I discovered Henry Kisor some years ago, and a pleasant experience it has been indeed. I started with his book, "Flight of the Gin Fizz," a tremendously appealing tale of a solo flight across America in a small plane, and of the fascinating people he encountered, not least himself. That lead me to his other works, which I also enjoyed, leaving me waiting his next. A new Kisor book has just been published, "Season's Revenge". To my surprise, the book is a crime novel, a most excellent one, and unlike anything else Kisor has done. Still, Kisor, outside of his own writings, is perhaps best known as a book critic of mystery novels.
The book proved a gratifying read. Being a long time fan - as is obvious - of Kisor's work, none the less "Seasons' Revenge" is a treat. Let me be honest. I read few mysteries, save Tony Hillerman, which really are rather what I am told are considered police procedurals rather than mysteries of the classic Agatha Christie style.
Kisor's hero, Deputy Steve Martinez, is a recently hired Lakota Sioux sheriff's deputy in Da UP, Michigan's remote Upper Peninsula to those not from the Midwest. Martinez, raised in upstate New York, is escaping a failed romance and trying to start a new life.
The novel opens with the discovery of a grisly death scene of a local stalwart of the community, killed in a vicious bear attack. Though the death seems to clearly be nothing more than a tragedy of events, Martinez is dissatisfied. Things just don't quite add up. Yet, he really has nothing to go on, nothing to point at.
Keeping his dissatisfaction to himself, Martinez keeps his ears and eyes open as the UP eases from Fall into Winter, largely becoming cut off from the outside world. A developing romance with the local historian proves both satisfying to Martinez (and the reader) as well as filling Martinez in on the background of the community and the players of the story.
The local community, largely Finnish, have still not entirely managed to put the Great Depression and a major community conflict behind them. Kisor brings a fascinating bit of history to light here largely unknown outside the UP. It seems that during the 30's a significant number of UP residents of Finnish descent were invited to emigrate to the then Soviet Republic of Karelia, bringing the technology of modern lumbering with them. A number of men accepted, and in doing so created a considerable amount of rancor among the UP Finns, some supporting them as being men looking for a better life and others reviling them as Communist stooges. The aftermath of this failed gambit leaves people in the UP unreconciled to this day.
The plot is a clever mix of old wounds and modern passions that Martinez uncovers and sorts out in his unofficial and indeed rogue detective work. At the same time, his personal life gets more and more entwined with plot developments. All are deftly wrapped up at the conclusion, leaving the reader well satisfied. Kisor does the reader the favor of actually continuing the book several chapters after the denouement, sorting out the personal details of the protagonists to the reader's considerable pleasure. A nice touch indeed, compared to the usual practice of dumping of the reader prematurely.
I sincerely hope this appealing book is the first of a long series.
