Frenchman Coulee: A Taylor Clemons Mystery (The Taylor Clemons Mysteries) Paperback – November 17, 2017

This review applies to the Taylor Clemons trilogy. Corlan Carlson has done a lot more than his brief Bio tells us. I am one of his disreputable camping buddies. I do not know that he has personally done detective work or thwarted dangerous criminals with wily sleuthing, but he has lived a full life of adventure in Europe and the U.S. He does know a lot of stuff about a lot of things. One thing in which he is an expert is the landscape and history of the Pacific Northwest. He knows every inch of the landscapes he writes about, and his description of them alone is worth reading the book . He has taught Pacific Northwest history for many years. His Taylor Clemons trilogy combines the style of Timothy Eagan’s history of Washington state in the The Good Rain’ with C.J. Box’s game warden Joe Pickett’s pursuit of dangerous wrong-doers. On occasion he adds a bit under-stated humor when you do not expect it, just as he does around the campfire. A good read to experience the "Grand Canyon of the Columbia" with a little added suspense.

Both author Carlson and protagonist Taylor Clemens are happiest knocking about on the hard scrabble of central Washington. Carlson clearly is no stranger to the seamier side of inland life, and artfully spins a dusty tale of corpses, collusion, cantankerous cops, and comely coquettes. With his knack for stumbling onto criminal settings, kibitzing professor Clemens must skirt the sunburned arm of the local law to find out “whodunnit.”Like previous Taylor Clemens episodes, Frenchman Coulee offers up great escapist reading and apt scenic descriptions. In addition, it will likely intrigue hikers, naturalists and others who may want to find adventure in a dry coulee!

I've enjoyed all three of the Taylor Clemons series, but this one was most enjoyable; possibly because of being acquainted with the various characters, so the interplay between them fit the story well. It proceeds at a good pace - doesn't get bogged down or sidelined with inconsequential details. Appreciated that it wasn't full of violence and gore! If you are looking for an entertaining mystery set in a little-known part of Washington State, then this book is for you!

It’s hard to imagine that so many interesting mysteries occur in the drylands of Washington State, but whenever they do, we can count on the fact that Taylor Clemons will be on the scene. Carlson continues to create unique plot lines and leads us not only down the twisting trails that he has hiked many times, but also down those that bring us to a satisfying conclusion to Taylor’s relentless pursuit for answers.