On Flashback Fridays I will share with you
the books I was not able to review
when they were first released that have been screaming at me
from my To-Be-Read bookshelf.
Dead Firefly (A Loon Lake Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
18th in Series
Setting – Wisconsin
Gallery Books (June 19, 2018)
Paperback: 208 pages
ISBN-10: 1440598878
ISBN-13: 978-1440598876
Kindle ASIN: B01N6V9K81
“My wife and Gordon Maxwell tried to kill me this morning.”
Doc Osborne is startled by the unexpected words tumbling out of the mouth of his friend and fellow AA member Chuck Pelletier, the recently remarried lead accountant for a planned luxury fly-fishing lodge preserve under construction in the area.
Alarmed, Doc tries to alert Police Chief Lew Ferris, but she is tied up with law enforcement teams across the state. They’re searching for thieves who have been cutting down and stealing hundreds of thousands of precious birch trees from public and private property across northern Wisconsin.
But it’s too late. Pelletier is found dead not two hours later. Doc is shocked, saddened, and determined to get to the bottom of the murder.
With one man dead, evidence of lakeshore properties being stolen from elderly owners, and an attempted sexual assault, short-handed Chief Ferris deputizes Doc and his skilled tracker neighbor to help with the investigation. Then, just as they seem to be getting somewhere, things grow even more complicated.
Just another summer in Loon Lake.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
“My wife and Gordon Maxwell tried to kill me this morning.”
That line got Doc Osborne’s attention but before he can do anything his friend Chuck Pelletier is dead, probably killed by his new wife and his boss Gordon Maxwell. Doc is now going to work closely with his girlfriend, Police Chief Lew Ferris to bring the killer to justice.
Add to that, thousands of acres of birch trees are being decimated on public and private lands and Lew finds out elderly riverfront property owners are being forced to sell for pennies on the dollar. She and Doc hardly have time to do even a little fishing.
___________
Time to travel a few hours north for another visit to Loon Lake. I always enjoy catching up with Doc, Lew, Ray, and the Wausau crew.
This time Doc is personally involved and feeling guilty for letting a man he met through AA down. They had three things in common, AA, fishing and losing their wives. I had to laugh when a new investigator expected Doc to be recused from the case because he knew the victim. Heck, everyone knows everyone in Loon Lake, which Lew quickly pointed out. That is what I love about these stories. The author gives us a true picture of the way things work in a small town.
Ms. Houston’s characters are like old friends. Doc and Lew are comfortable in their relationship, Ray Pradt, tracker and water tour guide extraordinaire brings the comic relief for topics that could get a little heavy. Together they make an excellent team to solve a case and get justice. They also spend their free time together, much of it spent in a lake in their waders with a fishing rod in their hands.
This time the mystery was more in proving something Doc already knew. You can’t arrest and indict without evidence and he was one determined man. All of Lew’s investigations twisted together and with his help, they were able to wrap everything up to my satisfaction.
At just over 200 pages, this story was a quick read and very entertaining. I love that they take place not far from where I live and can attest that the author describes the locale perfectly. References to real places are always fun.
I don’t fish anymore but these little trips always bring my grandfather to mind. As a youngster, I spent a lot of time with him out in his boat on the lake. He trying to teach me the fine art of fishing while I just loved spending time with him. When he passed away there was no one left in my life that fished so that part of my life faded away but left me with some fine memories. Doc reminds me a little bit of my grandfather.
Somewhere along the line, I got a little behind on this series, but now I am caught up and ready for Dead Big Dawg
To find out more about Victoria Houston visit her webpage here.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
You nailed the thing about these books that keeps me coming back. I still haven’t read all of them but it is so nice to be able to visit with old friends.
Thank you for your review on “Dead Firefly” by Victoria Houston and for introducing me to a new to me author.
Sounds like a great book and one that I would greatly enjoy having the opportunity to read.
2clowns at arkansas dot net