The Houseboat

A Novel

By: Dane Bahr

Narrated by: William DeMeritt, Anna Caputo, Stacy Carolan, Angela Bates

James Sallis meets Mindhunter in this stylish and atmospheric noir set in small town Iowa in the 1960s, a midcentury heartland gothic with abounding twists and a feverish conclusion.

Local outcast Rigby Sellers lives in squalor on a dilapidated houseboat moored on the Mississippi River. With only stolen mannequins and the river to keep him company, Rigby begins to spiral from the bizarre to the threatening. As a year of drought gives way to a season of squalls, a girl is found trembling on the side of the road, claiming her boyfriend was murdered. The townspeople of nearby Oscar turn their suspicions toward Sellers.

Town sheriff Amos Fielding knows this crime is more than he can handle alone. He calls on the regional marshal up in Minnesota, and detective Edward Ness arrives in Oscar to help him investigate the homicide and defuse the growing unrest. Ness, suffering his own demons, is determined to put his past behind him and solve the case. But soon more bodies are found. As Ness and Fielding uncover disturbing facts about Sellers, and a great storm floods the Mississippi, threatening the town, Oscar is pushed to a breaking point even Ness may not be able to prevent.

story line

if the reader is to connect with characters, this ending was unfullfilling. not sure if I m interested in a follow book

What?

I am baffled by the ending, and I feel like it changed what I felt of the story overall

Loved it!

The writing was fantastic and the story was captivating. Mr. Bahr’s ability to paint a picture with words is matched by few. What a ride!

Pointless

This is a head scratcher. It is an odd story and it felt quite pointless to me. I definitely did not think it had "abounding twists" or a "feverish conclusion". I also disagree with the blurb - I did not find it stylish or atmospheric. I do not recommend this. If you want gritty noir, look elsewhere.