Dr. Greer’s favorites of 2015: The Valley, The Sundown Speech

John Renehan’s The Valley is a top shelf thriller – part mystery novel, part action novel and a classic puzzler.  It’s a glimpse into the turmoil that American GIs faced in Afghanistan, and it has numerous similarities to Tom O’Brien’s more epic Vietnam War novel, The Things They Carried.

“Lieutenant Black” is sent up country via convoy. to investigate the shooting of a goat, and runs into a shroud of secrecy, secrecy that puts the entire outpost at risk.  (More detail in the audio below.)

  My second favorite mystery novel of 2015 is The Sundown Speech, by Loren D. Estleman, featuring the crusty here Amos Walker – always sharp-tongued, quick-witted, and 1955 Chevy crankface crotchety.  This book takes Walker from his native Detroit to the granola-lined, tree-hugging streets of Ann Arbor.

The story contrasts the Motor City with its green energy counterpart, a dichotomy that is perhaps the most interesting part of this hard-boiled detective novel.  In the end Estleman leaves behind a glimmer of hope for the Rust Belt of America.  (More detail in the audio posted below.)

Robert Greer's radio review of John Renehan's “The Valley” and Loren D. Estleman's “The Sundown Speech”