Description:

From Publishers Weekly

Dinosaur bones and the people who covet them take center stage in Hickam's uncharacteristically bland latest, which plays out in Montana, where hardworking ranchers are hemmed in by the Bureau of Land Management, ecoterrorists, and neighbors with a bunker mentality. Retired L.A. homicide detective Mike Wire is now the foreman of the Square C Ranch, where the widowed owner, Jeanette Coulter, is the steely, unobtainable object of his affection. After paleontologist Dr. Norman "Pick" Pickford works out a deal to dig for fossils on Jeanette's property, Mike assists Pick's team, among whom is a sexy Russian Mike soon begins an affair with. Soon after Pick happens on a discovery that could prove to be revolutionary, a menacing visitor is murdered and Mike realizes that the fossils may be worth killing for. Unfortunately, it takes a very long time for the mystery to kick in, and Hickam (Rocket Boys) reserves all the action for the story's climax. In the end, the science fascinates more than the characters or the leisurely plot. (Nov.) (c)
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Review

Hickam hits the sweet spot with this dusty, inspired mystery... The rare novel that pits science against cowboy doggedness, getting both of them right.--Kirkus Review of The Dinosaur Hunter --Kirkus Review of The Dinosaur Hunter

"_The Dinosaur Hunter_ is a fascinating thriller, well-crafted and relentless, about a murderer who stalks the peerless dinosaur bone-beds of a remote Montana ranch. A cross between Tony Hillerman and Larry McMurtry, this is one hell of a good read.”

--Douglas Preston, author of Tyrannosaur Canyon and Blasphemy

“The Dinosaur Hunter reveals Hickam to be a combination of John Sandford and Michael Crichton, with a generous helping of Louis L’Amour thrown in for good measure.  It may not take a rocket scientist to write a novel, but Homer Hickam shows that this rocket scientist can spin a darned good yarn.”

--Peter Larson, co-author of _Rex Appeal and Bones Rock,_ co-editor of_ Tyrannosaurus rex, the Tyrant King_

"Details of cattle ranching, paleontological fieldwork, and small-town life all combine to heighten the realism and suspense in Hickam's (Rocket Boys) latest book, which should appeal to lovers of mysteries and the West."--_Library Journal_

"The rare novel that pits science against cowboy doggedness, getting both of them right."--_Kirkus Reviews_

"[Hickam] has captured the pioneering, individualist spirit of the ranchers and some of the people who... have left the stresses of the big city behind to live the quiet and very private life of the old West. ... The colorful descriptions of the activities on the dig and the fascinating history that continues to unfold as these gigantic fossils are unearthed are not only authentic and accurate, but fascinatingly woven into the story."--_Book Reporter_

"Fun, and if you don't already live in Montana, it's a perfect escape."--_The Washington Post _