Trumaine Mystery series (SEE ALSO MURDER, SEE ALSO DECEPTION, SEE ALSO PROOF), the Sonny Burton series (A THOUSAND FALLING CROWS, THE LOST ARE THE LAST TO DIE, WINTER SEEKS OUT THE LONELY), the Lucas Fume Western series (VENGEANCE AT SUNDOWN, ESCAPE TO HANGTOWN), the Josiah Wolfe, Texas Ranger series (THE RATTLESNAKE SEASON, THE SCORPION TRAIL, THE BADGER'S REVENGE, THE COUGAR'S PREY, THE COYOTE TRACKER, THE GILA WARS, and THE RETURN OF THE WOLF), and THE DEVIL'S BONES, a standalone mystery.

He won the WWA Spur award for Best Short Fiction in 2005 and for Best Paperback Original in 2013, and the 2011 and 2012 Will Rogers Medallion Award for Western Fiction for books the Josiah Wolfe series. He was nominated for a Derringer award in 2007, and was a finalist in the Best Books of Indiana literary competition in 2010, and won in 2011 for THE SCORPION TRAIL. In 2013, Larry received the inaugural Elmer Kelton Fiction Book of the Year for THE COYOTE TRACKER, presented by the Academy of Western Artists. He received the Willa Award in 2019 and was shortlisted for the Indiana Authors Award in 2020, both for SEE ALSO PROOF. The Western Fictioneers (WF) awarded THE RETURN OF THE WOLF the Peacemaker Award for Best Western in 2020.

Larry has published over one hundred nonfiction articles and short stories, which have appeared in ELLERY QUEEN'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE; THE ADVENTURE OF THE MISSING DETECTIVE: AND 25 OF THE YEAR'S FINEST CRIME AND MYSTERY STORIES!; BOYS' LIFE; HARDBOILED; Amazon Shorts, and several other publications and anthologies. He is also a freelance indexer and written over 1000 indexes since 1998. He lives in Indiana with his wife, Rose, and is hard at work on his next novel.

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like character driven books that are placed in vivid or harsh surroundings, you should like Larry Sweazy books. I have read 3 books in the past 3 months by this author, as I enjoy his style of writing very much. I was introduced to his writing in the Marjorie Trumaine series that take place in North Dakota in the early sixties. Those books have been two of my best reads for the year they were read in.
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This book A Thousand Falling Crows introduces a new character Sunny Burton. Sonny who is a Texas ranger is in his early sixties and as the book begins is involved in a chase of Bonnie and Clyde in the panhandle of Texas. The consequences of this chase leads to Sonny losing his right arm from a gun shot wound and the loss of his career as a Texas Ranger. The time is the Great Depression years and the land is one big dust bowl. Times are difficult for everyone.to survive and feed their families.

Sonny's son has been called in to replace him until a new permanent Ranger can be hired. The Rangers were everything to Sonny. His dad was a career Ranger. His son went into the same profession. His son is very prickly towards his father. The book shows Sonny's path out of a depression to an new adjustment with the loss of his arm. A dog Blue comes into his life and gives him company. He is asked by a father to help find his young sixteen years old daughter who ran off with some young lawbreakers. He also has his eye out for clues to the serial murders of young women that are taking place in the area.

The people of the area like and respect Sonny. They aren't too happy with his son taking over. As a reader, I really cared for Sonny as a character. He seemed like a fine decent man who was trying to find his way out of the situation he found himself in. Larry Sweazy writes about characters in hard situations in difficult atmospheric locations. I find that I admire and respect the main characters in his books..

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written Texas story featuring Texas Ranger Sonny Burton that starts off with a literal bang in a highway chase of Bonny and Clyde. Sonny is piloting a 1932 Ford with juice, but it can't hold up to a Browning automatic rifle being fired at his windshield nonstop.

The end result is the escape of the duo and the physical injuries to Sonny, leading to the loss of his right arm. That also ends his career as a Ranger so there will be many difficult adjustments.
Retired or not, Sonny plays a major role in hunting down other criminals assisting his son Jesse, now the Ranger in that area.

The landscape is well described and the crows in conference over whether there will be another victim to feast on along the road maintains a sense of dusty, dirty, hard-boiled conditions where survival is definitely not a given.

[Rob Kitchin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in depression-era, post-prohibition Texas, A Thousand Falling Crows tells the story of Sonny Burton’s semi-retirement from the Texas Rangers after losing an arm in a shootout with Bonnie and Clyde. Licking his wounds and struggling to come to terms with living with only one hand, he’s asked by a local Mexican janitor to search for his missing daughter. He’s reluctant to get involved, but Aldo Hernandez believes a ranger always remains one, regardless of what the service thinks. Sonny thus finds himself investigating two cases that might be related – a couple of deaths of young women, brutally attacked and left on the roadside, and a robbery-homicide conducted by two young Mexican twins. Sweazy tells the tale in an understated, poetic and engaging voice – much in keeping with his reserved lead character. The plot and pacing works well, hooking the reader quickly and drawing them through the narrative, and there’s interesting historicisation with respect to the depression era and race relations, and nice sense of place of the Texas panhandle in high summer. Interspersed in the tale are short interludes where the action is seen from the perspective of on-looking crows intrigued by human behaviour and the possibilities of a fresh meal. These interludes work surprisingly well and act as a nice counterpoint to the story. Overall, a compelling read in what might hopefully be a new series.

[Margi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic murder mystery that takes place in a small town. There are some great characters and the sense of place is wonderful. You will step into this town along with its characters. The sections that deal with the crows is fabulous, that was by far my favorite part of this novel. It was such a different twist.

[Lyle Boylen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this thru the library where I borrow books. I had never heard of this writer but the book looked like one I would like. Superb story with great characters, I definitely will need to read more by this fine writer.

[Alger Smythe-Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't really a book about chasing a runaway girl or a murder investigation, any more than Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is about hunting whales. What the book is about is ruin. From its setting in Panhandle Texas right as the years-long drought of the 1920s turned into the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, to the endless parade of hopeless lives sliding into chaos, especially as sudden and apparently motiveless violence appears in the small rural community, this is a narrative of waste. At the center of the novel are two protagonists who thought they were protected from the ruin end up being swept deeper than anyone else into the tide of destruction. To the side are other protagonists, the crows, who act as a Greek chorus watching the action and commenting upon it. Given the action of the novel, the crows come out looking like model citizens.

A well written novel with sympathetic characters, my only complaint is that the subplot that proves to be the reason for the murders feels like a throwaway. Yes, the ending ties it all together, but it feels like a false closure. After all the trouble and the dark mood of the novel, the final pages feel too sunny and promising. Aside from that, a fine read.

[Mariam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mysteries, and mysteries set in Depression era Texas, are not my usual genre, but I'd attended a workshop by the author at a writing conference, loved it, and so picked up this book. I was not disappointed! I read it in a matter of days, which even in quarantine era is fast for me. The story captured my attention and kept me guessing, the language was absolutely beautiful (who says mystery writing has to be simplified and formulaic?), and the setting absolutely absorbed me into the story. It was almost as if the heat and the dust were an additional, ever present character. I'd absolutely recommend this book, and hope to read more of his.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

An atmospheric read set in the Texas Panhandle 1933/1934, where Sonny Burton is a 62-year-old former Texas Ranger who has lost his arm in a shootout with Bonnie and Clyde. A local Mexican asks him to find his daughter, mixed up with some young criminals, and that story arc, as they are on the run, dominates another arc about the murders of young women. The latter case is far too abruptly resolved but the desolation of Depression-era Texas, believable characters, the omnipresent crows and realistic interactions compensate

[Jeanne T · Rating 2 out of 5]

Random book that I brought back when my local library was doing a giveaway of old books. While concept and plot was interesting, was expecting more for a thriller/crime fiction. Pace was a bit slow for a crime fiction piece and at times the prose got unnecessarily descriptive. Ending was also rather abrupt and the motive for crime was not obvious up till the end. Nonetheless, character development of Sonny was good.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not impressed. The action was solid and some of the characters well drawn. But the whole telling a story from the viewpoint of crows got old fast and took away from the narrative instead of augmenting it.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great quick read, pulls you in and never a dull moment from the first page to the last. A few twists to keep you guessing at what would happen next. And characters that you fall in love with.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Will now read the other two books in this series along with this author's other works.

[Kevin]

read

[Queenie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done

Good book that kept me interested. Enjoyed the writing, the story, and would suggest this to others looking for a good storyline.

[Cathy Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having really enjoyed Larry Sweazy's Marjorie Trumaine mysteries set in 1960s North Dakota, I didn't hesitate to pick up A Thousand Falling Crows. It's one of the best decisions I've made so far this year. Sweazy's lean, poetic writing style is so evocative of the Depression and the Dust Bowl that I felt as though I were following along with Sonny every step of the way.

Sonny Burton is a sort of Everyman, struggling with all the changes in his life, with loneliness, and with his lack of relationships. He's a man without a safety net, and just as we see him reaching the end of the long, dark slide that leads to eating his gun, two things happen: Aldo Hernandez reaches out for help, and so does Blue, a mangy stray hound with a broken leg.

Sweazy has written the compelling story of a lonely man who finds a reason to get busy living. As he tracks down Aldo's daughter, Carmen, we see her life from her point of view. As he is forced to live with Blue, we see him coming out of his shell of loneliness. The excellent mystery the author has crafted almost comes as an afterthought in my mind because of the strength of the book's characters and setting.

And above it all is a Greek chorus of crows, letting us see it all from their vantage point. If you haven't sampled Larry D. Sweazy's writing, I hope you change that as soon as you possibly can. I did, and now I want to read everything he's ever written.

[Polly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow getting started but then sneaks up on you the curiousity about the character Sonny. Tommy Lee Jones or Clint Eastwood makes me think of Sonny if it were a movie. Quick read less 300 pages & worth the time.

[Kathy Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Larry D. Sweazy’s A THOUSAND FALLING CROWS is more a character study and a lyrical period piece than a mystery or a detective novel. The story, which is set in Texas in the 1930’s, reflects the fears and insecurities of depression-era America. Protagonist Sonny Burton, a 63-year-old Texas Ranger, is forced into retirement when he loses an arm during a shoot-out with the infamous Bonnie and Clyde. Much of the novel focuses on Sonny’s conflicting emotions as he deals with the loss of his career, his right arm, and his social standing (everyone called him Ranger Burton; now he’s just Sonny). He’s also very much alone in the world – his wife has been dead for years, and his ambitious son (also a Texas Ranger) has a family of his own. So Sonny is torn between making the effort to find a new life for himself, and using his Colt 45 to end it all.

There are a couple of mysteries here, lurking behind Sonny’s problems. First, young, unidentified girls are being murdered and dumped on the side of the road. The Rangers are investigating, but clues and suspects are scarce. And second, Sonny finds himself drawn into the saga of a Mexican janitor’s teenage daughter, who has gotten mixed up with a pair of young men bent on recreating Bonnie and Clyde’s rampages. Is the girl a willing participant, or is she being forced into a life of crime?

I never found either mystery particularly compelling, but that’s mainly because both feel more like background material than the central focus of Sweazy’s story. The novel is all about Sonny, and its lyrical style works to illuminate his character. The Texas setting is palpable, complete with unrelenting heat, dry dust storms, and sudden downpours that do nothing to quench the barren earth. Everyone Sonny knows is dealing with poverty and loss, and he’s luckier than most – he has a roof over his head and enough money to buy food. But he’s not sure he can make it without the life he’s known for decades.

The most poignant part of A THOUSAND FALLING CROWS isn’t the dead girls or the teenage would-be Bonnie Parker. It’s Sonny’s relationship with a stray dog he accidentally hits with his car. I loved Blue, and I loved how Sonny deals with the injured dog. This, more than anything else, is the heart and soul of this novel. We learn more about Sonny in his interactions with Blue than we do in anything he does to help unravel the novel’s mysteries. And Blue becomes the catalyst, not only for Sonny’s eventual decision about his own life, but about the resolution of the novel’s mysteries.

The title of the novel refers to the crows who act as a Greek chorus, witnessing from above the events that happen and commenting in a detached manner on the actions of humans. Sweazy’s crows seem to understand humans, including our dark proclivities. They are drawn to the murdered girls, and to the three teenagers on the run from the law. Wherever humans go, blood isn’t far behind. And the crows relish blood. Sonny Burton may have a hand in solving mysteries and saving stray dogs, but the crows know he can’t save humanity from itself. This ultimate darkness lurks in the recesses of Sweazy’s novel.

Bottom line, this is a beautifully written novel about a man I came to care about deeply. It isn’t, however, a fast-paced mystery. If you’re interested in character-centered novels that immerse you in time and place rather than titillate you with action and adventure, then A THOUSAND FALLING CROWS is an excellent choice. It’s not an exciting story, but it’s engaging and it’s memorable. Those are things I value.

[Please note: I was provided a copy of this novel for review; the opinions expressed here are my own.]

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a brief summary, A Thousand Falling Crows is a mystery set in 1930s Texas during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl years. It follows a Texas ranger named Sonny just after narrowly escaping death during a shootout with Bonnie and Clyde, the aftermath of that event, a murder mystery he gets wrapped up in, and his efforts to help out a local man save his daughter who got herself mixed up with a pair of gin runners.

I initially rated this book four out of five stars, but after thinking about it for a couple of days I'm downgrading to three out of five. There is a lot to like in this book. The author (Larry D. Sweazy) writes with fantastic quality. The words, dialogue, and research he's put into the book really keep the reader in place with the setting of the story. Speaking of the setting, that's another thing I loved. I haven't read a lot of books set out West during the depression years, so that was a new and interesting experience for me.

On the other hand, the more I think about it, the more I don't know if I can really say this book feels complete to me. A couple of the characters are very well hashed out. I thought Sonny, Jesse (even though his role is small), Aldo, and Carmen where all really interesting and unique characters. I kinda like the dog too. Everyone else is just sort of "there". They just stand around in the background, getting a few lines here and there, but they feel very much like afterthoughts... which is a big problem when a significant portion of your book is essentially a "whodunnit" tale.

The mystery aspect of the plot is super weak. It's given very little page space and the wrap up is kind of just tossed in there at the end of the book. It's as if the author was on a deadline and needed to wrap things up way before he was ready to. I have no idea what the killer's motivations were. It's not really explained. If it was explained, it was far too brief. And Sonny doesn't really solve this mystery so much as he trips and stumbles his way through it... to be honest, he's really pretty useless through out the entire book actually.

So, yeah, at first I gave this four thinking maybe I wasn't loving it because I simply wasn't in the mood for this type of story at the time of reading it and due to the excellent writing I wanted to be generous. After I took a couple of days to let it set in, I feel like, no, really it's just a pretty average book at best.

In conclusion:
A+ for writing skill
C- for story telling

As a side note, it would be great if authors could please stop referring to a woman's vagina as "her wetness". It's overdone, and it's also kind of gross.

[Reff Girl · Rating 2 out of 5]

For full disclosure, I was sent a copy of this by Seventh Street Books, and I thank the publishers for allowing me the review the work.

The setting of this novel is 1930's Texas, where windstorms, drought, and hopelessness prevail. And like a windstorm, I was caught up in the spinning plot, only to find myself back on earth, covered it dust and wondering what just happened.

Author Larry D. Sweazy sets a wonderful premise--Bonny and Clyde have been terrorizing the local Texas/Oklahoma border and playing cat-and-mouse with the famous Texas Rangers. One of the Rangers, Sonny Burton, catches the pair outside a movie theater and is in pursuit which leaves him in a gun battle, and eventually losing an arm. A short time later, a copy-cat young trio of robbers seem to take up where Bonny and Clyde left off. At the same time, the bodies of young girls, horribly beaten and mutilated are found dumped on the roadsides. The initially strong story merges these two plot themes, adds a father-son dynamic, a rescued dog, and explores the emotions of a man finding a new way to live. But the book has an ultimately unsatisfying end.

With just pages to go, Sweazy quickly wraps up all loose ends, and introduces a motive for the killing of the young girls that fails to ring true. It explains yes, but leaves the reader with a "that's it?" feeling. This could have been a "True Detective" series, especially since each chapter is coupled with the alternative chapter detailing the life of crows who feast on the dead girls, and watch the human activity from above. There is just enough strange to make it interesting, but we still need to believe that motives have a hint of truth.

[Jacob Donny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This tasty little western crime thriller comes in under 300 pages. The air of the book is heavy and thick with a melancholy that had me needing to take breaks. Sweazy, however, Paces the story well and leaves no pages to waste.

The story follows an old retired Texas Ranger battling with the scars of his encounter with the notorious Bonny and Clyde when young girl’s body’s start to show up discarded in the drought ridden country side of North Texas. The characters develop well as the questions begin to mount, you wonder how this is all going to be resolved within the pages provided, because it feels like not much detective work is being conducted. This is a great example of trusting the author because despite this, Sweazy sticks the landing for a satisfying pay off.

All in all I would recommend A Thousand Falling Crows for a quick no fluff read , It earns itself 3 out of 5 stars.

[J.R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A close encounter with Bonny and Clyde costs Sonny Burton an arm and his career with the Texas Rangers.

Sweazy’s descriptive prose puts the reader into the Depression-era 1930s Texas where everyone is sharing hard times. Burton’s efforts to adjust to his handicap and leave behind the life he has known in the past are skillfully drawn and the reader can easily understand his despair.

Three things combine to give him a fresh lease on life—Aldo Hernandez, a hospital janitor, enlists Burton’s help in finding his missing daughter who has run off with a pair of brother’s bent on trouble; the accidental injury of a dog which captures his heart, and a series of mysterious murders of young women.

In the process, though his wealth of experience is appreciated by other law enforcement personnel, he repeatedly bumps heads with his son who has replaced him on the job and resents the father’s intrusion into his investigations. When they finally team up, the novel speeds to a page-turning, satisfying conclusion.

The insights of the crows sprinkled throughout adds a unique non-human aspect to the narrative.

Richly atmospheric, this is a gripping, poetic novel which should send the reader off in search of more Sweazy fiction.

[Jo Dervan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In June 1933, Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker were involved in a shootout in Wellington, TX, near the Oklahoma border. The Texas Ranger who engaged the couple, Sonny Burton, lost an arm as a result of the shootout.
Sonny, a now retired widower, was very depressed after losing the arm and ventured out of his home only when necessary. So when he went to the town grocery store for food, he was shocked to find himself in the middle of a burglary. The two robbers shot and killed the grocer while Sonny looked on. The duo, bootleggers who made and sold bathtub gin, committed a few burglaries and stole cars for transportation.
Around the same time, pregnant young women started turning up brutally murdered in the the local fields. A local vet and his wife had a history of caring for pregnant young women until they gave birth. So of course the couple were the chief suspects in the crime.
Sonny decided to try to find the two burglars and the 16 year old girl they coerced into helping them.
This story is well written. The author Uses descriptions to make the reader feel that they too were living through the Depression in barren west Texas.

[Stephen Terrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Thousand Falling Crows is one of my favorite mysteries I have read in the past year.

Sonny Burton is an aging Texas Ranger in the dust-bowl era Texas Panhandle. When a shootout with Bonnie and Clyde cost him an arm, he is forced to give up the career which has been his entire life. He is debating whether it is worthwhile going on.

But when a friend is shot by two teens during the robbery of a General Store, Sonny rekindles his purpose in life. So too does a Mexican custodian's plea to help return his 16-year-old daughter, who he fears have gotten involved with the teenage outlaws.

Sweazy creates a world populated with memorable characters, where you sweat with the unrelenting heat, taste the dust in your mouth and feel the unrelenting despair of the depression. The book is well paced with unexpected twists. It is a GREAT read.

You owe it to yourself to read this book. And great news -- the second Sonny Burton mystery is due out in November 2019.

[Janet Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sonny Burton's single encounter with Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow leaves him a middle aged and disabled Texas Ranger, retired because during the Great Depression the Rangers have no use for a one armed lawman. When a local store owner is killed during a robbery gone bad, Sonny's son, another Ranger in the family business is brought to the Texas Panhandle to find the killers, but Jesse Burton has no interest in his washed up father and Sonny is more alone than ever. But this isolated community has even more to deal with--a serial killer is prowling the roads and killing young women he finds but the only witnesses are the opportunistic crows hanging out along the highways. A gripping story, strongly atmospheric, and impossible to put down.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although he survived the Great War intact, Texas Ranger Sonny Burton engages in a shootout with Bonnie and Clyde that costs him his right arm. His good arm. No longer able to perform in an official capacity, he finds himself negotiating a new life, acclimating himself to his body in a new way. Several incidents in his rural West Texas territory prove that he is far from being useless, and can still contribute to the disposition of justice. He is accompanied by an avian Greek chorus of crows that see all, know all, and await the opportunity for survival. The drought choked, unforgiving landscape is as much a character as any, and Sweazy does a find job melding fact and fiction to advance the plot. Here's hoping this is the first of a series.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book! Texas Ranger Sonny Burton lost his arm in a gunbattle with the infamous Bonnie and Clyde. He was forced to retire from the force and, as he recuperates, lives a solitary life. Recently several bodies of young women are being found along the roadside near the town. Sonny isn't interested until a man who works at the local hospital calls on him. His daughter, Carmen, who is just 16 has disappeared and he is afraid she may become a victim. She may have become mixed up with a couple of "bandit" wannabees called the Clever, Clever Twins. This was a book that was difficult to put down. It is written in a manner that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I loved it!

[Marilee Steffen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is set in North Texas during the 1930's just after the end of Prohibition. Texas Ranger Sonny Burton's shoot out with Bonnie and Clyde has left him with an amputated right arm and a forced retirement. While recovering, a friend he met while in the hospital asks Sonny to help him find his daughter who had run off with twin brothers. These boys, known as the Clever, Clever Boys, were involved in a string of robberies. During a robbery that went wrong, a man was killed. Sonny agrees to help, even while struggling with the loss of his arm.

[Charlie Easterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review is based on an uncorrected proof I received through my work.

I really struggled through this one. From the first page A Thousand Falling Crows lost me. The prose was repetitive and intensely clichéd; the characters were thin and poorly developed and again let me say how tired and overwrought the prose was. I really had a hard time taking this one as seriously as it took itself.

[Beth Farley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very atmospheric, and a very sympathetic main character. It ended kind of abruptly and I would have liked to know a little more "why", in addition to the "who". I do think this would make a great movie.

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was slow to pull me in, but once Sonny met Blue (and stopped feeling sorry for himself) I was engaged. There was one mystery to solve, and another problem to solve. The two came together neatly at the end.