daverichey March 14th, 2008

TITLE: Chasing The Hunter’s Dream
AUTHOR: Jeffrey Engel, Sherol Engel & James A. Swan
PUBLISHER: Collins Publishing

CONTACT:

Collins Publishing
10 E. 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022-5299

WEBSITE: Harper Collins
Other Contacts: Engel Outdoors | James Swan
COST: $19.95 + postage
ISBN: 978-0-06-134382-7 (for bookstore ordering)

Subtitled

1,001 of the World’s Best Duck Marshes, Deer Runs, Elk Meadows, Pheasant Fields, Bear Woods, Safaris. And Extraordinary Hunts

is an accurate but lengthy statement. This hefty 514-page book is amply illustrated with black-and-white photos, maps and sidebar boxes of pertinent information.

The purpose of this book is to offer information on hunting locations around the world. It is a lofty project, based on current economic conditions, but it provides priceless information on hunting equipment, outfitters, safety, recipes, and trophy care of game animals taken around the world.

The three authors collectively have over 100 years of hunting experiences, certainly enough to pool their knowledge into a great how-to, where-to book. They soon discovered that what was lacking in other hunting books was information about hunting destinations.

“Despite the abundance of most game species,” they write, “and the wealth of equipment available to modern hunters, if you haven’t got a place to hunt, then the spirit of the hunt will wane, dilute the great conservation efforts that are underway, and dim the future of this noble pursuit.”

This book was designed to fill that void, covering the entire range of hunting destinations, both public and private, from no-cost hunting lands to swank resorts.

Here is expert advice on the best locations to huntbig and small game throughout North America, Mexico, Africa, New Zealand, Asia, Europe and Austrailia.

The many topics covered include: preparing for hunts in different climates and clultures; traveling with firearms on national and international flights; finding trustworthy outfitters, guides and lodges; getting your trophy home from halfway across the world; the ethics and philosophy of hunting for pleasure; favorite wild game recipes, and much more.

My only complaint was its size. If is a handful, and would have been much easier for readers to handle had it been produced in a hardcover format. Nonetheless, the information it contains is well worth the price.

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daverichey March 12th, 2008

TITLE: Strike Dog: A Woods Cop Mystery
AUTHOR: Joseph Heywood
PUBLISHER: The Lyons Press

CONTACT:

The Lyons Press
PO Box 480
Guilford, CT 06437

WEBSITE: Lyons Press
COST: $19.95 + postage
ISBN: 978-1-59921-160-2 (for bookstore ordering)

Joe Heywood has written what I feel to be his best novel.. His characters are born of mixed nationalities found in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula where the names are as difficult to spell as they are to pronounce, but protagonist Grady Service, manages it very well while dealing with a cast of characters as real as any in the North Woods.

Service’s girl-friend and son are killed in a truck accident, and then the story begins to unfold as a Wisconsin conservation officer is killed in brutal fashion. This book has more twists and turns than most U.P. back roads, and Service is drawn into the investigation even before he has a chance to mourn his personal losses and that of the Wisconsin officer who was his friend.

The FBI enters the case and Service us thrust into a less-than-friendly working relationship with a female FBI agent. She informs Service soon after a Missouri officer is killed that a serial killer, one who has now killed game wardens in every continental state except Michigan. The killer targets the No. 1 fish cop in each state, and a list is recovered and they soon learn Grady Service’s name is the only remaining person to be kiled.

This is a roller-coaster ride of suspense, a touch of trout fishing, and an ingenious plot that keeps readers guessing until the last few pages. Service becomes the Strike Dog – the lead officer — into a deadly possible confrontation with the killer. He is backed up by his Vietnam partner and an agent from Missouri.

The story line is crisp and clean, as is Heywood’s wonderful writing, and some of the characters enter and leave the story as the case develops. It is a guaranteed page-turner, and it kept me up all night. Service, trained under grueling conditions in Nam, begins the tracking of a killer who uses a method developed over decades, and it took Service to figure out who the killer was, and how he operates. The final result, the last twist is this book, comes with some help from an unlikely source.

Heywood weaves in just enough fishing information, and woods lore, that allows the reader to fully understand that this man may be sitting in a warm room when he writes his books, but his heart and soul is in the Upper Peninsula, a place he dearly loves. This is the fifth in a critically acclaimed series of Woods Cop mysteries.

This is a book that any outdoorsman will enjoy, and it points out in clear detail why Michigan’s conservation officers (and those of the other states) need more help from their respective state governments. This tale is set in Michigan, as are the others, and readers will recognize many locations if they read closely. It’s a real winner!

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