The Devil's Hatband

C. J. Floyd #1

by Robert Greer

When the daughter of a black federal judge gets carried away with her militant environmentalism, Denver bail bondsman and sometime bounty hunter CJ Floyd is hired to retrieve her and the important documents she possesses. But when CJ finds her, she's been strangled with the devil's hatband—a length of barbed wire—the symbol of the cattle industry she wants to destroy. The body count mounts as CJ's search for the murderer makes him a target for environmentalist crazies, gangbangers, police, and even a deadly, genetically engineered virus. This is a first novel, and the first in a series, and it's a worthy debut.

Genres: Mystery, African American, Fiction

360 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1996

About the author

Robert Greer, author of the CJ Floyd mystery series, lives in Denver, where he is a practicing surgical pathologist, research scientist, and Professor of Pathology and Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. He also edits the High Plains Literary Review, reviews books for National Public Radio, and raises Black Baldy cattle on his ranch near Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Series:
* C. J. Floyd

Reviews

[Monica **can't read fast enough** · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good start to a series. CJ is a man at a major crossroads in his life and he knows it. When we are introduced to CJ he is divorced, he owns his own somewhat stable bail bonding & one man bounty hunting company, he's starting to see a middle age spread around his middle that he is determined to fight off, and the woman that he loves has let him know very clearly that he is too high maintenance to have as a serious partner in her life. With personal issues churning he is offered the job of finding and bringing back the errant daughter of an influential African American judge who has become entangled in a radical environmental group operating around Colorado and Wyoming looking to go up against the cattle industry and from there all hell breaks loose.

Robert Greer's writing is engaging and portrays the challenges and sometimes coarseness of male interactions so well. I don't read anywhere near the number of stories that center around Black men and their lives that I do that feature women and this change of atmosphere and dialogue was welcome. The story/mystery was interesting and the resolution not too easily figured out. I enjoyed this so much that halfway through The Devil's Hatband I ordered physical copies of the rest of the series. I am looking forward to working my way through them.

I am very surprised that this author doesn't have more reviews and I am thrilled that I didn't see the reviews listed here on Goodreads before I picked this up second hand because I may have hesitated in buying it and therefore missed out on a very enjoyable read. It's interesting that in the two negative reviews one cites an issue of 'relatability' which is a trigger word for me and makes me raise an eyebrow every time I see it applied to books written by PoC and the other which reads as if the story was a personal insult to the reader. I'd give this 3 1/2 stars overall because it does have some first in series issues like an introduction of lots of characters that I think will eventually play more important roles later but sometimes felt squished in. I didn't really mind that since I can see where these characters will probably play larger roles later in the series. I'm rounding this up to 4 stars in hopes that it encourages another reader to give Greer a try with a more open mind.

Where you can find me:
•(♥).•*Monlatable Book Reviews*•.(♥)•
Twitter: @monicaisreading
Instagram: @readermonica
Goodreads Group: The Black Bookcase

[Terence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Met this author at an event at the Denver Press Club and decided to read the first book of his series about a Denver bail bondsman. It was quire entertaining for multiple reasons. For me, the biggest lure was its setting; descriptions of downtown Denver and rural landscapes up into Wyoming abound. The plot itself is intertwined with Western concerns, in particular the cattle industry. Greer gives a vivid insight into the African-American community of Denver, and his background as a doctor provides additional interesting details that distinguish the book from run-of-the-mill detective yarns. The plot is solid, with a bevy of colorful characters and plenty of surprises. Style wise, at times the book reads like a first time author effort, particularly in the realm of point of view (oftentimes a minor character's POV will jump into a scene's viewpoint character, which is like a sudden unnecessary shift in camera angle). Overall, though, The Devil's Hatband reads well. I'd definitely like to explore further books in the series.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never quite connected with this, and should have given up on it. By the time I realized it wasn't getting better, I had to finish if only to give myself credit for reading it. The supporting characters were so flat I couldn't remember who was who. There wasn't enough of the setting or even the political issues around ranching and environmentalism. Nonetheless, it wasn't badly written and the plot twists were plausible enough.

[Kathy Dyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having met the author, I was more interested in reading the first book in a series. The settings were great – Denver, Five Points and rural Wyoming. All very accurately described and depicted. CJ Floyd (lead character) is that, a character. A solid plot with an intriguing premise keeps you interested.

[Kaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an OG western story filled with corruption, fun side characters, a mystery with plenty of twists to keep the reader invested and solid and straightforward writing. I really enjoyed the main character CJ Floyd and I loved immersing myself in this Red Dead -esque world. Definitely recommend getting into this series.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this a long time ago, after hearing the author speak at our public library in a forum of local mystery writers. Now I am finally reading the second in the series, with an amazing intro from another local mystery writer, about how multi-talented and highly educated Greer is. Who knew?