Andrew E. HuntRessenyes

4.5 stars.

Desolation Flats is another superb installment in Andrew Hunt's Art Oveson mystery series starring Mormon policeman Art Oveson. In this outing, following the disappearance of British race car driver Clive Underhill and the murder of his brother, Nigel, Art's investigation takes him into the dark underbelly of the Nazi party and closer to home, fascism and bigoted ex-cops.

Helping his cousin at the Bonneville Salt Flats before the upcoming land-speed trials, Art is delighted to run into his ex-partner and close friend, Roscoe Lund, who is providing extra security for Clive. When Clive's test run ends in fiery crash, Art risks his own life to save the trapped driver. In an effort to repay him for rescuing him from certain death, Clive invites Art to join him for dinner that evening at an upscale club. At the urging of his wife, Clara, Art accepts the invitation and while a bit out of his element, he enjoys meeting Clive's old college friends, Peter Insley and German race-car driver, Rudy Heinrich. The next morning, Art learns Nigel has been murdered and Clive has vanished without a trace. He is dismayed to discover that his brother, FBI Agent Frank Oveson, is part of the investigation but it is the identity of the local police's chief suspect that truly distresses him. With warnings to stay out of the murder investigation, Art is determined to find Clive and hopefully, clear his friend's name.

Art has a strong moral compass and steadfast work ethic. He will leave no stone unturned as he doggedly pursues leads and although he tries to follow his boss's orders, he cannot in good conscience ignore some of the information he uncovers. Occasionally going outside of his purview and jurisdiction, Art's dedication to finding justice is both his best and worst trait. He is incredibly loyal and although he usually tries to obey orders, Art is convinced of the only suspect's innocence and he refuses to give up searching for the truth.

As his investigation unfolds, Art tries to remain under the radar as he revisits witnesses and digs deeper into the backgrounds of Clive's friends and associates. Manager Albert Shaw seems concerned about Clive's safety, but is there more to his story than meets the eye? German driver Rudy Heinrich is deeply entrenched in the Nazi party and with Hitler counting him to break the land-speed record, he is quite circumspect as he answers Art's question. Art cannot help but wonder just how far Rudy will go to ensure he succeeds but would he kidnap his friend to further the Nazi cause? What, if anything, does former policeman and current head of hotel security Dooley Metzger have to do with the events on the night Nigel was murdered and Clive disappeared? The more information Art learns about the odious man, the more suspicious he becomes that Dooley might know more than he has revealed. After another man goes missing, Art makes an impetuous decision that could break the case wide open if it does not cost him life.

Interspersed with the ongoing investigation are intriguing glimpses of Art's life at home. Wife Clara has been struggling with severe depression since the birth of their youngest daughter, four year old Emily. Additionally, she and fifteen year old daughter Sarah Jane are at loggerheads over Sarah Jane's social activism and waning interest in the Mormon church. Clara is also none too pleased about Art's continued loyalty to Roscoe and things between them grow tense as he makes what she considers to be questionable decisions where his friend is concerned. Can Art salvage their relationship before it is irreparably damaged?

With an imaginative plot, an intrepid investigator and a perplexing mystery, Desolation Flats is a riveting whodunit that is impossible to put down. The storyline is fast-paced and offers readers a realistic peek into the increasingly tense and volatile situation in Nazi Germany as Hitler continues to put his plans into motion. Art's investigation is quite captivating as he slowly but surely begins to uncover the truth about Clive's disappearance and Nigel's murder. Andrew Hunt brings the novel to a pulse-pounding, action-packed conclusion that completely ties up all of the story's loose ends. Fans of historical mysteries are sure to love this latest installment in the Art Oveson series.

4.5 stars.

4.5 stars.

Andrew Hunt has written a third book that takes place in Salt Lake City and surrounding areas in the 1930s. Art Oveson is the detective, and Roscoe Lund returns to play a part in the story about the murder of a prominent figure. It's a good mystery, especially if you've read the first two books. The history is good, and the story is entertaining.

A group of polygamists aren't simply people who support having more than one wife but are much more on the criminal side. Set in the 1930s in Salt Lake City and vicinity, Art Oveson again tries to solve a problem and bring it to the attention of his superiors on the police force. He has to battle political motives and religious concerns to take down a ruthless group of murderers. 201

Since I have fallen in love with Salt Lake City after my son lived there for a year, I searched for novels that have anything to do with the city, and I found Hunt's books. I enjoyed this murder mystery that takes place in 1930s SLC. The detective involved is Art Oveson, and he will appear in other books also. He is Mormon, and there is some reference to how it affects his life, especially in contrast to his partner in his job, but it isn't an overwhelming part of the book. I am not Mormon, and I enjoyed this book for the mystery and the setting. I looked up pictures of the city at that time to get a better idea of what it all looked like. I especially liked the reference in it to a little mining settlement in the mountains outside of the city called Park City - quite a contrast to the ski haven of today.

In this 2nd in the series, detective Art Oveson is chosen to head an Anti-Polygamy squad in Salt Lake City. As the investigation proceeds, he and his squad find that the elders who have formed a Fundamentalist polygamist cult have used their religion not only to acquire numerous young girls as wives (many as young as 12 years old), but also as a front to launder money, a homesteading scam, and other multiple crimes, including murder of those who dare to challenge them. They have also squirreled away at least a million dollars, if not more. As a Mormon himself, Art hates the polygamists and the way they damage the image of Mormonism. Set in 1934, the author captures the political, historical, and cultural issues of the era, for the most part. And he includes a few descriptions of the magnificent landscape of southern Utah.

This book is well done, but I prefer Dellinger’s own account of his life. Hunt fills in the gaps and provides overview, but does not supplant Dellinger’s book. Both books are worth reading. They don’t always agree. On page 64 Hunt calls Pearl Harbor an “unprovoked attack.” Dellinger saw it differently, as Hunt acknowledges. This book extends decades beyond the time frame covered in Dellinger's book.

Dellinger’s commitment to nonviolence was put to the test over the years. He was imprisoned, abused to the point of torture, force-fed, kept in solitary, splattered with red paint, beaten up, clubbed by police, vilified by the press, but stayed true to his principles through it all. He had his jaw broken and one eye blinded, without retaliating. He was confrontational, but not violent. What a reflection on the United States of America! How we love to punish peacemakers! This is a story of relentless persecution of a good man by a society sick with violence.

Much of this book is concerned with the chronic factional infighting on the Left, and Dellinger’s attempts to co-ordinate the disparate groups into a powerful mobilization. To unite the moderates with the militants to stop the militarists. It is impossible to say to what extent he succeeded, but surely he made a difference.

At times Hunt is critical of Dellinger, but is fair and honest about it, and in the end leaves the reader with a sense of the greatness of the man. Dellinger was America’s Gandhi. He was not a liberal, not a socialist, but a revolutionary. A “fulltime crusader,” said the CIA. The message of Dellinger’s life—that violence is not the answer—comes across in this book.

Winner of the Tony Hillerman Prize