Crystal Meth Cowboys -- Book Reviews
“Crystal Meth Cowboys” is a brutal and shocking novel
of drug use and reckless violence. Candid, direct language and explicit
description mark this savage and darkly compelling tale. Deadly drugs make for a chilling core theme. Not just another police
procedural, John Knoerle is hereby documented as a gifted
writer with a keen and wicked sense of humor, superbly crafted storyteller
timing and distinctive originality.
James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
Authenticity is vital for any good cop story. Too many novels written about
police officers and how they do what they do read like the author's only
expertise comes from watching reruns of "Law & Order."
Not so with John Knoerle's excellent "Crystal Meth Cowboys," a gritty
thriller written with the kind of detail that could only come from having
spent time in a squad car. It is a quirky, hard-boiled novel
in the tradition of Elmore Leonard, filed with moments of graphic violence,
but also warmth and humor.
As the story begins, we meet rookie patrolman Wes Lyedecker during his first
night working the streets of Wislow, California. His partner, Officer Thomas
Bell, is the most colorful cop on the force, a man with a sharp wit and a
natural instinct for trouble. The two men bond quickly after a routine
disturbance call brings them face-to-face with a wildly deranged suspect
overdosing on methamphetamine. Alerted by this deadly confrontation Bell begins to suspect that a meth
lab is operating in the area. When he and the young Lyedecker investigate,
they start to unravel a deadly conspiracy.
Knoerle gets all of the details just right, especially the descriptions of
law enforcement procedures and nomenclature. He gives his police characters
realistically colorful dialogue, including an amusing bit in which the
experienced Bell bewilders the neophyte Lyedecker with a barrage of
unexplained acronyms. The two protagonists are quirky and unique, especially
Officer Bell, yet the story is not all about life on the job. In the
background are a romantic subplot and a mayoral election that the two
officers become intimately involved in.
"Crystal Meth Cowboys" is the first of what should be many successful novels
for Mr. Knoerle. It's a must read for anyone who enjoys police stories with
a strong dose of realism.
Brian D. Rubendall - Mysterious Anthology Magazine
Ride with a rookie police officer as his grizzled old trainer teaches him
the ropes in a California town teaming with industry, politics, illegals
and … meth! The rookie quickly discovers that his senior partner isn’t a
‘by-the-book’ cop, but knows how to make an arrest stick. The
reader sees the patrol officers on their beat, at home, and at play. The
characterization is superb, the action is non-stop, and the crimes are real!
Well written, well plotted, good characterization, and plenty of action to
keep the reader turning the page for more. Effective, gritty, pulse-pounding
action from the first chapter to the last. Whether you like cop stories or
mysteries, this one will keep you on your toes!
Tom Johnson, Editor
Detective Mystery Stories
Wes Lyedecker, having just graduated from college in New England with a
degree in police science, has taken a rookie police job in a nondescript
part of California, in a town small enough for him to "make a difference."
He's assigned to an experienced partner who can teach him the ropes, and
Officer Bell's about as vulgar and cynical as possible.
That sounds like a weary cliché from not only police procedurals but also
movies, TV, and comic books, and it is. This book is slathered with clichés
of all sorts. Consider the concept of the well-educated, prim and proper New
Englander dedicated to bringing civilization to the unruly West, like
schoolmarms or preachers hired for gold-mining camps or frontier towns.
That's here. So are a corrupt political establishment challenged by an underdog do-gooder, an experienced older woman seducing a
youth who talks to his mom on the phone a lot, and lots more.
Fortunately for me, the beginning of this book is raunchily hilarious.
(Think of, for instance, the first chapter of Brookmyre's Quite Ugly One
Morning.) Otherwise, I wouldn't have read far enough to discover that the
author's put these clichés here on purpose, to tweak them, stretch them
beyond credible limits, deflate them, and otherwise play around with all the
tried-and-true. I would have put this book aside as too primitive and
unsophisticated for my taste when in fact it's so clever it's nearly over my
head.
Don't make that mistake. You'd miss an interesting experimental book with a
snap-too sharp a counterexpectation to be a twist-of an ending.
Reviewed by Joy Matkowski, Reviewingtheevidence.com
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