The Old Gray Wolf by James D. Doss

The MRB boys have a soft spot for modern day western mysteries - Craig Johnson (Longmire), CJ Box (Joe Pickett), and the king of them all, Tony Hillerman. Ever since Hillerman's death, I've looked for another author that weaves Native American culture as well as he. While picking up a book at the library, I struck up a conversation with the lady looking at the New Fiction rack. She suggested looking into Doss and his main character, Charlie Moon, a Ute tribal investigator. I quickly learned that Doss has 19 books about Charlie Moon and decided he was worth a look see.

The Old Gray Wolk is a pretty simple tale. A sleazy drifter is wandering through Southern Colorado and snatches a purse from a lady coming out of a supermarket. Moon and his best friend, Granite Creek Poice Chief Scott Parris are headed back for their car when they hear the lady scream. Scott may be a bit too old to chase down the younger perp so he grabs a can of peas and does his best Crocodile Dundee and brings down the thief with a strike to the head, but then an unfortunate landing on a curb accidently kills the kid . . .

. . . who happens to be the only son of the widow of a Chicago mob boss. And she wants revenge. Wants these two cops to suffer.

Now this was an interesting plotline that included a new-ish PI looking to make her mark in Illinois, and an old Ute lady with a coarse, sarcastic mouth.  The narrative was presented in an entirely new format to anything I've read recently. It's told like an older third person telling a tale from a long time ago. The first paragraph is telling. "No; please do not ask. It would be less than charitable to explain how the unfortunate old soul got tagged with a nickname which suggests froggish features. Ninety-year-old ladies are not without vanity, and are entitled to their privacy." (about Hester "Toadie" Tillman).

I think my less than stellar opinion is related more to the timing of reading this book than it is about this book. I read Doss' leisurely story right after the latest Jack Reacher book, which was bad timing. Too bad. I'll try again.