Tue 19 Nov 2013
Reviewed by Allen J. Hubin: JOHN R. RIGGS – Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing.
Posted by Steve under Bibliographies, Lists & Checklists , Characters , Reviews[4] Comments
Allen J. Hubin
JOHN R. RIGGS – Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing. Dembner Books, hardcover, 1989. Jove, paperback reprint, 1993.
Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing is the first of John R. Riggs’ five novels about Garth Ryland I’ve read, and on this evidence I’ve missed four previous treats.
Ryland publishes a weekly newspaper in the small Wisconsin town of Oakalla. Here he’s concerned about Diana, whom he loved and lost to English professor Devin LeMay. She and LeMay went to a cabin somewhere in northern Minnesota and both are overdue to return.
His anxiety mounting, Garth checks out LeMay’s home (vacant, but with one most peculiar room, and watched over by a lovesick neighbor) and the one-time local resident who owns that Minnesota cabin. These trails lead to fearsome territories.
Solid suspense, atmosphere thick enough to cut and package, vivid characters. Memorable stuff.
Vol. 12, No. 4, Fall 1990.
The Garth Ryland series —
1. The Last Laugh (1984)
2. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie (1986)
3. The Glory Hound (1987)
4. Haunt of the Nightingale (1988)
5. Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (1989)
6. One Man’s Poison (1991)
7. Dead Letter (1992)
8. A Dragon Lives Forever (1992)
9. Cold Hearts and Gentle People (1994)
10. Killing Frost (1995)
11. Snow on the Roses (1996)
12. He Who Waits (1997)
13. The Lost Scout (1998)
14. Nothin’ Short of Dyin’ (2011)
15. After the Petals Go (2012)
Editorial Comment: For a local newspaper story on John R. Riggs and his resumption of the Garth Ryland series after a lapse of 12 years, go here.
November 19th, 2013 at 3:26 pm
I don’t know how many of the books in the series came out in paperback, but I bought them all as soon as they came out. You’ve heard this story many times before, so I warn you. Here it comes again: No, I haven’t read any of them, though I’ve always meant to.
This old review of Al’s makes the chances a whole lot higher, which is why I reprinted it: just to remind me.
November 19th, 2013 at 5:47 pm
On the ‘you can’t judge a book by its cover or rear cover copy’ front, I’ll check this out. They looked like cozies, and I’ve been stung before.
November 19th, 2013 at 6:22 pm
That cover does look a little cutesy, doesn’t it? I was basing my statement in comment #1 on the the last line in Al’s review, but I went searching online for other reviews.
I didn’t find many, but this one I found useful, since the reviewer begins with quotes from other big name reviewers:
http://bookshopblog.com/2011/09/19/no-84-haunt-of-the-nightingale-best-100-mysteries-of-all-time/
“When it is all over, the situations and characters linger in the mind, which means that The Last Laugh is the work of a writer with real imagination.†Newgate Callendar, New York Times.
“along with his keen appreciation of the outdoors, Riggs’ unsentimental insights into his small-town neighbors make this a stand-out series,†Marilyn Stasio Mystery Alley (She later took on the mystery section of the Sunday New York Times as reviewer
“Garth Ryland is an exemplary series hero, proving more interesting in each appearance . . . Ryland has a many threaded plot to unwind (The Glory Hound); that he does so while remaining the tale’s main attraction measures Riggs’ skill as a writer as well as storyteller.†Publisher’s Weekly
The praise was for his entire series up until this book, and it’s well deserved. I came across Garth Ryland at some point before working at the bookstores. When in the position of being able to support my favorite authors, John R. Riggs was one of the first I thought of. His work is deceptively simple. Easy short prose, nothing fancy, no grandiose wanderings, simple story telling with compelling characters, solid settings, and a protagonist that is more complicated than his outer appearance would suggest.
November 20th, 2013 at 8:03 am
If this will help, let me say you should definitely read them. I discovered this series in 1993 and read the first seven books in a month. Yes, they have sort of a cozy feel as far as the setting goes – small town newspaper man, everyone knows each other, etc. – but the crimes are anything but cozy. I read the first dozen and have #13 at hand, but I didn’t realize the series had resumed. I’ll have to reorient myself to Oakalla and catch up.
And yes, you need to read them in order.