Lesa's Book Critiques: AT THE EDGE OF THE WOODS BY VICTORIA HOUSTON

 Lesa's Book Critiques: AT THE EDGE OF THE WOODS BY VICTORIA HOUSTON

Lesa's Book Critiques: WINNERS AND A JANUARY RELEASES GIVEAWAY

 Lesa's Book Critiques: WINNERS AND A JANUARY RELEASES GIVEAWAY

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Wolf Hollow by Victoria Houston

 
Wolf Hollow (Crooked Lane, 2022) by Victoria Houston is the first book in a new series, except really the only change from her long-running flyfishing mystery series is the main character. Set in Loon Lake, Wisconsin, a fictional town in northern Wisconsin, all of the earlier books focus on fly-fishing and its complexities as much as they do on solving homicides. Nineteen books centered on retired dentist Paul Osborne, a widowed recovering alcoholic, and his fishing adventures. Long-time readers will be relieved to know that this new series has the same idyllic location and the original cast, except the spotlight is on Police Chief Lewellyn Ferris, Osborne’s professional and personal partner.

Residents of Loon Lake are upset: rumors are flying about the possibility of a mining operation moving in and despoiling their pristine wilderness. The owner of the land in question is so wealthy no one can understand why she would even consider the mining company’s offer. Lew’s brother, a fervent conservationist, is working with others to take legal action to stop the prospective ecological disaster. He’s found dead near the nest of some loons he had been checking on, and the autopsy said it wasn’t an accident. Lew is stunned and pulls in her fishing buddy Bruce Peters from the state crime lab and Osborne to help investigate; they manage to make time to visit their favorite fishing spots in between tracking down leads.

Ray Pradt, the local hunting and fishing guide, expert tracker, and all-round colorful character who is always looking for a way to generate income, has discovered podcasts, so he’s full of his latest presentation and plans for the next one. There’s excellent information about the use of DNA analysis as a genealogical tool, and the DNA analysis website GEDmatch is highlighted for its work with law enforcement to solve cold cases.

Fans of the series will happily feel that not much has changed. I noticed that since Lew is a working woman, she has less time to fish than the retired Osborne does. As a result the lyrical descriptions of the Wisconsin forests and lakes are less frequent. The theme of natural conservation and wilderness protection is still loud and clear though. The next book in the series is scheduled for publication in January 2023.

 

·         Publisher: ‎ Crooked Lane Books (January 11, 2022)

·         Language: ‎ English

·         Hardcover: ‎ 288 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎ 1643858009

·         ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1643858005 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2022

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: Dead Angler by Victoria Houston

Dead Angler  by Victoria Houston (Berkley, 2000) is the first book in the Loon Lake mysteries. Set in Loon Lake, Wisconsin, a fictional town in northern Wisconsin, all of the books focus on fly-fishing and its complexities as much as they do on solving homicides. Eighteen titles have been released since the first one, the latest in June 2019. The narrator is Paul Osborne, a retired dentist who is a recovering alcoholic and who is coming out of mourning his wife who died about two years before the series opens. He decides to pick up his old hobby of fly-fishing but finds he needs some refresher training. Llewellyn Ferris is the town’s new chief of police and also an expert in fly-fishing. The owner of a local sports store links the two and they go out together on Prairie River and immediately find a body, apparently a drowning victim. Paul’s dental training becomes useful as they note suspicious injuries to the victim, who turns out to be a former patient of Paul’s, and Lew deputizes Paul to support the investigation.

Paul becomes very busy suddenly, as his neighbor and good friend Ray Pradt, a fishing guide and all-round character, needs him to help get ready for a major fishing tournament. The town resident enlisted to deliver the top-of-the-line fishing boats for the tournament has disappeared, and Ray is beside himself as the first day of the competition approaches.

Well-plotted with nicely sketched characters. Ray Pradt in particular is an original who stands out. Nothing cozy about these books: motives for crimes and those who commit them are generally of the worst kind, and alcoholism and its effects on families is a running theme. The idyllic setting of these stories is an integral part of each of them; the lakes with their native flora and fauna are ever-present, no matter what the forefront action is. The author’s respect and love for the area shines. Highly recommended series, helpful to start from the beginning but not necessary.

·         Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages

·         Publisher: Berkley; 1st edition (April 1, 2000)

·         Language: English

·         ISBN-10: 0425173550

·         ISBN-13: 978-0425173558

Aubrey Hamilton ©2019

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.