Deep House

<b> <i>2022 Free Range Reading</i> </b><br /><br />A book chosen for fun, not part of any project, plan, or list. Mind you, it would have been on my 2022 list had I realized it was going to be published! I have no idea how this got by me for five months. Well, I knew that Mr. King had said he was done writing. But I should have counted the DreadfulWater books—I also knew that he had a contract to write more as part of a deal to get the first couple of them republished under his name, not the pseudonym. <br /><br />I love the community of Chinook. Sheriff Duke Hockney is a particular favourite of mine, as is Cooley Small Elk. I was sorry to see the elder Moses the worse for wear from covid. But the greatest happiness came from the return of Freeway, the cat. She's back, with kittens in tow. Just as Thumps' sometimes girlfriend, Claire, is with her adopted child, Ivory. It's the supporting cast as much as DreadfulWater that truly make these books for me.<br /><br />In actual fact, Thumps is a Sad Sack when it comes to relationships. He seems to think he shouldn't have to put in any effort but still be able to enjoy the good bits: the warm home, the sweet little girl, and the company of her mama. He has Freeway to teach him about taking care of mothers and kittens. About being less selfish in general.<br /><br />As usual, King's sense of humour was delightful. Thumps's internal dialog is frequently ironically entertaining. Could I be lucky enough that Thumps will have further adventures? I'm crossing my fingers, hoping that King will be as unable to truly retire from writing as another King, Stephen King, has been. The words just seem to keep flowing out of that guy, so maybe I can hope the trait goes with the surname? There's only four years difference in their ages, so I have my hopes. We readers are greedy, we always want one more book from our favourites. <br />

Sep 13, 815pm ~~ Well, I did it! I read six mystery novels one right after the other and enjoyed myself immensely!<br /><br />Of course the fact that they were written by Thomas King makes the difference, I'm sure. Don't expect to see this genre popping up in my feeds all the time now.<br /><br />At least not until TK writes another DreadfulWater book. <br /><br />I certainly hope he does that, by the way. I may be at the end of the series as of this date, but I am not ready to say goodbye to Thumps and Chinook!<br /><br />So, what happens in this sixth book? <br /><br />Well, characters from the past come back, and more hotshot corporation people come to town, and did you know there are such things as test facilities for paint?! To see how they hold up to the weather? Okay, I don't know if there really are such things, but there was one here. Seems like a good idea, but it got people in trouble (or dead) this time instead of just giving paint a place to dry.<br /><br />I liked the affectionate smart mouthing between the characters here. But I admit it was a little weird to read a fiction book that mentions COVID. I don't read too many current titles, so this 2022 book with Chinook dealing with the aftermath of the pandemic felt a little odd at first. But after a few chapters so much else is going on that COVID sort of slips off into a quiet corner. Pretty much like in real life. It's still there, but we don't hardly seem to be paying attention to it anymore. <br /><br />I guess that's a good thing?<br /><br />Anyway, I am so glad I listened to my GR friend Wanda and read these books. I know I will come back to them again Someday. And I will be keeping an eye open so I can pounce on number 7 if it should show up! <br /><br />Maybe next year? <br /><br />In the Spring? <br /><br />Please, Mr. King?<br /><br />

Another very good book in this series and a great story/plot line that kept me guessing until the end. <br /><br />Obviously with the topography, rivers, canyons, etc., of Chinook it was easy to hid bodies and dispose of evidence (as detailed in this book and the others in this series) certainly added clues &amp; evidence and made things interesting for Duke Hockney and Thumps to figure things out. Lots of misdirection as well with the three employees from Shield Industries (Martha, Carl and Graham) coming to Chinook to track down Rajan Garza to recover certain items which brought those four to Chinook and were part of this mystery. <br /> <br />As always, Beth, Gabby, Ora Mae, Al, Chintak, Stas, Big Fish, Wutty, added comic relief to varying degrees throughout the series. Cruz, (Rajan's brother), was well, Cruz - getting in the way at times and at others, offering help.<br /><br />And everything worked out in the end for "Thumps" as he and Claire are together and Freeway returned with a nice surprise!<br /><br />All in all, fairly easy reads and a entertaining (can you say that about murder mystery thrillers?) series with enough funny distractions with the other residents of Chinook.

Perhaps I'd rate it closer to 4.5 stars, because I don't know what Thumps sees in that fickle wishy-washy Clare...but that aside, this is easily the best of the DreadfulWater mysteries that I've read to date. It's just the perfect, compelling combination of Christie-style (maybe more Columbo-style) mystery, with soap opera shenanigans &amp; a lovely cast of characters. It's all tied together with a wry &amp; dry sense of humour that hits my sweet spot. This is seriously begging to be adapted into a television series...and at times, it feels like a novelization of a TV series that doesn't exist. I'll be back for future outings.

What can I say, I love the DreadfulWater Mystery series. Thomas King has created a cast of characters as quirky and endearing as Louise Penny's Three Pines characters and as in Donna Leon's Brunetti mysteries. All quick reads. Gotta read in order, I think. Again Thumps DreadfulWaters is unwittingly drawn in to a murder investigation and reluctantly becomes sheriff Duck Hockney's "special deputy". I again read it too quickly, couldn't put it down.

Thomas King has written another winner with this sixth entry of the DreadfulWater mysteries. I love these books, though it’s not the mystery part that attracts me back to the little town of Chinook; it’s the fantastic characters and wonderful dialogue. Thumps DreadfulWater reminds me of the one-eyed man in the land of the blind. He’s the reluctant, laid-back, retired detective that everyone goes to for help and advice. His humorous inner dialogue with himself is one of my favorite things about his character. The only thing that bothers me at all is his on again, off again relationship with Claire. I want to scream at him to just stay away from her. She just drives me up the wall. The other characters are a nice and entertaining mixture of eccentrics and offbeat friends of Thumps. Their interactions with him and each other are the best things about the mysteries. <br />I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to see more of my favorite character, Moses. But, Cooley Small Elk was in the story enough for me to overlook that omission. I recommend this book and the others in the series for anyone who enjoys a mystery with a good dose of humor. <br />

I thoroughly enjoyed this, much more than the previous Dreadful Water mystery I read. I don’t think anyone reads these for the actual mystery but for the characters and wonderful humour. Reading it was a cross between listening to King’s old “Dead Dog Cafe” radio stories and reading the #1 Ladies Detective Agency novels.

I so enjoy reading Thomas King and I really do enjoy reading about Thumps DreadfulWater and the things he gets up to. It is not so much what Thumps gets up to but what every one else gets him involved in. He just wants to lead a quiet life and take his photographs. He has left the life of a policeman behind him and just wants peace and quiet. This is never going to happen for him in the town of Chinook. First the Sheriff Duke Hockney is always deputizing Thumps and making him assist in investigations. <br />In this story a body is found by accident in a hard-to-reach canyon called Deep House. It is interesting how the body is found but I won’t reveal that here. It always amazes me how authors can come up with an idea that makes perfect sense to the reader and to the story line. I guess that is why they are authors, and I am a reader. <br />I was also entertained by the fact that Thomas King included the pandemic we are in as part of his story. It was not an important part but was given a bit of attention. This was through one of the characters dying because of Covid and another character and Thumps himself having recovered from the disease. This was interesting because I listened to a talk by a couple of authors who were certain they would not mention the pandemic in their next books but also wondered if that was a cheat to their readers especially given that their series and story lines are current. This does seem to be a bit of a dilemma for authors. It will be interesting to see what happens with this situation. <br />All the usual characters are present in this story. The big surprise is Freeway, Thumps cat, has come home and come home with a surprise. Life with Claire is still up in the air. The pandemic has had an impact on the businesses in Chinook as it has everywhere, but the people of Chinook are taking things in stride. <br />I enjoyed this story and I like the dry humour that Thomas King uses in his story telling. <br /><br /><br />

Another great read! If we were to play which character would you like to meet in real life I'd have to say it would be Archie. Or Al. I haven't decided.<br />Can't wait to see what happens next!

I love King’s writing and, in particular, his DreadfulWater series. The humour reminds me of my Dad and uncles kibitzing around a kitchen table. There were no « dining rooms » in the Mills households, growing up … instead there was a « table » around which were many chairs and many people who would drink tea and eat Nana’s baking or an Auntie’s baking. In the 80’s coffee became a thing. But the home baking was a fixture. <br /><br />All this to say that King’s humour is nostalgically witty and causes me to laugh out loud. His descriptions are insightful and familiar at the same time. Add to this, King is not stuck in an « era » his settings and references are contemporary. Real time. <br /><br />The man is a gifted story teller. But those of you who read King already know that.