Joseph HeywoodBesprekingen

I live in Michigan although not in the U.P. Our U.P. is unbelievably beautiful but believe me it is an entire "country" unto itself...or at least it would like to be:) I had the honor of meeting this author and his lovely wife last night when he was a guest speaker at my library. I read his first book [The Snowfly] because I had never read anything by him and didn't want to go into the discussion session not knowing anything about him or his books. I couldn't get into that story at all but thought maybe it was just me and I should really try another. After two books I have come to the conclusion that his books are well written, and the characters are a bit unusual but still interesting, but they are not my "cuppa" tea. I'm not a sexist but I believe that this series might be more male oriented...not that there are not women that enjoy hunting, fishing, and camping. My mother loved doing all of this... but all of these activities are firmly ingrained into this mystery series as well as the Wildlife Officer Grady. I can't relate to this very well, so I have concluded that I'm really not into this series. As I said however, that even with all that against it, what I read was well done. The characters were different and totally selfless. There are a lot of abbreviations in this story that I was unfamiliar with. There should be a page somewhere that explains what they mean. In spite of not caring for the story, I certainly did enjoy meeting the author. I have nothing but the highest admiration for anyone that can actually write an entire book, much less an entire series, but I think I will remember what a delightful and gifted man he is and let others enjoy his books. On a sidenote: If you have never visited the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where these books are set...if you take the trip across the 5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge that connects Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, you will in for a breathtaking treat. As you can see, I love my adopted state.

The story is a vast international conspiracy that links spies, sexpots, bumbling journalists, a famous macho writer, and trout fishers hunting for a mythic insect. Our main character, Bowie Rhodes was Born in 1945 in a shack deep in the Michigan forests of the Upper Peninsula. He grows up tall, exceptionally good-looking, reasonably adept at writing, and very, very curious about the relationship between his father, a chain-smoking trout-fisherman, and his powerfully over dominant mother. He’s haunted by memories of a dead man his father pulled out of the a nearby stream, as well as by the beguiling attractions of Raina Chickerman, (is that name for real you ask?) ...Yes, indeed it is! She's the brilliant, sexually precocious, trout-fishing daughter of the closest upstream neighbor. As Bowie grows up, gets a scholarship to Michigan State, and studies journalism, he becomes positively obsessed with Raina, who appears at odd moments, teases him sexually or intellectually, sometimes both at the same time, then blows away before he can touch her...and with her a lost manuscript about the snowfly, a legendary insect that hatches once every 20 to 40 years and is simply irresistible to big dumb trout. Bowie’s journalistic pursuits take him to Viet Nam, England, and Russia, where he finally tracks down the missing manuscript, which is written in some kind of unbreakable code by a mysterious German scientist. Naturally, other good and bad guys want this manuscript also. The trail leads to a bunch of renegade mountain men, led by Raina and that famous macho writer, all of whom are waiting for the snowfly to help them land the biggest fish of all. This madcap fish story updates the Grail quest with unsettling violence, preposterous schemers, and an abundance of overly sexy women who dispense pithy statements on the meaning of life and can’t wait to jump into the nearest trout stream. This is the first book that I've read by this author, but he is visiting my library in a few weeks, and I thought it would be nice as well as polite, to at least have some idea of what he writes...but I'm still not really sure that I know the answer to that yet. I'm still in the dark as to if this was intended to a comedy or if it's just the result of the author having too much trout stream water on the brain. I can't wait to meet this guy! It was to say the least entertaining, so I'll hold at the 3.5 rating until I better understand if the author is absolutely brilliant, or a great deal in need of psychological help:)½

Grady Service is a CO - Conservation Officer - in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. His duties are far-ranging and he takes them seriously. He has been happily on the job for over 20 years.

Thus when he sees a man with a small hammer, acting oddly, he is curious. Especially because this man is in the Mosquito Wilderness, an area he considers his own to patrol. When he asks the man what he is doing he gets vague answers.

Then some odd things happen. Fire breaks out in the Mosquito Wilderness, near where the man was. It's arson. Grady begins investigations into ownership of the range, based on a strange tip. He hears rumors and investigates those.

When a second fire breaks out and a dead man is found in it, Grady knows this is serious business and he needs to know what is happening.

Beset by a pro-business governor who would as soon sell out the wilderness as sneeze, and cautioned by his superiors, Grady needs to act quickly.

I enjoyed the realness of the tale. Heywood takes us with Grady as he cautions campers, challenges hunters, and does any number of everyday ranger duties. He brings us into the wilderness and its beauty, and at the same time shows us Grady's meager housing, a choice that reveals much of the man.

On the other hand, I didn't get a really close sense of who Grady is. Casual comments now and then, an understanding of his persistence, and little else. When he is with a woman it can be difficult to understand the attraction. I would have loved a little more fill-in on the personal front.

Ice Hunter: A Woods Cop Mystery by Joseph Heywood begins a series built around Grady Service. A former marine who served in Vietnam, these days he is a conservation officer working in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Specifically, an area known as the “Mosquito Tract” that his father also patrolled before he was killed. Like his father before him, the land and the creatures are everything to him, and he does not play well with others who do not have a moral code to live by. A complicated childhood has led to a complicated life in many ways.

In addition to the usual events a conservation officer has to deal with as he protects the land and all living things, he has to deal with strange things that are going on in the woods. Fires are being ignited by an arsonist who seems very careful to do so in some sort of controlled burn. The burns seem to be orchestrated to clear some small areas for an unknown reason. Then there is the unknown helicopter occasionally seen doing something in what seems to be some sort of grid like search pattern. Not to mention the fact somebody wants him to butt out of something and is making that point very violently. He has an idea what might have stirred things up, but with so much going on it is hard to tell.

Ice Hunter: A Woods Cop Mystery by Joseph Heywood is a good read though it takes quite a bit to get going. Originally published in 2001, it does not follow the current fad of starting with an action scene before doing a sort of informative flashback as seems to be required in every book published now. There is a lot of setting the stage as this read begins and the character as well as those in his life are slowly revealed.

The bigger issue for this reader, was the fact it read a bit different than most due to the lack of scene or transition breaks. Everything just runs into each other without any identifying characteristics of scene or transition breaks which results in the read being the equivalent of being tossed into the raging river just upstream from class five rapids.

In the end, Ice Hunter: A Woods Cop Mystery by Joseph Heywood is worth sticking with it as the multiple storylines coalesce into a high powered and intense finish. Convoluted and chaotic, the reader is shot through the rapids to find oneself slowly floating gently in calmer waters downstream in the wide bend of the river very much shaken and stirred as well as appreciative of the fact that was one heck of a ride.

Because of Aubrey Hamilton’s review from last March, I got this from the library just before they closed their doors back in mid-March. While they have most of the rest of the series, they do not have book two. I have put in an order for that and hope to hear something, one way or another, soon.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2020

The Berkut is set world war 2 Germany at the immediate ending of the war and shortly thereafter. It's an alternate history book written around the loose facts known of Hitler's whereabouts at the end. In this book rather than commit suicide he escapes in an ingenious plan leaving behind a body double's corpse (hence the need to burn the corpse so it is unidentifiable).

The escaping party is then tracked by a specialist Russian force which is mostly what the book involves. Tossed in is an American main character Beau Valentine who seems to serve no real purpose other than filler.

It was an alright story, extra points for originality however the dullness in the middle had my mind wandering and taking regular breaks from reading to maintain concentration. The ending was reasonable however the epilogue took it a bit into absurd territory.½

Great character, great setting..ok lags a bit in the middle so half a star off. But otherwise a great story.½

The latest, longest and best of Heywood's Grady Service, woods cop, mysteries. Not to be missed!½

What a disappointment. I was really looking forward to reading this after enjoying Ice Hunter, the first mystery in this series. But I couldn't even get through the first third of this. It was like it was written by a different person.

Really liked this character, the secondary characters and the descriptions of everything this guy has to do in his day to day job. The mystery was good too. Glad I found this author! I look forward to reading more in this series.

Really liked this character, the secondary characters and the descriptions of everything this guy has to do in his day to day job. The mystery was good too. Glad I found this author! I look forward to reading more in this series.

What a disappointment. I was really looking forward to reading this after enjoying Ice Hunter, the first mystery in this series. But I couldn't even get through the first third of this. It was like it was written by a different person.

These stories are set in the woods of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Most were quite short and feature protagonists who are conservation enforcement officers.The tone of most was very ironic. The protagonists are often flawed in some way but open to bending the rules somewhat if the circumstances seem to warrant that. Many of the offenders are quirky, even a little dumb. The dangers of this job were highlighted as were the harsh conditions under which these officers work. Heywood is great with dialogue, although some of the police slang was a bit hard to follow.
I particularly liked the humor in "Airzilla", a story about a daredevil pilot and his rookie spotter. "Funnest Man Ever" was also quite funny, about a group of retarded people who may or may not have plotted the death of another retarded adult. Several of the protagonists were female: "Cuffed to a Truck, Left to Die" was an excellent example of how competent and plucky many of these female characters are. My favorite in the collection was the last story, "Dancing for the Dead", which consisted of two seemingly unrelated stories, one about the shooting death of an officer who trained a lot of others and a shootout where another officer kills a person. These two narratives link up in a surprising way at the end.

I was given a copy of this book by a friend who knows the author. I found it an interesting account of short tales of Conservation Officer experiences, laced with law enforcement and local upper peninsula jargon of which I was not familiar. Heywood knows his territory and writes well. I will put him on my short list to explore his more familiar genre of mystery work.

I live in the U.P., so I thought this would be a fun and easy read. I didn't seem to care about the characters, nor could I keep them all straight. I think the use of the "yooper" dialect is over the top. I will try another, but not great.

I did't enjoy as much as "Snowfly". This was more of a murder mystery. I read this one for book club. I will read more of Joseph Heywood½

Started to read this for book club but, not enough copies to go around. I read it anyway. Not really a typical mystery but, bery intriguing. Fantasy story about fly fishing and mythical fly that hatches only every 10 years but, draws monster fish. I had a hared time putting this one down.

Couldn't finish. Everything sounded promising--interesting cop, wild, cold Michigan landscape, bad guys, but it didn't draw me in. Dialogue too manly?

This book takes us back to 1975 - the beginnings of our Heroes story. The usual crisp writing, vivid picture of the UP and strange and quirky characters of the UP. He goes undercover in search of fish poachers and uses his Marine recon skills. He looks into the face of what his dad was and has to decide if he is going that way too. Another great read with the opportunity to fill in some more lost spaces of a 33 year career.

“Omnes una manet nox” The same night awaits us all - Horace
When I read this book the first time I thought once again an author is getting tired of the series and blows it up… kind of like G.M. Ford or the “Who” breaking and instrument at the end of a concert. Reading it again after a couple years does not dampen the story. It’s a personally tragic story, filled with anger, thoughts of revenge, and moving on. The Author still holds many federal authorities in contempt or rather points out there arrogance and thinking they always no better. The plot is interesting and does not necessarily go where you think it will. As a Canoeist who has been there, I loved our main characters travel to the “Irish Wilderness Area” and the “Eleven point” river in Missouri. The characters he meets there – officials and the people who live there were great. Again the Author is “spot on” with the description of the area and its people. The Authors connections between these little pockets of truly rural America are perspective and fit my own experience i.e. – the UP and rural Missouri or rural Arizona, Indiana ect. While writing this review I noticed there is a new book, that I have not read, (lucky me) so it will be interesting to see where this goes. There are a couple of chapters I really enjoyed. The following is bits of chapter 36 - a conversation “Grady” has, doing some follow up research work with a fellow lost investigator soul in the wilds of Arizona…. “The colors of the landscape ranged from black to orange and ochre….the game trail continued eastward and, reaching the crest of the second steep hill, he looked down into a valley with hundreds of saguaro…. The trail led into the middle of the giant plants…. A man sat cross-legged on a blanket in the shade of the shelter… Perez? He greeted the man. “Service”…. The man took a gold shield out of his pocket and hung it around his neck. It read CBP BORDER PATROL, PATROL AGENT PEREZ… drink the man said…. This is called “nuwait”…… Grady said – she also said you seemed reluctant… the man smiled “occupational lockjaw” this job, it sometimes pulls our lips tight, yes? Too much time alone, perhaps” Service understood…..Perez got two bowls from a soft pack beside him and scooped something from the pot over the fire…”Mesquite beans, barley, corn, cholla buds, and hot peppers,” he said “the peppers heat the inside to reduce the difference with the heat outside.” The soup was thick and distinctive…. When the soup was gone Perez gave Grady a pancake like thing that had been sitting on a rock in the sun….he poured and orange looking syrup on it…. he said I don’t know the name of this food in English… I have eaten it since I was a child… the syrup is taken from the fruit of the Saguaro…. The syrup had a fig strawberry taste to it… sweet but not over powering…The chapter goes on with this type of story line… Grady and Perez find out they have a lot more in common then there job. The author also paints wonderful pictures as I have said before of rural Missouri and of course the UP. There is just some sad wistfullness too. Dreams that won't be met... Grady is back in Missouri... 'All y'all better get at thim pies before they cool too much,' she said. 'Mama on of the twins said, 'I think she got a bigger piece thin me' 'Did not ,' the other girl said with a big grin. 'Kids,' Fiannula Sparo said with a big grin. 'Little kids, little problems;big kids big problems. I expect it never ends for parents.' Grady Service thought:something I will never know.... me too brother.

Great Series continues- interesting read - the UP Michigan comes to life. Poachers - bears and a son oh my...

Blue wolf? Like a white Buffalo... Eco bombers? Weird federal agents...Our hero gets a promotion. If you like C.J. Box you will like Joe Heywood.

Diamonds in the UP? Interesting story line and plot. Better than average. First book in Series. Our hero protecting the wilderness with skills he learned from his Dad and from the Marines. Lots of interesting reoccurring characters.

#1 in the Woods Cop mysteries featuring conservation officer Grady Service on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Someone is starting small fires in the Mosquito Tract area of Service’s patrol region—a largely uninhabited wilderness area near and dear to his heart, as it was to his father before him. Anyone attacking “the Skeet” is going to have a fight on their hands, and Grady pulls out all the stops to find out what’s going on—while learning quite a few things that even he didn’t know about the area. I figured out a lot of things early on—not that I’m a genius or anything—part of it is given away by the title and the cover photo. LOL The story ended up being fairly predictable, with both the mystery of the fires as well as the dead body found at one scene, a relative of the notorious poacher Limpy Allardyce, who is the patriarch of a thoroughly despicable family residing in Grady’s area. There were no surprises with Grady’s personal life either. Grady Service pretty much eats, breathes and sleeps his job, living in a ramshackle hut with his cat, and working far more hours than he bills the state for. This is one of those series that came up from Amazon’s recommendations because I rated Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire series so highly. Well, Grady Service is no Walt Longmire and Joseph Heywood’s writing style didn’t capture me like Craig Johnson’s did. The dialogue seemed to be somewhat stilted and unrealistic at times and by the time I was two-thirds done with the book, I just wanted to be finished with it. And I did finish this book, but I’m not terribly eager to read the next one, and am, in fact, a bit disappointed that I recently spent a PBS credit for it. I’m thinking I may well just re-list it. This book is by no means horrible, but I’ve got no time for mediocre these days.

A mystery surrounding by flyfishing. If you love flyfishing and mysteries its a good read, if you don't, you'll find it tedious.

This is my very favorite WWII novel. The plot is ingenious and the ending will amaze, astonish, and shock you. The climax of the book provides a most satisfying ending--if only Hitler had received his comeuppance as he does here. It's too bad that no one ever made a movie out of this book.