No Safe Refuge

Rating:
Summary: A Great Read!
Review: No Safe Refuge is a fascinating story of murder and intrigue set in a small rural Missouri locale during the "Red Scare" following World War I. Looking to solve the mysterious murder of a federal agent sent to uncover subversive groups in the area is our "hero," local sheriff Jim Buckner, who, at first, doubts his investigative abilities. Complicating his uneasiness is his growing awareness that deep-seated animosities and paranoia seem to preoccupy the lives of the town's most influential citizens. Slowly, as he begins to sharpen his investigative skills, Buckner realizes that his laid-back, close-knit community is really a facade hiding deep racial, class, ethnic and ideological divisions. Reminiscent of Jamie Harrison's sheriff Jules Clement in her series set in Blue Deer, Montana, Gibbs has blended mystery, history and local color to produce a novel that is both enjoyable and compelling.

Rating:
Summary: History/Mystery--and it works
Review: This is a 2-for-the-price-of-1 story: a murder mystery with a surprising but credible resolution plus an interesting depiction of a little-known time in American history. (Little-known to me, anyway.)

Set in 1919, the focus is on the mystery and its sheriff hero, a recently wounded vet of World War I. But I found myself more and more interested in the larger tensions related to the murder--labor unrest and the 1st American, rather frantic Communist scare. The depictions of individual miners, rabble-rousers and fat cats are fascinating. There's even a (believable) feminist.

It's an unusual book. I liked it.