Official Review: The Legend of Deputy Jim

Anirudh Badri · Post by **Anirudh Badri** » 06 Dec 2019, 07:04

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Legend of Deputy Jim" by Dan E. Hendrickson.]

4 out of 4 stars

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The Legend of Deputy Jim, by Dan E. Hendrickson, details the actions of Sheriff Deputy Jim Edwards in Wyoming as he deals with the menace of a ruthless biker gang called the Wild Wolves. It feels like a cross between a detective and an action story.

Many years after the events take place, Major Joe Mason narrates the tale to young, interested members of the local community. In 1972, Jim Edwards was a 21-year-old boxer who was already famous for his exploits in the boxing ring. Unwilling to spend long months away from his wife Linda and his 3-year-old son Jacob, he abandons his plans of joining the military and decides to join the Sheriff’s department instead. Before he even officially joins, he encounters a stand-off between Sheriff George Manning and the local biker gang that he manages to resolve with some quick thinking. While no one is seriously injured, his actions earn the enmity of a biker named Grinder. Once Jim starts off as a deputy, he is mentored by Al Freeburger, a legend in law enforcement circles who sees that Jim is exceptional at his job but worries that he could get himself hurt. The plot of the book follows Jim and Al as they try to stay one step ahead of the nefarious Wild Wolves biker gang and their seemingly random murders and sexual assaults in the small towns of Wyoming.

While the action in the book and the confrontations are extremely well written, the plot doesn’t suffer for it. It was truly fascinating to see the villains try smokescreen after smokescreen to hide their illicit activities and for our protagonists to see through them with good detective work. The characters too are well fleshed out with quirks and foibles like Jim’s conscientiousness with money and Al’s wide-ranging network. These traits made the characters feel unique and relatable. Finally, the book is extremely well edited and contained almost no errors that I could identify.

My largest issue with the book was the style of storytelling. While this is partly subjective and explained by the fact that it is narrated by a character many years later, I still felt that there was far too much ‘telling’ and not enough ‘showing’. Traits and incidents are simply told to us instead of being painted as a picture that we can imagine. As a result, I felt that the experience was not as immersive as it could have been. In addition, I felt that the amount of detail provided to readers was sometimes excessive which also affected immersion.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed the story and felt a connection with the characters. The plot too was interesting and the action was well written. The issues that I mentioned are minor and subjective and as a result, I don’t wish to reduce the rating because of them. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy action and detective novels with strong plots.

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The Legend of Deputy Jim
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Dragonsend · Post by **Dragonsend** » 08 Dec 2019, 16:55

Obviously, you enjoyed this author and it sounds like you felt that he book needed better direction. Thank you for the review. Well done!

kdstrack · Post by **kdstrack** » 10 Dec 2019, 20:55

This sounds like an interesting book. You did a good job of describing the characters and the plot. I liked the reasons you gave to support your rating of the book. Thanks.

LauraLeeWasHere · Post by **LauraLeeWasHere** » 22 Dec 2019, 19:56

What a great review by a great Reviewer!

Traits and incidents are simply told to us instead of being painted as a picture that we can imagine. As a result, I felt that the experience was not as immersive as it could have been

I think we approach the reading and enjoyment of a book in very similar ways. We are looking to be immersed into the story through the characters and I feel I can know someone better through what they do than by what they say.

You are thorough, enthusiastic and articulate and I'm excited to read what you write next.

Sincerely, Laura-Lee

Butia · Post by **Butia** » 29 Jun 2021, 11:12

I like the review. The way it is described is too simple and easy to understand the character. The scene is simple and real. I don't feel any fainted in this story. But the character of Jim should be more thrilling then what it is said here.