Hunter's Moon

Joining his friend Bud and Bud's sensuous new wife, Jesse, on a hunting expedition, former Special Forces Commando Harry Griffin is forced to kill Bud's stepson when the latter attempts to kill his stepfather. A first novel. $30,000 ad/promo.

A first novel by a former Vietnam vet predictably will feature a hero who is also a vet; however, this fast-paced, violent thriller set in small-town and rural Minnesota also features two other characters who spent time in Nam. The main character is Harry Griffin, a dried-out journalist helping fellow alcoholic pal Bud Maston through a tough time. Against his better judgment, Harry accompanies Bud on an ill-conceived deer-hunting trip; along the way, he meets Bud's new wife, the sensual Jesse (who immediately tempts Harry), and her two troubled teenage children. A tragic shooting occurs on the trip, and the intrigue in a town full of secrets shifts into full throttle, endangering Harry's life. Logan's characters all have skeletons in the closet; blend in a dose of Hemingway-style macho, Ojibwa Indian mystery, and the 12-step philosophy, and Logan sends the whole mixture careening toward a thrilling--if unlikely--ending. Nonetheless, a rousing, edgy first novel with a twist on the typical troubled Viet-vet story that is most satisfying. Joe Collins

Harry Griffin is a Vietnam veteran, recovering alcoholic, and graphic artist for a St. Paul, Minnesota, newspaper. His old friend Bud Maston invites him to a rural lodge for a hunting trip, and Griffin reluctantly accepts. Within 24 hours, Griffin has a passionate coupling with Maston's beautiful but sinister new wife, Jesse, kills Jesse's grown son Chris to prevent Chris from killing Maston, and has a drink for the first time in a decade. Logan's first novel charts Griffin's investigation into Chris's life and the seamy, convoluted events leading up to his accidental death. Although a bit too long, this suspense novel moves at a brisk pace and has well-drawn characters and landscapes. For large fiction collections.
A.J. Wright, Univ. of Alabama, Birmingham
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