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Carl Wilcox #7
The Man Who Met the Train
Detective Carl Wilcox investigates the death of Ellsworth Ellison, a brilliant academic, in 1930s South Dakota where poverty and greed, the only clues in the death of Ellison--and that of his wife one year later--are a deadly duo
- GenresMystery
229 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1988
17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 24, 2022
This 1988 mystery has a hard-boiled edge to it, but the sleuth also has a softer side. I enjoyed the humor and kindness that he brought to the story. I think I'll have to read more by this author!
November 17, 2012
So, what is a 'rawboned' mystery?
My copy of The Man Who Met the Train had a snippet from a review from the Chicago Sun-Times in which they said it was a 'rawboned' mystery. I was intrigued by that characterization and can now report to you what that means.
It means that this mystery is sparsely written - no extravagant detail and most conversations aren't even fully fleshed out. It's a quick and dirty read about some quick and dirty crimes set in two small towns in Depression-era South Dakota. In style and setting it reminded me of a western. The hero, Carl Wilcox, comes upon a wrecked car. Inside are four dead adults and one survivor - a little girl.
Wilcox is eventually hired on by local bigwigs to investigate the circumstances of the crime, seeing as how he has previous experience as a police officer. Wilcox starts to pull at the loose threads of this crime and starts to discover that some very prominent local names are being implicated in these murders and other crimes...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/...
My copy of The Man Who Met the Train had a snippet from a review from the Chicago Sun-Times in which they said it was a 'rawboned' mystery. I was intrigued by that characterization and can now report to you what that means.
It means that this mystery is sparsely written - no extravagant detail and most conversations aren't even fully fleshed out. It's a quick and dirty read about some quick and dirty crimes set in two small towns in Depression-era South Dakota. In style and setting it reminded me of a western. The hero, Carl Wilcox, comes upon a wrecked car. Inside are four dead adults and one survivor - a little girl.
Wilcox is eventually hired on by local bigwigs to investigate the circumstances of the crime, seeing as how he has previous experience as a police officer. Wilcox starts to pull at the loose threads of this crime and starts to discover that some very prominent local names are being implicated in these murders and other crimes...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/...
January 12, 2011
PROTAGONIST: Carl Wilcox
SETTING: South Dakota
SERIES: #7 of 16
RATING: 3.25
WHY: While on his way to the city, Carl Wilcox stops to rest in Toqueville, South Dakota. There's been a car accident, and he rescues a little girl from the wreckage. He is hired to investigate what caused the accident. Once he's done with that, he's hired to find out why a local genius supposedly committed suicide by train. Surprisingly, there are no widows to bed in this book. The other thing that is missing is Adams' trademark witty writing. Just an average entry in the series.
SETTING: South Dakota
SERIES: #7 of 16
RATING: 3.25
WHY: While on his way to the city, Carl Wilcox stops to rest in Toqueville, South Dakota. There's been a car accident, and he rescues a little girl from the wreckage. He is hired to investigate what caused the accident. Once he's done with that, he's hired to find out why a local genius supposedly committed suicide by train. Surprisingly, there are no widows to bed in this book. The other thing that is missing is Adams' trademark witty writing. Just an average entry in the series.
January 10, 2011
Interesting time period and portrayal of characters. Always fun to read mysteries solved without the use of modern day investigative means.
January 12, 2015
This was a fairly short book, not too much mystery about it, more of a study of a small town and it's warts. easy read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews