A POLICEMAN'S LOT

Hicks shook his head, clearing his mind, and ran around the tent, out into the open. He stood there in the middle of the field, tents pitched all around him, and apart from the sound of the horses in the makeshift corral and the incessant hiss of the rain, all was silent.

Cody, he thought. I’ve got to get to Cody.

It was his last thought as a hand suddenly came up behind him and clamped over his mouth. He didn’t even get a chance to react before a gleaming steel blade opened his throat, sending his life gushing from him in a crimson torrent.

Inspector Frank Parade has his hands full when Buffalo Bill and 500 of his circus employees descend on the Welsh town of Pontypridd to put on Bill’s famous west extravaganza. Murders begin happening immediately and Parade suspects a member of Cody's show is a killer and possibly the trail he's pursuing is leading him to the infamous London "Ripper" murders.

I enjoy stories that feature Wild West heroes and the ones that follow them into the dawn of the 20th century are especially enticing. In A Policeman's Lot, Gary Dobbs partners up Parade and Buffalo Bill making for an enjoyable detecting duo. He does a fine job of bringing the famous Wild West showman to life and his descriptions of Pontypridd, the era, and people sparkle. I'm hoping Mr. Dobbs doesn't leave Frank Parade on the sidelines too long because I'm betting there are more adventures in him. Or, maybe Bill Cody -- there’s an idea worth exploring -- Buffalo Bill as a world-traveling crime-solver.

More reviews: Buddies in the Saddle | Book Style | Chap O'Keefe

7 Questions: Gary Dobbs