A Fine and Private Place

Great read.
Like a hunting Cougar, attracted by an interesting motion, I couldn't stop reading until my curiosity was satiated by the exciting ending.
Factual information on volunteer fire fighters/bee keeping, included within the story line, gave this fictional tale a sometimes unsettling feel of reality, and the Coast Range descriptions were right on the money.

A great story. An ordinary, older, decent man starts picking at a loose thread when his job as a volunteer firefighter lets him hear the last words of the victim of a road accident. Knowing the victim's nature, he cannot see him driving so dangerously he would veer off the road. Could the last words of the dying man, 'umvee' mean he merely was the victim of a hit and run? The truth is much worse.
There is violence but it is somewhat neutrally described, as is a short sexual episode. Women can also enjoy this men's adventure if they (we) can shrug at bad things mentioned but not elaborated.

Not since Ken Kesey's "Sometimes a Great Notion" has a book so successfully captured the intriguing spirit of small community life in Oregon's coastal mountain range. Exciting read!

Enjoyable insight into rural life, beekeeping, and life as an emergency responder and part-time sleuth. The characters were endearing and well-formed. I hope to meet them again in a future installment.