The Obituary

4 and ½ stars

We start our story with the exhumation of Laddie Granbouche. It is to be determined if she is the real Etta Place, girlfriend of a famous outlaw. The surprise is that the corpse is not who they expect it to be.

Life moves slowly in little Winchester, Wyoming. Jefferson Morgan, the newspaper editor, just moves along with it. Scrabbling weekly to get his little newspaper out with local stories of stolen hens and missing dogs, Jeff is restless.

Then his new friend a physical anthropologist by the name of Dr. Shawn Cowper from Florida drags him into a thrilling chase into the secrets of Laddie Granbouche.

They soon run into problems with the state DCI agents, especially over a certain death. Then there are the problems with fire and drug dealers.

This book is endearing in parts – perhaps I mean to say funny. The teasing that goes on between Jeff and Shawn is truly enjoyable.

This is a very good book and I really enjoyed it – immensely. I will definitely be looking into more of Ron Franscell’s books.

When a world-renowned forensic anthropologist journeys to Winchester, Wyoming, to examine the long-dead remains of a woman who claimed to be Etta Place -- the Old West's most mysterious and legendary female outlaw -- he's not expecting to find a man's headless corpse in her crypt. The grisly discovery plunges him and Jefferson Morgan -- the editor of the weekly Winchester Bullet -- into a shadowy and deadly world of satellite-savvy highway pirates, rural meth labs, computer hackers and old-fashioned corruption. And they might not survive the fall. In this sequel to his dynamic first mystery, THE DEADLINE, bestselling author Franscell takes readers on another wild ride with protagonist Jefferson Morgan.

I love forensic anthropologist books. I like Jefferson Bass and Kathy Reichs. That said this book definitely kept me guessing. His writing is so descriptive. This book is a guaranteed page turner with the occasional, vocal, slip of the tongue as the mystery unfolds of why a recently buried, headless corpse was found in the unearthed coffin of a woman buried in the 1920's. I really enjoyed this book. It kept me wanting to read more.

This is an awesome mystery from Ron Franscell you really must read this novel, I for one will be reading his back catalogue of books

The first thing I need to tell you is that netgalley provided a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review. The second thing is that I was bound to like it unless it was poorly written, since I'm in the process of moving to Wyoming and am enthralled by any book that provides a good sense of the setting.

Franscell's "The Obitutary," did just that, and it was what I liked best about the book. Jefferson Morgan, the main character, is a newspaperman in the small town of Winchester, Wyoming. A little research on my part indicates that Winchester is actually a ghost town, but the active little town I'm moving to could have served as a template for Morgan's Winchester. As the book opens, a forensic archeaologist is on hand for the disenternment of Butch Cassidy's purported lover's body, and a shocking discovery is made when the grave is opened.

The book moves quickly from scene to scene, and there is a lot of violence. Until the end, it's not quite clear how the separate plots connect, but Franscell doesn't give the reader a lot of time to worry about those ties.

Franscell's writing about Wyoming and its people occasionally verges on the stereotypical, but it is mostly on-point and engaging. The plot weaves the history of the west with the drug problems faced by small, rural towns throughout the U.S. at the moment.

I enjoyed the mysterious aspects of this book - the "who dunnit" was very intricately weaved! So many of the twists and turns were unexpected or perhaps alluded to but then a new angle was taken.
My reading usually involves more psychological dramatics versus criminal and action drama. I can think of several friends who would greatly enjoy this title. Personally, I found it a bit outside of my normal comfort zone but still very much worth the read!

A very well written mystery set in Wyoming. The plot was quite convoluted but there was enough twists and turns to keep me interested. Very detailed characterisation and I loved Morgan, the lead character. The book starts off quite slow with the exhumation of a body but the pace soon picks up as we encounter drug dealers and even a mention of Butch Cassidy! A good psychological thriller set in small town America. Thank you Net galley for my copy. I reviewed on Amazon and Goodreads.

Very likable characters and a great story that will keep you guessing.