The Cadence of Grass

It's been quite awhile since I've read one of Thomas McGuane's testosterone fueled novels. It's short but a lot of crazy stuff happens: death, organ theft, illegal cremation, suicide and
murder. I skipped over much of the descriptions of horses and cattle and their various accoutrements and activities just
because I found those passages boring. Paul is the typical McGuane tough guy and a bit of a loser, yet still attractive to the two central and very dysfunctional female characters. He also appeals to his probation officer but this involvement ends badly.
There's a wise and kind old cowboy, a cross-dressing rancher
and a nasty deceased patriarch. Said patriarch left an improbable will that drives the story.
The Cadence of Grass was published a full 11 years after his last work of fiction Nothing But Blue Skies and I can't say it was worth waiting for. I read it quickly, mostly because I skipped the horsey bits and somehow I managed to squeeze some satisfaction out of what is, I think, a work without much substance. Read it if you really like McGuane; otherwise give it a wide berth.