Dead Lil' Hustler

April 21, 2014
Smalltown police chief Lewellyn “Lew” Ferris has to deal with the same problems faced by urban communities, though with much fewer resources, as shown in Houston’s pleasing 14th mystery set in Loon Lake, Wis. (after 2013’s Dead Insider). A particularly potent strain of marijuana has found its way to Loon Lake, but a more serious problem is the discovery of banker Peter Corbin’s body in the Pine River in nearby Nicolet National Forest. Then a distraught father, Jake Barber, implores Lew to help find his college-age son, Liam, who disappeared in the area while fly-fishing a small stream. Lew can count on boyfriend Paul Osborne for help, while bumbling mayor Ed Pecore and bossy FBI agent Alan Strickland complicate her investigation. Houston knows both her territory and her characters well, and she uses both to good effect in advancing her nicely executed plot. Agent: Martha Millard, Martha Millard Agency.

June 1, 2014

Two suspicious fatalities in a remote river wilderness area make police chief Ferris wonder if something more fierce than wild wolves might be on the loose. Houston's 14th (after Dead Insider) doesn't disappoint in her fly-fishing-infused, Wisconsin-set police procedural.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2014
When kayakers find a skeleton in the Nicolet National Forest near Loon Lake, Wisconsin, Police Chief Lewellyn Ferris begins a murder investigation. Soon after, at the request of her father, she undertakes a search for a missing graduate student, Liam Barber, who is finally found, shot to death in this same remote area. Complicating matters, this part of the forest is a wolf rendezvous site where wolves gather to raise their young. Even though Lew's friend Doc Osborne is worried about his gravely ill grandson, he is able to help out as deputy coroner. With the help of Doc, fishing guide Ray Pradt, the county sheriff, and the FBI, Lew is able to connect the cases and catch two murderers. Populated with well-drawn characters and framed with a portrait of life in small-town Wisconsin, lovingly described wilderness areas, fly-fishing details (including the Japanese fly-fishing technique tenkara), and the particulars of wolf behavior, this mystery will appeal to fans of Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon novels, each of which takes place in a national park.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)