It’s been five years since the last Josie Gray mystery from Tricia Fields, the Hillerman Award-winning author. The Drummers was worth waiting for. It’s a ripped from the headlines, riveting story. It might still be a little too timely for some readers, but the book zeroes in on the reasons lost people might be attracted to a cult.
Josie Gray, Artemis, Texas police chief, has a powder keg on her hands. Her small police force of three isn’t large enough to handle enormous problems. A group calling themselves The Drummers has purchased a church in downtown Artemis. The twenty-one members of the group moved in, blacking out windows and refusing to send the children to school. When Josie goes to welcome them to town, Gideon, the group’s leader, says they’re a commune, hoping to buy land in West Texas. They don’t make themselves popular when the local townspeople complain some of the young boys are out goose stepping and throwing Nazi salutes.
When the electricity in the area goes out in the area, Josie doesn’t expect trouble until the representative of the power company takes her to the site of a substation and shows that the transformers were shot. Power is out in a 40,000 square mile area. Josie suspects The Drummers might be involved, not quite as peaceful as they attest. But, she has no legal reason to get into the church, until a waitress shows photos of a parolee from the group, carrying a gun. She hopes a warrant for his arrest will be met with success.
However, she’s prepared for violence. She requests help from the Sheriff’s Department. Even though they’re forced to break down the door, they’re not the ones that start shooting. But, she’s not prepared for Gideon’s claim that a teenage girl is dead, and Josie’s shots killed her. The Drummers claim to not use technology. Why is his accusation all over the Internet?
No one wants another Waco in Texas, but Josie calls in federal law enforcement. It’s only then that she learns the background of The Drummers and a story of domestic terrorism.
As I said, it’s been five years since the last Josie Gray mystery. Too long. This is an intriguing fast-paced story. Readers of Steven Havill’s bordertown mysteries will want to read this book. And, there’s no reason you can’t start with The Drummers.
Tricia Fields’ website is https://www.triciafields.com/
The Drummers by Tricia Fields. Severn House, 2021. ISBN 9780727892478 (hardcover), 240p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I received a .PDF to review for a journal.
I find it amazing that there are still authors like this who have written five or six books in a series, that I have never heard of before this. Will have to look for the first one.
Jeff, exactly! Me, too.
And, quite often I haven’t heard of books or authors, and it’s my job!
And, a Hillerman Award winner, Jeff!
That is what I was thinking also! I just requested the first three from my library.
This is a fantastic series. I am hoping Dallas gets this read. They have banned both Scott and I from putting in customer requests for any title because we have exceeded some arbitrary number of books checked out. Not Requests. Books checked out. So, my request for this and the new Howard Owen that came out two or three months ago were voided and they do not seem to be doing either one on their own. To say I am annoyed would be an understatement.
Oh, Kevin! Read faster and return those books!
There is a limit to how many books you can check out??? Seems a library thrives on circulation numbers…
Happy Easter, Lesa, and everyone!
Thank you, Jennifer! I hope you had a happy Easter!
My mother’s brother’s family got involved in a worldwide cult that started in Minnesota. Now I have reading about cults on my avoid list along with books about serial killers.
My uncle and aunt came to the family reunion and tried to introduce all the relatives to it. I remember the books they used. Every one there was puzzled and worried about the cult at the reunion. I found out later that the oldest son was shunned. The worst memory that I have of it is when the two daughters came to my mother’s house and tried to pressure her to join. My mother called after they left (they were there for four hours). My mother cried and cried about them trying to push her into something that they did not want to join. Now, it is something that none of us talk about; Much like a family nightmare. The oldest son died later on, my imagination runs wild with the scrapes of information about him. After my aunt died, my uncle took off with a woman the family could not find him. He had Alzheimer’s at the time. The rest of the children do not talk about the cult, but I read something more about it today. The leader is in prison for at least 33 years, and he ruined the lives of some young women.
Plenty of material for a book and many dark family secrets. That is the reason that I do not read about cults. What I do know turns my stomach.
I don’t blame you one bit, Carolee. Too close to home.
Yes, there is a limit to how many. It used to be 100. Than the pandemic hit and they took the limit off once they reopened to curbside pickup. We are still only curbside pickup. I currently have 137 titles checked out (hangs head in shame).
Suddenly, this past week they voided several book requests citing this new rule.
I suspect the real factor is the various budget cuts that are planned for the new year starting October 1 and the fact they have been told to trim things a little bit this current year. The state of Texas has been steadily cutting funding, as did the feds under the former guy who shall not be named. It is clear the state is not going to replace any of their cuts let alone boost funding as those in charge want to go back to sometime in the 1800s. All of that and the way local sales tax dollars are right now, coupled with the destruction of an entire branch last February when the cold weather and all hit, storm damage at other locations, and the repair costs due to the severe storms last fall, adding pandemic safety stuff at branches so they can reopen to limited patron use, and other stuff all means they are on an unofficial book buying hold.
Well, Kevin, I just might have to pack up a box and send it to Texas now and then. That’s terrible about all the budget cuts. I’m glad you’re getting this book, though!
137 books!! I,’m glad I’m not one of the people on the waiting list for one of those books.
I don’t know about Kevin’s system, Kaye, but in ours and in Columbus’, if there’s someone waiting on it, you can’t renew it. So, Kevin would have to take it back when he tried to renew it. Here, I watch my list, and if someone is waiting, I either take it back immediately, or I read it next so I can get it back for the next person.
And this book is in the system now and I am NUMERO UNO on the hold list. Exactly where I belong. 🙂
This is Tricia – thanks for hanging in there to get my book!!! And thanks to you and Lesa for all the great book reviews through the years!
Thank you, Tricia, for a terrific book!