Running Dark: A Woods Cop Mystery

Woods Cop #4

by Joseph Heywood

We go back in time twenty-five years to meet Service as a young conservation officer. Still fresh from Vietnam, but on home turf, Service has been tapped for an unusual assignment that threatens to be his last. Full of outrageous characters and the verisimilitude the series is known for, Running Dark is a wild and riveting ride. For more on Joseph Heywood and the Woods Cop Mysteries, visit www.josephheywood.com

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Adventure, Animals

328 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

See also Joe T. Heywood

Joseph Heywood is the son of a career USAF officer. His dad was from Rhinecliff, New York on the Hudson River in Dutchess County, and his mother is from Mize, Mississippi in Sullivan County. His mother’s maiden name was Hegwood and she had only to change one letter to convert to her married name.

He is a 1961 graduate of Rudyard High School in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (Chippewa County). Played football, basketball, baseball, and ran track.

1965 graduate of Michigan State University (BA-Journalism). Joseph played on the Michigan State Lacrosse Club for three years, crease attack, tri-captain in 1965. He was in the last class of mandatory ROTC for land grant universities and predictably chose the Air Force.

In 1965, he married Sandra V. Heywood (1943-2002) of East Lansing. Five children, one dog. Widower.

1965-1970, USAF Instructor Navigator, KC-135 tanker, honorably discharged as captain. Vietnam veteran. Air Medal with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters.

Graduate studies, Western Michigan University, 1974-75, completed course work for MA in English Literature; no degree.

Joseph worked for The Upjohn Company [now Pfizer], 1970-2000, retiring as vice president for worldwide public relations.

He walks every day in all weather conditions, and have hunted and fished Michigan since 1958, mostly alone.

Joseph Heywood's Woods Cop mysteries are based on the lives of Upper Peninsula conservation officers, and for going on seven years has spent about one month a year on patrol with officers, in all kinds of weather, all times of day and under sundry conditions. He worked in all 15 Upper Peninsula Counties as well as in another 15-16 counties BTB (Below the Bridge).

In preparation for work with COs, he often hikes alone at night (flashlight for emergencies) using only ambient light. He has spent nights alone in jungles and on mountains. Has canoe-camped in Michigan, Missouri and Arkansas, over the years he has had one close encounter with a wolf (six feet away in tag alders on the Iron River), and with a cow elk and her calf (in Idaho). Too many close meetings with black bears to count, no injuries.

He loves to take photographs while walking, hiking and fishing, and use some of the pix for his paintings.

Joseph always carry a ruck with emergency equipment, compass, etc. even for short sorties on foot in the U.P. It’s too easy to get under cedars and old growth in an overcast and get hopelessly turned around. He does not use a GPS. "When it comes to lost in the woods there seem to be two categories of people: Them that have been and them that will be. Iron ore deposits can make compass navigation interesting…."

The Upper Peninsula is not just a setting and base for Joseph Heywood but serves as a character in many of his novels. "When I write, I try to take readers to places and events in the U.P. they might not have occasion to visit or experience on their own. For me, the U.P. is a natural jewel and I am always surprised by how little people from BTB know about it."

"The day we arrived in the U.P. to report to Kinross Air Force Base (later renamed Kincheloe, and since decommissioned) my mother cried as we drove up the several-mile two-lane to the front gate; looking at all the woods passing by, I had a feeling I was coming home."

Reviews

[Scott Rhee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having visited, briefly, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (affectionately called the U.P. by inhabitants, who affectionately call themselves Yoopers), I can see why the region also goes by another name, mostly by those living south of the Mackinac Bridge (the only road connecting the U.P. from the rest of the state): the Upper Peculiar.

I suppose one would have to be a little peculiar to want to live in a sparsely populated area of (admittedly beautiful) deep woods, lakes and ponds, and unbearably cold temperatures for roughly 70% of the year, but that's just my opinion. I live in Cleveland, OH, so I can't really judge.

Joseph Heywood is the author of a series of mysteries featuring his popular game warden/detective Grady Service. "Running Dark" is the fourth in the series, but it's the first one I've read. It's probably not a bad place to start because it is, in a sense, a prequel. It takes place in 1975, when Service was just a rookie conservation officer in the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Service has just returned home from his tour of duty in Vietnam. One would think working as a conservation officer would be like a vacation compared to 'Nam. Unfortunately, 1975 was a pivotal time in Michigan's U.P., specifically in the area known as the Garden Peninsula.

Politically and socially, the Garden was a rough place to work. Poachers owned the region much like the mafia had once owned cities like New York and Chicago. They broke laws without remorse and often didn't seem to care about the people they hurt who got in the way. For the most part, the good people of the Garden were cowed into silence. In some ways, the organized poachers were looked up to by the Garden residents because they owned the waters. Illegal fishing was big business. It meant a lot of money for a lot of people, and the state government wanted a piece of the action, which is why many local and state politicians didn't prioritize law enforcement. Many in the statehouse were themselves profiting from illegal fishing, so why put money into those enforcement agencies trying to stop it?

This is the state of affairs Service was walking into. Old, out-dated equipment and lack of adequate manpower made jobs of conservation agents tough.

When Service is tasked by his superiors to go undercover in the Garden, with the help of a resident informant, Service jumps at the chance. It's the kind of excitement and chance at doing some real good that he's been looking for.

I honestly wasn't expecting to find much excitement and suspense myself when reading "Running Dark". After all, how exciting can it be to stop people from fishing?

Surprisingly, the storyline grabbed me. Maybe it was Heywood's wonderful description of the region (he clearly knows the area) or his realistic depiction of the socio-political events and issues of the time, but I was hooked.

Looking forward to reading more in this "Woods Cop Mystery" series...

[Michael L Wilkerson (Papa Gray Wolf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I seem to have missed a book in the series; Chasing A Blond Moon which is Woods Cop #3 and went to this one, #4 in the series. I don't think it is much of a problem but Blond Moon is now on my purchase list.

Heywood takes us back in time to when Grady Service was a young, headstrong but able rookie conservation officer. He's given his beloved Mosquito area but is soon pulled off of that to undertake a special assignment as part of the COs trying to make inroads into the Garden Peninsula where the "rats" were involved in an organized poaching of fish in Lake Michigan. This was dangerous, frustrating work where the rats were involved in large numbered attacks on the vastly undermanned COs charged with patrolling the area and stopping the poaching.

This is not a historical account of that war but a work of fiction, though based on a real situation called the Garden Peninsula War.

Grady is eventually taken off of the patrol and given an undercover mission, to observe and identify the rats and their leaders. He does this with the aid of a one legged school teacher who is fed up with the lawlessness and the intimidation of people by the rats and their leaders. He does this by walking miles through snow and staying in the shadows, watching and eventually doing a bit of sabotage to the vehicles of the rats.

After Service's stint at undercover work he's sent back to patrol the Mosquito but is eventually called on to do more patrolling in the Garden Peninsula. Mixed in with this is an attempted murder investigation where he's sure he has the woman who stabbed a mentally challenged young man. . . until he's given reason to think that maybe not is all that it seems.

The book ends with Grady in his real time (2004) and a bit of reflection on what happened those many years ago.

The story has many twists and turns and the ride is as bumpy as some of the two lane backwoods trails that are the paths of hunters, anglers, COs and poachers alike. It is a history lesson coached in fictionalized form and it shows the Upper Peninsula in all of it's wilderness majesty, harsh but beautiful.

This is a story of dedication to duty, of an organization's willingness to suffer hardships, cold and danger to protect the beauty of that wilderness and its denizens, human and animal alike.

Normally I make a few witty (well, I hope they are at least) remarks and though there were some funny moments in this novel, overall I was left with a sense of dread for what is to come (a blurb for a future read in the series had certain spoilers in it) and a sense of pride in a man who does his job and a bit more.

It's a good read. A very good read.

[Katelin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good Woods Cop mystery! This was a good read, but I feel that I am particularly interested in these Woods Cop mysteries simply because of my ties to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I enjoy these books because I am very familiar with all of places described in the story. It provides a certain level of nostalgia for me as I remember my personal adventures in the woods of the UP. I don't know if someone unfamiliar with the setting would enjoy it as much as I did. However, it's a good mystery with a very likeable protagonist, exciting moments, and unexpected turns.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second Woods Cop mystery. I enjoy them mostly because of my love for the UP, but I also enjoy the characters. This one threw me for a loop with an abrupt jump 30 years into the future about the next to last chapter. It made sense, but a smoother transition might have helped. I'm beginning to think the main character's name is Service because that's what he seems to do with a large number of female characters, stretching the bounds of credibility. Either that or maybe I should be spending more time in the UP myself.

[Tessa in Mid-Michigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Irony. We have camped in the target area of this book, and our stay was not pleasant. The campground was fine, but it was Saturday night and the trucks roared by all night, sometimes with horns. Then the train went through about 3 am. Hmm. I think there was a plane, too, towards morning.

So Sunday we tried to take a nap but someone was riding an airboat all around the bay. Have you ever heard one of those? We were fairly irritated by the time we got home from our “restful” trip to the UP. Haven’t been back there, to that spot. The Baraga campground was on the highway, and by the train, too, but wasn’t as bad.

Now this book. Apparently it is loosely based on real events. Pretty damning events. I know people are independent up there, so to speak, but this goes beyond that, it seems to me. The Garden War just shouldn’t have happened. Lansing was as responsible as they were, though. Just deciding people couldn’t work their livelihood anymore, but not telling them. Man.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series. I've read several other attempts to capture the attitudes, virtues, and vices of UP residents (Youpers), but nothing that does it quite as well as this. This particular book takes us back to an early phase of Grady Service's career, when he got caught in The Garden War of the 1970s in a remote and somewhat lawless section of the UP called the Garden Peninsula. The wardens were in an impossible position, trying to carry out a regulation that had almost no teeth because the powers-that-be in Lansing had decided to sacrifice the struggling commercial fishing industry in favor of sports fishing and tourism. No one would publicly admit that this was the case, though, and a group of large-scale poachers, known as The Rats, declared all-out war on the wardens, who were understaffed and poorly equipped. It was a complicated issue, and Grady landed himself right in the middle.

[Dave Weller · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this installment of the Woods Cop series, the author takes us back to the time, when Grady Sizemore first became a conservation officer. Most of the book traces his involvement in a team of CO's who attempt to reign in the poachers of the Garden Peninsula, who are referred to as the Garden rats. In the last chapters we fast forward to Grady's current capacity as a detective within the woods cop organization, and he relates the entire story to his current girlfriend, Nantz, and all the loose ends and details are tied together. I enjoyed this book more than the previous, as it was easier to track the characters. I actually created a notes page in my iPad as a reaction to the previous book, but it was probably unnecessary. We learn that Grady was a man of fewer words in his youth than even now, and he consistently holds his feelings deep within. This book did not read as easily as some of my other favorite outdoor mystery authors, but I am on board to read the next in the series.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 4th book in this series takes us back to 1975, when Grady Service first became a Conservation Officer. The story of Grady's early days with the force, as he follows in his father's footsteps, was fast paced, as the officers try to apprehend a group of men who are illegally pursuing commercial fishing in Lake Michigan. An on-going battle ensues between the renegade fishermen, and the officers attempting to enforce the state's conservation laws. I enjoyed the author's development of Grady's character by filling in more of his backstory, with insights into both his personal and professional persona. And after a trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula this past fall, I especially enjoyed the great descriptions of the landscape in that beautiful place.

[M. Sprouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly a very good read. Probably four and a half stars, but there's no such thing on this site. This book could be titled, Grady Service: The Early Years. Though on the surface it's about the conflict between the DNR and professional poachers from "The Garden," this book is more about the character of our boy Grady. It lacks the suspense of most thrillers and it's certainly not a mystery. However, Officer Service and an array of diverse characters sucks you in and never lets you go. Since I can't say it was actually amazing, after wrestling with my self, I'll give it four stars. If you're an outdoorsman, you'll want to read this one.

[Laurel Deloria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a little different - only one dfficult assignment. Some same chaaccters- ENJOYABLE

We go back in time twenty-five years to meet Service as a young conservation officer. Still fresh from Vietnam, but on home turf, Service has been tapped for an unusual assignment that threatens to be his last. Full of outrageous characters, Running Dark is the fourth book in the Woods Cop Mystery series and is a wild and is a riveting ride.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good enough I'll likely read the next in the series. It was interesting hearing the history of the Garden Peninsula in the UP. My primary complaint would be how it seems women are running out of their ways to throw themselves at Grady Service; in fact, I'm not sure there was a female character who didn't sleep with him...

[Dave Hoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story of the DNR officers and the poachers. Could live without some of the choice of words. But towns, roads, and Yooper talk brings back memories of working in the UP. As the story line seemed to drift from before his first book, til time of publication, a bit confusing but doesn't take from the dare-a-do of a game warden doing things he learned in 'Nam and as a state trooper.

[Dan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a young conservation officer, can Grady Service root out the criminals he faces without becoming one himself?

This story takes the reader back 25 years when Service was a new CO.. In a short period of time, he had made a name for himself as a trustworthy officer that could be used for special purposes.

[ReneE · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my favorite of the first 4 books. Very interesting and exciting story, and characters in the UP certainly are unique. After reading this book, it's surprising that Grady is still among the living! ;-) The things that happen to that guy!

[Patricia Litz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish. Too much description. Like the geography lesson. Politics with laws for game wardens and no help in doing their jobs. Too exasperating that they were left to defend themselves and no help from the sheriffs.

[Brucie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than ordinary story of conflict between law enforcement and career criminals in Michigan UP. I have no sympathy for the Conservation Officer character who follows his own drummer and survives catastrophic struggles, but he is a memorable person. Plot flow seems abrupt at times.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow going when we went back to the early days. Wasn't sure if I would be able to finish this one. It sort of got a second wind. It was well worth the back story gained. I am off to the next book. Aware that the happiness of Grady Service is going to come to an end

[Roxanne Ware · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a little different from my normal read. But not bad. Very interesting but a bit monotonous at times. I love that it takes place in the U.P. And can actually see this happen. It was a fun read.

[Christine Braybrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took me a while to read this great book, and now I have finished; it was another interesting book of Joseph Heywood's.

[Merna Malmberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read. Learned abou



Interesting read!

[Jeanette Baumgras]

Grady Service has more women begging him for sex than any other law enforcement agent in any book series. The plots are good, the writing is good, and at least the sex isn't graphic.

[Lesly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring

[Peg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a flashback story of Grady’s early days as a CO in the DNR. A good story but a little over exaggerated on the Yooper stereotypes I thought (as a fellow Yooper).

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#4 in the Woods Cop series. At the end of the previous series entry Chasing a Blond Moon (2003), Grady was told that due to a manpower shortage, he would have to assist in patrolling the fish runs along the notorious Garden Peninsula during the upcoming season. In the current entry, Grady does patrol the peninsula, with a twist. Running Dark (2005) is a prequel and takes Grady back 30 years to the beginning of his career as a Conservation Officer when he gets sent undercover on the peninsula. The final part of the book takes place in 2004 and allows a follow-up to the characters introduced earlier. An interesting and satisfying read.

Woods Cop series - Grady Service is back. We go back in time thirty years to meet Service as a young conservation officer. Fresh from Vietnam, Service is good at his new job and he's been tapped for an unusual assignment. It's the height of the 1970's historical battle in the U.P.'s Garden Peninsula armed fishermen far outgunned the COs who risked their lives to attempt to enforce limits. Service goes undercover to expose the leaders of the Garden revolt. With a one-legged female informant and lessons of stealth learned in Vietnam, Service descends into the land of outlaws.

[Sherrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was almost a 4. But the Yooper dialect throughout the first half was overpowering in its quantity. I live in Michigan, have heard the dialect all my life, and could even mentally attach the accents and inflections to it--Hayward did a good job of capturing it. But it took me quite a bit of extra time to puts his written words with the sounds in my brain. Probably a really nit-picky point, since it was so well done, but there it is.

[Ron Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joseph Heywood has done a well documented historical experience dealing with Grady Service's career as a conservation officer, from his beginnings in the Mosquito area along with the Garden Peninsula. All of this in trying to some balance between Lansing's corruption and enforcing the law amongst poachers of the U.P. Truly a passenger seat type of experience to navigate from one end of the U.P. to another, especially if you been in the U.P. and recognize the familiar landmarks described!

[MJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series that takes place in the U.P. This is the fourth in the series and the characters and the storylines keep getting better. Like the U.P. leaves in the fall, as cheesy as this sounds, the plot and the characters are definitely colorful and believable. Crisp dialogue and well-developed plot moves these stories along. Can't wait to move on to the next installment.

[Devo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book in the series, real interesting to hear more of his history and some real michigan history as well. Well written and taught, just as imaginary as the others but with plenty historical information as well.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story that flashes back to the beginning of Grady's role as a CO. fighting poaching of fish in the waters on south side of the UP. Then back to Maridly and Walter in his life for the last couple of chapters.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I continue to really enjoy this series. Very well-balanced mysteries, with themes that appeal to me - the outdoors, fishing, hunting, and the Upper Peninsula. Heywood writes crisply, and this book moves at a very good pace.