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Title: Fantastic Contemporary Western
Review: Hardwater is a hidden gem of a suspense novel set in the contemporary American West. The story opens on a gruesome crime scene, and a journalist intent on sniffing out the identity of a serial killer with a knack for verse.Underneath this murder mystery is an issues novel about the contemporary American West, where native tribes and white farmers battle over water rights, and failed uranium mines sit abandoned in the landscape, to be approached with Geiger Counter in hand.But more than the mystery or the provocative issues, what makes Hardwater such an enjoyable read is its fantastic setting. Hardwater is a world of granite monoliths, tribal customs, and wide open spaces. Fans of Tony Hillerman and John Nichols will eagerly devour this worthy winner of the 2003 George Garrett Prize.
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