Dismal Mountain

Owen Allison #3

by John Billheimer

Dismal Mountain by John Billheimer released on Aug 23, 2002 is available now for purchase.

Genres: Mystery

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 6, 2001

Reviews

[Maddy]

PROTAGONIST: Owen Allison
SETTING: West Virginia
SERIES: #3 of 5
RATING: 3.75
WHY: Owen Allison is a transportation consultant living in California who has returned to the hollows of West Virginia to care for his seriously ill mother. The landscape has changed considerably--a mountain has been half razed in order to build a shopping center. He soon finds there's more to it than commerce and gets involved in ferreting out what is happening in the area. A twisty plot and some interesting characters made this a satisfying read.

[Nikole (literarily_occupied)]

⭐⭐⭐

Dismal Mountain is a book I most likely would not have picked up if it had not been selected for my local county library's book club discussion.

This is a murder mystery with comedic elements that takes place in my home state of West Virginia and deals in large part with "Big Coal", insurance fraud, and shady politics. While it provided enough character development and interesting plot twists to keep me reading, I will probably not continue with the other stand-alone titles in the Owen Allison Mystery series. It's just not really my "cup of tea".

[Clare O'Beara]

The type is very small and cramped in this copy, making it hard to read.
Some trucks are on the mountain roads at night, which seems odd. The sleuth decides the trucks re probably hauling already mined coal from an open-cast mine, not developing a shopping area. The coal would require permits and bonds for environmental reasons, which might not be granted. This doesn't seem to have a bearing on a woman's accidental overdose, but maybe it wasn't an accident. The West Virginia location suits the folks and the constant driving but also makes an crash more likely on the twisty mountain roads.

[Brian O'Leary]

The Owen Allison books give you a unique hero that you will care for and want to have him succeed.

[Marsha Valance]

One of my 17 best mysteries read in 2002.

[Susan Inman]

Solid, entertaining read. Well paced, good characterization. Even though it's the third book in a series, you can pick it up without having read the earlier volumes. There are hints at the stories that have come before, but nothing that would hold you back from enjoying this book. I enjoyed the slice of life of West Virginia. It's a hard, rural life made none to easy by the corporations and politicians who seek to exploit the natural resources and down-trodden populace. There's nothing like desperation that leads people to sell out their rights and ideals. And yet the book is not heavy handed or maudlin. It's a fast paced, murder mystery with an entertaining "detective" and his police chief side kick. The only thing I could have asked for is for the failure analysis expert to have used more of his training and expertise. But that's just because I'm fascinated by the discipline of failure analysis.

[Peacegal]

Oh, my. Dismal is right. I had to read this tedious mystery novel for my book discussion group, much to my resentment. Not recommended.