Français
Blood Atonement
A novel by Jim Tenuto
Meet Fly-fisherman Jim Tenuto and his fishing guide hero : Dahlgren Wallace. Published in 2006, the book features Montana, bisons, Hutterites and fly-fishing trips.
Who is Dahlgren Wallace ? A former college football player and Gulf War veteran, turned fly-fishing guide for Fred Lather, an arrogant billionaire who raises bisons on his vast Montana land. Wahlgren enjoys his life, quiet and peaceful but suddenly everything goes wrong.
One day, one of the fly-fishing guests who has come with his wife is bludgeoned to death. Dalhgren becomes instantly the prime suspect. But the guy is smart and he will have to use all his resources to change the course of the story, helping the FBI in their investigation. Because, let me tell you : all the characters our hero meets are just a bunch of crazy people : a greedy widow, a dangerous militia leader and his gang, add to this a load of vicious animal rights activists and the peaceful, yet weird, Hutterites. And I almost forgot the other anglers. You’ve guessed it right : suspects include just about everyone in central Montana.
And it’s so good! I loved it. Jim Tenuto creates an amazing cast of characters but trust me : everything feels authentic. If you enjoy fly-fishing, you’ll enjoy this book who describes in beautiful words this leisure. Tenuto knows what he’s talking about. He offers a dual portrait of America : the beautiful State of Montana, embodied by this amazing nature (all the parts about fly-fishing and the Buffalos) on one side and on the other side a country poisoned by extremists of all kinds.
But if you’re in a good mood as I was, while reading this book, you’ll see it as great and funny story, with a true hommage to Montana and fly-fishing in general.
All I can say is : read it ! Also, the book reminds of that billionaires rush to Montana and Wyoming in the 80’s to realise their dreams to become a cowboy. I think that move is partially due to Robert Redford, who once owned a huge ranch and shot a few movies that took place in this area, such The Horse whisperer, And a river runs through it, Legends of the Fall. A few years later, Ang Lee shot The Brokeback Mountain.
I remember going to the movies to watch The Horse Whisperer in Great Falls, MT and the atmosphere in the theater. The audience laughed at it a couple of times,especially at the Hollywood clichés when it comes to the wild west (cowboys only eat T-bones) and at the script mistakes (no airport at that place, the Indian tribe quoted and played in the movie wasn’t from Montana, etc.), but who cares ? The movie was a major success.
And I won’t deny it : my dream would be to own a ranch in Montana, because it’s clearly heaven on earth ! This shows how strong my souvenirs from this beautiful land is.
In the meantime, please trust me and give this book a try – get ready for all the wacos out there while enjoying the beautiful scenery of Montana and great fly fishing.