Most helpful customer reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A superb achievement....., Nov 21 2003
Donald Harstad's first novel (inspired by true events) was absorbing. I first read this novel during the winter of my final year of medical school (when I was researching the dark aspect of the human experience). I curled up with this engaging tome for an entire weekend. It was time well-spent.
The novel begins with a bizarre & twisted murder scene in a rural Iowa farmhouse. The juxtaposition of this scene in the setting of an innocent, serene town sets the stage for the novel. The ensuing investigation w/ its twists & turns is certainly suspenseful. I enjoyed the section where an expert in satanically-inspired crime is imported into the investigation from the East Coast. His analysis of the nature of the crime is intriguing. Moreover, the novel also alludes to the different strata which exist amongst practitioners of Satanism; for instance, there are the mere dabblers in this dark art who view it as a diversion while there are the ascetic devotees who literally adhere to its principles and thus are more warped & dangerous. If I had written this novel, I would have explored the psychological factors driving the different characters in this novel, especially the elusive serial killer. Perhaps Mr. Harstad is saving this material for a sequel, a psychological study of the serial killer. This would make a fascinating novel as well. It's been 3 years since I first read this novel. I plan to revisit it soon. I highly recommend it to those who enjoy reading suspenseful novels dealing w/ occult themes. Address an email letter to Dr. Nicholas Lianna (nehalpatel1975@yahoo.com) for further discussion of this work. In his spare time, Dr. Lianna, M.D. (in the realm of internal medicine) has been investigating aberrant psychology, psychopathology in the domain of psychiatry, different modalities of bio- & psychotherapy, and other instances of the dark aspect of the human experience during the last several years. He is in the midst of constructing a compilation of his findings, analyses, & final conclusions.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Reads like Nonfiction, Oct 29 2003
ISBN: 0-553-58148-1
Title: Eleven Days
Author: Donald Harstad
Publisher: Bantam Books
"Eleven Days," debut novel of ex-cop and Iowa author Donald Harstad is a blockbuster of a read. Harstad's experiences as a police officer shine through in his style, a style that reads like an official record of a crime. "Eleven Days" introduces us to Deputy Sheriff Carl Houseman resident of Maitland, Iowa. The day officers discover mutilated bodies in an out-of-the-way farmhouse and the next eleven days of investigation consume the time and efforts of the town's police force.
Although top cops from around the state and even an expert from New York get involved in the inquiry, it is step-by-step, follow-every-lead good old fashioned detective work that opens the case and leads to its solution.
Harstad's narrative reads like a non-fiction case report, it is gutsy, true-to-life, in-your-face, criminal investigation. "Eleven Days" is action packed suspense with richly detailed characters, believable dialogue and a plot that keeps you turning pages all the way to the surprise ending and the unveiling of the perpetrator. I can't wait to pick up his next novel. Congratulations Donald Harstad on a magnificent debut novel.
Beverly J Scott author of "Righteous Revenge" and "Ruth Fever." Reviewer for Intriguing Authors and Their Books at http://www.funeralassociates.com/authors.htm
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Murder in the Heartland, April 11 2003
By A Customer
Donald Harstad has written a grisly and fast moving police procedural filled with well drawn characters and a likeable 'everyman' hero in Deputy Sheriff Carl Houseman. A twenty-six year veteran of the Clayton County Sheriff's Department himself, Harstad perfectly captures the rural atmosphere of Iowa farm country. This tense and exciting novel shows how a world gone askew reaches all the way into America's heartland as it is confronted by mass slayings amidst satanic rituals and hidden amorality. It is the Bible belt gone wrong. Harstad creates a believable crime story and gives us a genuine feel for his setting. It is a place where a fax is 'hi-tech' equipment for the cops and the homes, or rather farms, are miles apart. We see everything through the eyes of Carl Houseman, from his relationships with his fellow cops to a realistic marriage where he and his wife barely see each other and have to make the most of the moments they do have. It is filled with humor and humanity in the face of the unthinkable. Eleven Days is the first in a series and an adrenline rush of a read, moving like a tornado through the sparse Iowa landscape. It is bloody and exciting. It is funny and disturbing. In other words, this is a great read. I will definitely be reading the second book in this series. If you've been looking for a good series to latch onto, this is your baby right here. But you better hang on.....
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