What an absolutely marvelous book which never stops, even with its brief space and short, compact story. The book packs so much punch into such a slim volume and Sallis never disappoints, not once. His books all improve on one another and SARAH JANE is something different all together, a new venture and territory for a seasoned writer.

Sparse writing is not my cup of tea. Story was confusing and not very interesting. Not sure if this is his usual writing style, but it doesn't entice me to read more.

James Sallis has been my reading companion for years, from his Lew Griffin noir series, through the stunning "Drive" and "Driven" pair, to his increasingly oblique recent lit-noir offerings. He writes with a wonderful literary yet spare style. "Sarah Jane," his latest, promises plenty with its tale of a female sheriff with a baroque past investigating her ex-boss's disappearance, but alas, the reputational allure is misplaced. Sallis's last half dozen books have increasingly had skating, baffling plots (baffling, even, I have to say, to someone who loves to be mentally tested). "Sarah Jane" is a plot mess and although I revelled in the poetic language, the storyline flopped again and again and again. For completists only.

This review appears in Murder by the Book's blog:

James Sallis wrote some of the best mystery novels I’ve ever read: his Lew Griffin series. His books are brought to life by his understanding of human nature and his poetic writing. Also, apparently Sallis can write from any point of view and sound credible. Lew Griffin was a black private investigator. The eponymous star of “Sarah Jane” is a white woman. He takes her from her teenage years to middle age.

“Sarah Jane” is told from Sarah Jane’s perspective. It is full of her pensive thoughts and softly evasive storytelling. Time goes back and forth but that allows the many revelations to occur in their appropriate places. It allows Sallis to meander us down his path.

This is what Sarah says at the beginning: “My real name is Sarah Jane Pullman.” Sarah also adds:

I grew up in a town called Selmer, down where Tennessee and Alabama get together and kind of become their own place, in a house that spent the first sixteen years of my life getting ready to slide down the hill, which it did right after I left.

Scenes in the Middle East appear and we begin to realize a significant part of Sarah’s history: She was in the military and saw action. So, later when she becomes a cop, it is not such a stretch to imagine that. Yes, I gave away something she does not reveal until maybe half way through the book. The hefty prelude to that part of her story has her meandering through various towns, all the way to, at least, New Mexico, where she took cooking jobs. There were diners and some fancier places, some places where she was bossed and some places where she was the boss. Men go in and out of her life, but it is a solitary journey she eventually takes to the point where she becomes a deputy.

It’s hard to say where Sarah eventually washes up, maybe in Tennessee, somewhere near the capital. She's not in a small small town — maybe a big small town. It’s rather vague but then specificity is not required.

It turns out Sarah is good at her job as a deputy. Part of it is having a good boss, Cal Phillips. Then one day, Cal disappears. All the interesting but tidy stories of life in town disappear. She becomes the acting chief of police, despite herself. Did she have something to do with Cal’s disappearance? Is her narrative disingenuous? Was Cal getting too close to fully discovering her past?

I have to say that if you are looking for a traditional mystery, this ain’t it. Maybe not all your questions will be answered. Come for the story, stay for the writing. For instance:

The ancient tree by the town square, given up for dead most every year before it pushed out delinquent sprigs of green, was filling with leaves.

And when Sarah and another deputy check out a bar fight:

[The men were] swearing and giving forth declarations of what they were going to do to each other, an entire bar fight waged in the future tense, as though they’d caught strains of some futuristic affliction from the toys and models [decorating the UFO-themed bar] surrounding them.

And:

We can’t ever know how others see the world, can’t know what may be rattling around in their heads: loose change, grand ideas, resentments, pennies from the fountain, spiffed-up memories, codes and ciphers.

“Sarah Jane” is a beauty of a book. It is storytelling essence. It celebrates a joy of words and reminds us of the definition of strength.

Fans of fast-paced airport thrillers may be left adrift by the storytelling of James Sallis, but those with a penchant for character-centric tales full of exquisite prose, damaged people and musings on the human condition should add him to their reading list. Sallis is one of those ‘hidden gems’ of the crime genre, a master of noir who penned the story behind Ryan Gosling film Drive. His latest, SARAH JANE centres on the titular heroine, who becomes sheriff for a southwestern American town and investigates the disappearance of her predecessor.

A deep character study of a woman with a troubled life, this is a mesmerising novel about people and place. While searching for answers, Sarah Jane’s resume unfurls, from her humble chicken farm beginnings through a court-ordered Army stint, violent relationships and hardscrabble jobs, and deep personal tragedy. A story of grief and tenderness, of despair and hope. Sallis is like an elite boxer, knocking readers out with a barely seen uppercut rather than eye-catching haymakers. Seemingly effortless; efficient, brutal, and beautiful.

I'm going to have to admit that I didn't know who James Sallis was, but I've since learned that he has written many books and was one was turned into that famous Gosling movie, Drive (that I haven't watched).

I requested this ARC on a whim and have no idea how to describe it, but its raw and tender humanity gripped me. Poetic, existential noir minus a conventional crime plot. Vivid characters--Sarah Jane is such a distinctive voice--and a fine slice of small-town America. Class and gender and subtly-woven in radical politics. Superbly written.

Sarah Jane is the first book by James Sallis that I have read. It is a riveting story full of mystery. Readers have to feel sorry for Sarah Jane's home life with a primarily absent mother and disinterested father. When the judge sentences her to jail or military service for a crime that readers do not know, Sarah Jane chooses military service. Then she finds herself in the Middle East, a life-threatening situation, to say the least. After drifting about, she becomes a police officer in a small town and then becomes the sheriff. Sallis explores the lives of ordinary people and he captures the misery and anguish as well as little kindnesses of people. That part reminds me of "tender mercies." The story kept my attention throughout and I will definitely seek out other books by Sallis. Sarah Jane is a book to remember and to share.

From a chaotic upbringing and uneven career path to a small town cop, Sarah Jane is a brilliantly drawn, complex and fascinating protagonist from Wallis, a masterful writer whose talent sparkles like a faceted gemstone in this absorbing novel. When her boss disappears, she Is appointed Defacto sheriff,and her first task is to find out what happened to him , which requires her to learn more about the man he was and the secrets he kept. The denouement is unexpected,, which is classic Sallis, a twist you didn't see coming.

James Salis the master of noir. Sarah Jane is a fast paced small town crime novel. Sarah is left to become sheriff after the real sheriff disappears. Neat and clean Salis nails the crime genre. Highly recommended.

Full disclosure: I’ve been a fan of James Sallis’s writing for a very long time. Loved his biography of Chester Himes, the Lew Griffin series, all of his standalones. With SARAH JANE he has continued a career-long hot streak. This is the story of Sarah Jane, reluctant sheriff of a relatively unremarkable small town. The story at first seems to be unconnected vignettes, but by the third act we the readers will discover how Sallis created a wonderful tapestry right before our very eyes. This novel is populated with beautiful language, deeply flawed but human characters, and Sallis’skeen insights. Highly recommended.

A tense pulp noir without a single wasted word. We follow the titular Sarah Jane through good and bad until she somehow ends up as a small town Sheriff.

Not your typical Hollywood cop journey, this is all about character.