Six Crooked Highways

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Tribal intrigue and government meddling on the Chippewa Red Lake Indian Reservation along the western shores of northern Minnesota's labyrinthine Lake of the Woods propel this atmospheric but cluttered sequel to Johnson's well-received Don't Think Twice. Awakened in the middle of the night by the roar of a motor boat on the lake in front of his popular resort lodge, Paul Two Persons worries that the commotion will disturb the sleep of his wife, Gwen, and their two-year-old daughter. But more is disturbed than sleep when a dead body is found floating near the abandoned boat the next morning. Paul's cop pal Charlie Groten informs Paul that his name has come up in the resulting investigation; this appears to have something to do with Paul's resistance to the state political hierarchy's plan to cut a highway across a section of the reservation leased to the resort. In a cryptic message on the lodge answering machine, a top candidate for the Minnesota senate jokes about some mysterious real estate manipulation. Meanwhile, Paul's relationship with the Chippewa tribal council, which wants the money the highway would bring, is troubled. Another dead body shows up in a sinkhole; a boy who works for Paul is found murdered. A host of one-dimensional bit-part players clogs the narrative, which is further burdened by superfluous references to the previous Paul Two Persons novel. Paul is a strong character, a conscientious man who has made good and wants to help those less fortunate, while protecting his lodge and family from harm. Johnson's portrayal of modern tribal dynamics is nuanced and convincing. Stretches of murky prose and a convoluted plot stifle the narrative, however, defusing the final lakeside showdown. 8-city Minnesota and Kansas author tour. (July) MOTORCYCLE ENLIGHTENMENT Charles Sides. Hampton Roads, $12.95 paper (192p) ISBN 1-57174-172-0 ~ Jack Kerouac meets Richard Ford in this slender, thoughtful piece of visionary fiction. We follow Alan Pierce, an unemployed divorced Pennsylvanian, on a memorable journey beginning on the road but becoming an ethereal voyage of self-discovery. Though Alan plans to motorcycle to California, he winds up in New Jersey, where he settles down and tries to find himself. He rises at 5 a.m. to do yoga and meditate. He munches on pizza and doughnuts and, later, broccoli. And he falls in love with a real estate agent named Jean, who can tell "from [his] eyes" that Alan's life has fallen apart. She isn't put off by Alan's muddled confusion, early morning regime or balding pate, however. Jean (who conveniently holds a master's degree in counseling) is insightful and incisive, and readers may grow to love her as Alan does, as he learns to eat meditatively, enjoying his food without rushing, to stop gazing blankly at the Jersey shore and to feel each grain of warm sand when he goes out for a stroll. At times, this novel--like others packed with so many life lessons--tends toward the didactic, but it remains a captivating and spiritually challenging read. (July) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Library Journal

Native American lodge owner Paul Two Persons, first seen in Don't Think Twice, returns to star in a second novel set on the Red Lake reservation in Minnesota. This time, he faces a crooked deal involving government-sponsored development in the form of a road that would cut through the heart of his property. There is more to the deal than just building a road bed, however, and when the corpses start piling up (including that of a young Native American whom Paul was trying to help keep on the straight-and-narrow), it's up to Paul and friend Charlie, the local cop, to figure out the mystery. While not as atmospheric as the first book, this is a superior mystery and certainly a worthy successor. Recommended for all mystery/suspense collections.--Alicia Graybill, Lincoln City Libs., NE Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\

Charlene Wilson

[A] tart and cunning novel...Johnson has carved a niche for himself in the field of reservation noir.
—The New York Times Book Review

Kirkus Reviews

Paul Two Persons, the tough, troubled protagonist of Johnson's Don't Think Twice (1999), returns in another moody work, part character study and part fast-moving mystery. Paul runs a fishing lodge on the fringe of the Chippewa reservation in northwest Minnesota, where he is a member of the tribe though his wife Gwen is not. His success in the outside world, where he trained as a scientist, his non-Indian wife, and his determination to make his lodge a success have all contributed to making Paul a curious and troubling figure to many in his tribe. Matters aren't helped when he finds himself in the middle of a battle over efforts to bring more money onto the reservation. A plan to build a massive new road (cutting across the land Paul leases from the tribe) has aroused opposition; and when an opponent of the project is found dead, a troubled young man who works for Paul is accused. The accused in turn dies, and Paul begins his own investigation, quickly uncovering evidence of massive corruption and discovering that a hit squad has infiltrated the reservation to silence opposition to the development plan—its attention now focused on Paul and his family. To save them, Paul must unmask who's behind the plot and find out its real goal. Readers may guess the villain before Paul does, and the details of the conspiracy, turning on mineral discovery on the reservation, may seem unduly convoluted. But more important are Johnson's vivid portrayals of life on a reservation and of the conflict between a traditional people venerating the natural world and an aggressively technological society exploiting it. Also memorable is Johnson's portrait of his protagonist, abright,decent man haunted by his failures, anxious to make a better life for his family but unable to let things rest when violence has been done. With its celebration of the resilience of Native American culture, a rewarding and often moving story. (Author tour)