Fistful of Rain is a historical, western mystery. Summer 1975 and a culture clash is reaching a boiling point. On one side is an old school sheep rancher. On the other side is a hippie commune. In the middle are a slick lawyer, a high school teacher, hired muscle, and cattle rancher / sheriff Ty Dawson.
Bottom line: Fistful of Rain is for you if you like mystery steeped in period Americana.
Baron Birtcher’s writing style is one of the stand-out features of this Ty Dawson mystery. Narrated by our hero, you pick up the cadence of his speech and, if you’re like me, you can “hear” him speak. It’s like listening to an old friend tell you a story from back in the day. Dawson is a man you can like and respect. He lives by a code of honor, treating the people he serves equally, equitably, no matter his personal opinion. A veteran of the Korean war, a cattle rancher, a cowboy, a husband, and a father. He is not a hippy. But he recognizes the young people not only aren’t breaking any laws, but they are contributing to the economy of Meridian with their businesses. When certain people in town want Ty to run them out, he digs in and stands his ground.
The plot is on the complex end of the spectrum. There is something going on between the Rainbow Ranch and Harper Emory’s neighboring farm. Harper’s taken a beating and he says it’s at the hands of the men at the ranch. Only he can’t identify his attackers. Ty investigates but with no evidence, no charges can be filed. So Emory freelances and things devolve first to arson and then to murder. Investigating isn’t easy between people lying or plain not talking. His gut says there’s something more to it and his gut is rarely wrong.
Fistful of Rain is the second in the Ty Dawson series. I had read Book 3 (Reckoning), Book 4 (Knife River), and Book 1 (California Purples), in that order. It is rare that I come back to the start of a series when I’ve joined mid-stream, but I am very glad I did. Having gotten to know Dawson, his family, and his ranch hands, going back to the beginning has been a treat. The mysteries between the stories are stand-alone. It’s the supporting characters and Double Diamond ranch that matures with each story.
There wasn’t much not to like. As I think about the story in the days since I finished it, I have a question or two about who did exactly what in the end. Ty is true to his character, from beginning to end. The motivation of the bad guy was crystal clear. Exactly how they accomplished it is something I’ll be thinking about for days to come.
With this story, I really came to appreciate the research Birtcher had to do into the cultural and political climate of 1975. It’s one thing for a writer to reference history-book making events like Watergate. It’s another for an author to weave individual threads of pride, distaste, faith, hope, fear, and more to the point where you can see the points of view of each of the characters. Therein lies the complexity Ty Dawson has to navigate.
Overall, this is an excellent series and is a must read for fans of western mysteries and historical/vintage mysteries.
TG Wolff 