Review - Known Dead - Donald Harstad

[Gina Micale]

Who knew that rural Iowa is such a hot bed of criminal activity? Known Dead, the second book in the series by Donald Harstad, is faster tempoed then the first. Harstad's novels are police procedurals that take the reader along with the first person narrator, Deputy Carl Houseman, into every step of the investigation. Harstad's writing is thorough but amusing, and his characters feel like real people complete with foibles and flaws.

This time, Houseman and his team are up against a militia which has already killed a DEA agent and one of Houseman's fellow deputies and appears to be ramping up for a mission of undisclosed proportions. Houseman has to balance his investigative efforts with the FBI, DEA, state investigators and politics. It's an overwhelming proposition, but Houseman is a good cop and a good man.

This is a finely written series and is highly recommended.