Book covers get a bad rap. They say you can’t judge a book by one, but that totally leaves out the importance of drawing in a customer with a strong cover. If it weren’t for the image of darts on the cover of “The Dart League King” by Keith Lee Morris, I might have never picked it up. After all, the 2008 book also focuses on cocaine, weapons, teen pregnancy and all other sorts of fun stuff. If they had picked any of those, I might not have had such interest.

But they went with the obvious nod to the title, and I thank them for it. I really enjoyed this clever look at one night in a small Idaho town with an interesting, yet twisted, cast of characters. My wife did not enjoy Summer People, which I read earlier this year because she found the cast of characters unsympathetic. I warned her to not even consider reading this one because Morris creates a group that has very few redeeming qualities.

That didn’t stop me from finding the events of the night – and what got the people of Garnet Lake, Idaho, to that point – utterly fascinating. From Russell and Vince dealing with how things went to wrong to the secrets held by Kelly and Tristan, I could put myself squarely in that bar. I might not deal with the same things as those people, but I have seen the desperation in the eyes of people who just wish their lives featured fewer burdens.

Then there is Brice, who just might play a bigger role in their lives than they think he does. He has different secrets and regrets, but they bring him closer to the other four characters instead of separating them like the others perceive.

I do have to say some parts of the ending left me unfulfilled, but I wonder if Morris intended that to symbolize how even when you think you have figured things out in towns like this Garnet Lake.

I am still on good pace to continue my quest of reading an average of one book a month. This is four done by April 12, and I am already a little into my fifth.