Starvation Camp

by Bill Pronzini

Book by Pronzini, Bill

180 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Mystery Writers of America Awards "Grand Master" 2008
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1999) for Boobytrap
Edgar Awards Best Novel nominee (1998) for A Wasteland of Strangers
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) for Sentinels
Shamus Awards "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) 1987
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1982) for Hoodwink

Married to author Marcia Muller.

Pseudonyms:
Robert Hart Davis (collaboration with Jeffrey M. Wallmann)
Jack Foxx
William Jeffrey (collaboration with Jeffrey M. Wallmann)
Alex Saxon

Reviews

[Ice · Rating 4 out of 5]

They are a disreputable pair of Bay Area prospectors named Thaxter and Loomis and in pusuit of them he takes ship to the US ,a nation gripped by war fever as the 1898 war against Spain is looming ever closer

The hunt makes compelling reading and the detctive element ,while slight is well handled .McQuestion is a suitably rugged hero ,one with a troubled past having been betrayed by the woman he loved ,while the twin villains are eminently thuggish and nasty.

The action is crisp and well described without recourse to lip-smacking violence and the nature writing is exceptional especially when the author is describing the Canadian and Alaskan wilderness.

[Ron Kerrigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed the writing style, there was something lacking in it as a gripping story. The dogged pursuit of a villain by the obsessed Mountie was detailed in the extreme, and pointed out how difficult living in the 1890's in the Yukon must have been, especially for gold-rushers trying to get there through the mountain passes from Skagway. There are some grim parts detailing how animals fared during their trek. In a time when a lot of people get annoyed that they can't find a closer parking spot at the mall, it points out how soft we've become.

Corporal McQuestion follows his prey though those passes to Skagway and down to California. The author gives us a taste of what life was like in those places, but it seems more like a travelogue than an interesting tale. The final 70 pages recount his journey post-Alaska and I thought the corporal's actions were a bit too obsessive.

There is an unbelievable coincidence that seems to set up a possible sequel as McQuestion continues to try and right old wrongs. It's an okay read, but I was looking for more story set in the gold fields of Canada's west.

P.S. Not a mystery.

[Chris Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never go into post 70s westerns with high expectations,
just a pleasant little time filler.
That said this 1890s murder mystery set in the Yukon
and ends in California filled a couple of hours.
Bill Pronzini does this well with all his westerns.
I find some peoples reviews funny this way,
like really when u picked up a little PB with cheap cover art,
You were expecting what? Tolstoi?
Relax, don't be literary snobs.

[Josh Hitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nicely done story of the Yukon. A good detective story that turns more into a chase story. Nice settings from 1890s Yukon to Alaska, Seattle, and California.

The lead, a mountie, must find the murderers of a woman road house owner and her workers. He starts this in terrible conditions, namely winter in the Yukon.

First for me from Pronzini but won't be my last. Highly recommended.

[Nader Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10
liked the main character and the atmosphere ofc it was so good the writing was also good but the over many details made me feel bored alot of time, and i wished the story would continue as the ending was somewhat open

[Daniel Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. I was looking for a good short, easy reading book. Though it was fairly predictable, the descriptions of the Yukon and other territories were pretty good. I also liked how historical events of the time were thrown in there.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good solid story, but nothing fantastic. I admit I am more into fantasy/sci-fi but every once in a while a western sounds good. this is a "northern" book. I would read another book by Bill pronzini presented the opportunity, but I'm not gonna go out of my way to find one.