Montana Chill: The Vanishing Masterpiece Case/A Century Series Novel

Montana Chill: The Vanishing Masterpiece Case is the return of Century, Montana’s sheriff John Bingham, in author Joseph S. Nicholas latest book about the fictionalized town. The setting of Century in the Blue Hills of Montana provides a spectacular setting for the intrigue and mystery that permeates the town. And sheriff Bingham is the man to keep things in line, or get them back there after they’ve gone out.

This time around, Bingham has family issues when not only his sister’s father-in-law dies, leaving money that’s getting divided among three estranged brothers and his own mother that he hasn’t seen in three years. Add in missing masterpieces from a locked and guarded room (that Bingham is responsible for), and another chapter of Montana Chill is underway. Each episode of the series opens up more of the history of the area and its residents, and Nichols makes them come alive. The politics of Bingham’s position are complex, between his duties and managing the relationship with the nearby Indian reservation. Not everyone likes him in his position, so as things go wrong, there is maneuvering to use those incidents to force him from his job.

Nicholas has a working formula for rural mystery stories. The recent TV show “Longmire” reflects an interest in the concept, if not a longing for a simpler time. While no character is a simple cardboard cutout, there is good and bad, with a fair amount of gray that is reality. Readers of previous books will want to continue down the Montana Chill road, and fans of “Longmire” or other more rural cop shows will also want to set up a visit to Century, Montana.