Victoria Houston

This is the third book in the Lew Ferris mystery series. I chose it, despite not having read the first two books, because I was interested in the Northern Wisconsin setting. Lew is the sheriff. She was elected after some years as police chief of Loon Lake. And while being a sheriff is her job, her real love is fly fishing. She is an expert and an excellent teacher.

When a local dentist is shot while playing pickleball at a court he built at on old summer camp, Lew has a mystery to solve. She show more is of the opinion that the gunshot the killed him was an accident since deer season is coming up and lots of hunters are sighting in their guns and some aren't too concerned with safety. But there are a fair number of people who could have wanted the dentist dead including his wife and daughter.

Lew begins her investigation with lots of help from the local rumor mill. When the dentist's pickleball partner and the woman he planned to marry after divorcing his wife is also killed, Lew doesn't suspect a second accident.

I liked all the talk about fishing that was woven into the story. I thought the characters were interesting. I didn't really like the abrupt resolution to the mystery and felt that it was overshadowed by other parts of the plot.

Fans of the series will enjoy this one as well as fans of Northern Wisconsin. show less

Dead Creek is the second in the Loon Lake Fishing Mysteries series and really…who would have thought fishing could be even remotely interesting to read about! Go figure! We rejoin the original cast of main characters (Chief Ferries, Doc Osborn, Ray Pradt). The story starts out innocuously enough with Doc Osborn out fishing muskies in his favorite (and secret) fishing hole when he discovers four bodies submerged there. Once again Doc Osborn finds himself an integral part of an interesting show more and twisted murder investigation that takes them through murder, theft, revenge, and even an ecological disaster to solve this most recent crime. I love that Houston can take what could be a pretty cut and dry police procedural and gives it a nice small town flavor that is wonderfully engaging and just plain fun to read. I love that these are older characters than one usually finds in this type of book (over 50 for the most part), it’s definitely nice to see people over 50 being the hero, instead of it always being young, (emphasis usually on physical attractiveness of characters) 25 year old…don’t get me wrong, those are fun too…but you don’t get middle aged all the way up to retired people in the murder-mystery/thriller genre too often anymore. Nice change of pace. I also like that these are REAL characters, they have flaws, faults and real life problems that they must also deal with while solving the mystery…it really helps to cement that feeling that these aren’t just characters, they’re real people.

My only complaint about this follow up novel is the author uses some of the exact same descriptive paragraphs from the first book (with regards to the main characters and some of the place descriptions). I assume the repetition so that readers do not have to have read the first book to follow this one, but reading them more than once was a little “old” and if it continues, it may turn me off reading any more of her work. Aside from that…a really great read, quick and entertaining. I managed to figure this one out way before it ended…but still enjoyed reading it! show less

Doc Osborne is adrift, having lost his wife 2 years earlier. When he is cleaning out his garage, he finds his old fly fishing equipment. He goes to get it appraised, and he is told of its value. His friend then tells Doc he should fish again. Doc agrees, and is pleasantly surprised to be paired with Chief Lew Ferris. However, their outing is cut short when they discover a body floating in the water. Doc realizes that he knows the person, and that it was murder.
What follows is a tale of show more drugs, greed, and jealously.
So begins the series of Loon Lake mysteries. This is an easy to read novel with an intricate murder mystery. The budding romance between Doc and Lew is sweet. show less

This is a warm and friendly cozy-leaning mystery which takes place in Loon Lake, Wisconsin. Those who love to fish, either "dancing the fly" or musky fishing, will certainly have fun reading this very good mystery with lots of Wisconsin atmosphere. While it is not necessary to be much of a fisherman to like this series, enthusiasts will probably enjoy it more than others.

Loon Lake is the kind of town where the local MacDonald's isn't just a place to meet in the morning for coffee, but a show more clearing house for the latest Loon Lake gossip. On any given morning, it's where you can usually find retired dentist Paul Osborne, known simply as "Doc." Loon Lake has a Cabot Cove kind of feel to it, as almost everyone in town is right where they want to be.

We’re introduced to Doc’s “out there” good friend Ray Pradt, the best fly fisherman around. Their friendship is given some attention in the narrative, and will add depth to the mystery. Doc's feelings for the town's female sheriff, Lewellyn Ferris, is explored as well. Doc is a musky man, but takes Lew up on her offer to reacquaint him with the joys of fly fishing. When they discover the body of a woman named Meredith, Lew deputizes Doc for his forensic skills.

Doc's old friends soon become suspects, revealing some unexpectedly tangled up relationships. While this definitely is a cozy, there is a dash of unexpected violence that, while not graphic, adds a serious dimension to the mystery portion. For example, someone you were expecting to be a recurring character in the series will not be, making for a sad but exciting ending to the mystery portion of Dead Angler.

As with any cozy, the fun is n getting to the end, getting to know the setting and the characters. Much is revealed about Doc’s past marriage in the first entry, and the lingering effects to his oldest daughter. His buddy Ray meanwhile, wants his fifteen minutes of fame on ESPN. Wisconsin and Loon Lake seem like an additional character in the narrative. The epilog, as the survivors enjoy some burgers smothered under big slabs of Wisconsin cheddar cheese, make this first entry in the series fun for those who like cozies with a lot of atmosphere, and just a little bite. show less