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Peter Bowen
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Bitter Creek (The Montana Mysteries Featuring Gabriel Du Pré Book 14) Kindle Edition

by Peter Bowen (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 581 ratings
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“Bitter Creek is likely the top of the Du Pré series . . . Lively and absolutely fascinating” (Jim Harrison, author of Legends of the Fall).
 
Lt. John Patchen has come to Montana to persuade Chappie Plaquemines, his former gunnery sergeant in Iraq, to accept the Navy Cross. First, however, Patchen must find the wounded marine, who was last seen drinking heavily in the Toussaint Saloon. With the help of Gabriel Du Pré, who’s romantically involved with Chappie’s mother, he locates him soon enough, disheveled and stinking of stale booze. But a sobering visit to a medicine man’s sweat lodge reveals a much greater mystery: The unsolved case of a band of Métis Indians who were last seen fleeing from Gen. Black Jack Pershing’s troops in 1910, before disappearing.
 
Strange voices within the sweat lodge speak of a place called Bitter Creek, where the Métis encountered their fate. To find it, Du Pré tracks down the only living survivor of the massacre, a feisty old woman whose memories may not be as trustworthy as they seem. But when Amalie leads Du Pré to Pardoe, an out-of-the-way crossroads north of Helena, he senses they’re about to uncover long-buried secrets. Discouraged by the US military with their lives threatened by locals whose ancestors may have played a role in the murders, Chappie, Patchen, and Du Pré bravely pursue the truth so the victims of a terrible injustice might finally rest in peace.
 
Bitter Creek is the 14th book in The Montana Mysteries Featuring Gabriel Du Pré series, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
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  1. Book 14 of 15
    The Montana Mysteries Featuring Gabriel Du Pré
  2. Print length
    266 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller
  5. Publication date
    April 28, 2015
  6. File size
    9.0 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“[Bitter Creek] is the fourteenth Du Pré novel and the first in eight years, and it marks the return of a wonderfully eclectic and enjoyable series, of interest to western crime readers, especially those favoring Montana authors C. J. Box, Craig Johnson, and Keith McCafferty as well as fans of the Hillermans and other Southwest-set mysteries.” —Booklist

About the Author

Peter Bowen is an American writer born in 1945. He lives in Livingston, Montana and has worked as a cowboy, hunting and fishing guide, folksinger, poet, essayist, and novelist. He is the author of the Yellowstone Kelly historical novels as well as the Gabriel Du Pré mysteries.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00PZAJYCA
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller (April 28, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 28, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 9.0 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 266 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 581 ratings

About the author

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Peter Bowen

Peter Bowen

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Peter Bowen (b. 1945) is best known for mystery novels set in the modern American West. He published his first novel, Yellowstone Kelly, in 1987. After two more novels featuring this real-life Western hero, Bowen published Coyote Wind (1994), which introduced Gabriel Du Pré, a mixed-race lawman living in fictional Toussaint, Montana. To date, he has written thirteen Du Pré mysteries. Bowen lives and writes in Livingston, Montana.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
581 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy this book as a great component of the Gabriel Du Pre series, praising its touching mystery and terrific plots. They appreciate the character development, with one customer noting how the characters feel like coming home to family, and find it entertaining. The book receives positive feedback for its concept, with one review highlighting how it interfaces with modernity, while another notes its true-to-life portrayal of Metis culture. The humor receives mixed reactions from customers.

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32 customers mention "Readability"28 positive4 negative

Customers find the book readable and enjoyable, with several mentioning it's a great component of the Gabriel Du Pre series, and one customer noting it's a stand-alone read.

"...Truly a great writer and superb story teller. Loved the holy man Benetsee...." Read more

"...Still, a good read and an appropriate (but sort of predictable) ending. Maybe I was a little too pumped. Giving it four stars...." Read more

"Another fine book which continues the lives of family and friends near the boundary waters...." Read more

"...Literature at its best, that takes us to a completely different place and shows us ourselves." Read more

23 customers mention "Story quality"23 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the story quality of the book, praising its terrific plots and touching mystery elements. One customer particularly appreciates the historical details woven into the narrative.

"...Truly a great writer and superb story teller. Loved the holy man Benetsee...." Read more

"...These are part mystery, part detective, and part character dramas." Read more

"...and the voice and the stories combine to form an inimitable and irresistible whole...." Read more

"...A good read for history buffs and those seeking the history of our forgotten and, still today, neglected citizens." Read more

21 customers mention "Character development"21 positive0 negative

Customers love the characters in the book, with one noting how they feel like coming home to family.

"...Full of many well developed characters full of humanity and kindness in the face of the scary factors and people in our society who have lost there..." Read more

"...These are part mystery, part detective, and part character dramas." Read more

"...is a great component of a series which always includes thoughtful development of characters, culture, and history...." Read more

"...The characters were well defined and interesting. My main complaint was the text editing...." Read more

4 customers mention "Entertainment value"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining, with one mentioning how it captures the pleasures of family and food.

"...And joyful, seizing the pleasures of family and food, music and beauty...." Read more

"...He does in a way that both educates and entertains." Read more

"A fun and entertaining read......" Read more

"you are in for a great treat. This is the most recent of Peter ......" Read more

3 customers mention "Concept"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the concept of the book, with one noting its thoughtful development and how it interfaces with modernity in an entertaining way.

"...; with Native American touch points and the interface with modernity quite entertaining." Read more

"This is a great component of a series which always includes thoughtful development ......" Read more

"Strange conversation, hard for me to follow, good concept but only read a couple chapters..." Read more

3 customers mention "Culture"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the cultural elements in the book, with one noting its true representation of Metis culture and another highlighting its Western flair.

"...a series which always includes thoughtful development of characters, culture, and history...." Read more

"This is the best if the Gabriel Du Pre books. The series has a Western flair and makes the reader want to travel to Montana." Read more

"Peter Bowen always writes a great story, true to the Metis culture, with interesting characters and plots." Read more

7 customers mention "Humor"4 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed reactions to the humor in the book, with some enjoying it while others find it annoying.

"...The dialogues are sometimes so unexpected and humorous that I laugh out loud...." Read more

"This books storyline was so sad that I could not appreciate the good dialogue...." Read more

"Not the greatest DuPre, but still darn good. There is murder, humor, even pathos...." Read more

"Very strange writing style for me, and the conversations were hard to follow. I only made it through a couple chapters and quit reading it...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Vintage Gal
    5.0 out of 5 stars Best series I've read in years!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I tend to gravitate towards mysteries with female heroines. So I didn't:t read these books for a long time thinking Du Pre was the focus. I was so delighted that the novel's were full of some of the most delightful strong wisefemale characters. From Du Pre's Madelaine to his amazing daughters and grand daughters. Full of many well developed characters full of humanity and kindness in the face of the scary factors and people in our society who have lost there moral bearing or are just plain crazy.. I read all the books back to back over 2 weeks and was sad there weren't more. Truly a great writer and superb story teller. Loved the holy man Benetsee. We should all be so lucky as to have him helping us navigate this world of greed hatred and delusion. Thanks Peter. Hope there are more stories in this series.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • CaB
    4.0 out of 5 stars as I have absolutely loved the series
    Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I was extremely pumped to see that Peter Bowen had come out with another Gabriel DuPres mystery, as I have absolutely loved the series. This novel seemed a bit disjointed, while parts of the subject matter were creepy (to me, anyway). Still, a good read and an appropriate (but sort of predictable) ending. Maybe I was a little too pumped. Giving it four stars. Please keep them coming, I still love the series.
    One person found this helpful
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  • ealovitt
    5.0 out of 5 stars In this 14th book in the series, Du Pré might just be ever so slightly mellowing
    Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    “Bitter Creek” is the fourteenth in a series of mysteries starring Gabriel Du Pré, the Métis descendant of French Voyageurs and Plains Indians, and it seems to me that Du Pré might just be ever so slightly mellowing. Here he is talking to his granddaughter, Pallas about a 1910 slaughter of the Métis:

    “'Whites do this,' said Pallas. Du Pré looked at her. 'People do this,' he said. 'All people do this, it is under the skin in the heart. …' Pallas looked at her grandfather for a long time. Then she nodded."

    All of the regulars at the Touissant Bar are part of the action in “Bitter Creek.” Du Pré, master fiddler and doting grandfather (when he's not threatening to kill his grandkids) is cast in the role of peacemaker. With help from his friends, the Shaman Benetsee, Bart the rich guy, Du Pré’s long-time mistress, Madelaine, and Booger Tom, the ancient, homicidal cowhand, he attempts to track down the bones of the slaughtered Métis. His only eyewitness to the 1910 slaughter is a 102-year-old woman, and his only clue is an old Métis song called "Bitter Creek."

    Madelaine asks, “what is the song about?”

    "'Little girl,' said Père Godin. 'Little Amalie, her people are being killed, her father throws her over creek bank, she hide, night come, she go on, find a few Métis, they go to Canada. …'"

    In the territory surrounding Bitter Creek, there are good ranchers, and there are really evil ranchers, and we don't find out who is whom until book's end. There is also a clueless anthropologist in shorts with many pockets. This author hates outsiders wearing clothes with many pockets. They swarm into most of his books, digging for dinosaurs, ordering Perrier water in his favorite bar, and generally cluttering up the Big Sky scenery. Usually they die a horrible death by avalanche and grizzly, by gunshot and knife, and by freezing to death in Alberta Clippers. However, as I mentioned earlier, Du Pré (and this author) might just be ever so slightly mellowing. The anthropologist loses the fruits of his labor, but he does get away with his life.

    Better to stay away from old massacre sites. Better to hang around in the Touissant Bar and drink fizzy, pink, screw-top wine, and listen to Du Pré fiddle the sad, old Voyageur songs.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • David J. Falletti
    5.0 out of 5 stars I love the Gabriel Du Pre novels.
    Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Another fine book which continues the lives of family and friends near the boundary waters. These are part mystery, part detective, and part character dramas.
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  • M. Maxwell
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bittersweet
    Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Worth the long wait for the 14th book. If you've never had the pleasure of meeting Gabriel Du Pre, Metis fiddler, Montana brand inspector, start with Coyote Wind, the first entry. I own the entire series. Du Pre must help right an old wrong and clear up old murders in this welcome return of a master to his craft. Rural Montana. Cranky old medicine men. Pink wine and smart kids. It's an angry book, though, angry about lives wasted in fear and poverty and greed and hatred. And joyful, seizing the pleasures of family and food, music and beauty. Like McCall Smith's novels of Botswana, the character and the setting, the place and the voice and the stories combine to form an inimitable and irresistible whole. Literature at its best, that takes us to a completely different place and shows us ourselves.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars The only good Indian is a dead one!
    Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Prejudice rears it's ugly head in this tale. An Indian massacre covered up by racial hatred and a quest for the truth. A good read for history buffs and those seeking the history of our forgotten and, still today, neglected citizens.
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  • Roxane
    5.0 out of 5 stars This is a great component of a series which always includes thoughtful development ...
    Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This is a great component of a series which always includes thoughtful development of characters, culture, and history. My only complaint is that my Kindle version has several typos. I am looking forward to the next installment coming out this fall.
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  • Maureen Clarke
    3.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed this series - didn't understand all of the plot ...
    Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoyed this series - didn't understand all of the plot turns but that was OK. The characters were well defined and interesting. My main complaint was the text editing. It was obvious that no human eye ever checked on the auto correct. When you come to something like "Then the went away." Your reading screeches to a halt and says "what" "who" before you realize that it should have been "they went away." There were many of this kind of thing. Human proofreaders have a place, you know.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Ken Chevis
    5.0 out of 5 stars First Class.....As Usual
    Reviewed in Canada on March 23, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Great read. Can't get enough of DuPre. One comment....the Manitoba Provincial Police disbanded in 1932. The task was then taken over by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
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  • Ian Titler
    5.0 out of 5 stars Metis detective story, rooted in past
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 10, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    First one of this series I've read, very good. Liked the characters, the close knit community, and the story itself, rooted in an old massacre and the need to resolve it and put the murdered people to rest.
    More difficult than it seems, as most who knew of it were killed, leaving one sole witness, and the area where it happened is populated with the descendants of the killers, who don't want the truth to out.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars I enjoy the Gabriel Du Pre books
    Reviewed in Canada on November 5, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoy the Gabriel Du Pre books. I have the whole series. It's a pleasure to read books featuring the Metis, a people who have been largely ignored in North American history.
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