Circles in the Snow: A Sheriff Bo Tully Mystery

In humorist McManus’s sleepy sixth and final Bo Tully mystery (after 2013’s The Tamarack Murders), the sheriff of rural Blight County, Idaho, and his ex-sheriff father, Pap, find the body of rancher Morgan Fester, known for philandering and shooting eagles, in a snowbank, shot in the back with an arrow. The unpopular Fester was killed around the time his free-spirited, bird-loving wife headed to Mexico for the winter. The murder investigation pointedly lacks urgency, tension, or conflict, though the author’s storytelling skills remain strong. McManus focuses mainly on the disillusionment of his hero, who can no longer go along with the “Blight Way,” a concept that allows “a certain degree of elasticity in the execution of legal matters.” Still, series fans will appreciate this affectionate send-off, which closes with a career retrospective of Sheriff Tully from the local paper, the Silver Tip Miner. [em](June) [/em]