Last Thursday the book club discussed the new book Cripple Creek by James Sallis. [Here's a pix of James from his website.] Cripple Creek is the second book by Sallis to feature a world-weary small town deputy named Turner living near Memphis, Tennessee who is rebuilding his life. And truth be told--Sallis didn't win over new readers to his books that night with this title.
Although critically well-received, Sallis' novel jumps around like a toad (the story is interrupted with flashbacks) and the narrative is not easy follow. As it turns out, Turner has had several previous lives an a Vietnam War vet, a cop in Memphis, a prision inmate and a therapist. And those lives blur at times.
One book clubber read the book and decided to reread it to get a better understanding while another decribed it as forgettable after finishing. Another read the first book to feature Turner in Cypress Grove and described the second book as very similiar. I somehow got the impression she preferred the first one though. I had mixed feelings about the book and found its appeal somewhat limiting.
Sallis does give the reader a modest story in detail (really, a crime story of revenge) with neat doses of atmospheric text involving a layered character.
And truth be told, I guardedly recommended this series to a library patron and he said he'd give the first book a try. He was interested in a character-driven book.
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