Copper Kettle: An Ike Schwartz Mystery

Set in 1920, Ramsey’s satisfying prequel to his contemporary Ike Schwartz series (The Vulture, etc.) provides fascinating details of a soldier’s life during WWI. Jesse Sutherlin has returned to his home on Buffalo Mountain in Virginia as a war hero. His experiences in the trenches have changed him, setting him apart from his hill-folk kin. He no longer shares their shoot-first-ask-questions-later attitude. When his shell-shocked army buddy and cousin, Solomon McAdoo, is found shot to death near the illegal still owned by Jesse’s grandpa Big Tom McAdoo, trouble starts brewing. The McAdoos grab their guns and are ready to wreak vengeance on their longtime rivals, the Bruin clan. Jesse intercedes, telling his bellicose relatives that proof is needed before any bullets fly. Big Tom gives him four days to find Solomon’s killer. It’s a genuine pleasure to read a story of detection that depends purely on observation and logical deduction to reach its conclusions. (Feb.)