Lake of Tears

November 11, 2013
In Logue’s halfhearted ninth Claire Watkins mystery (after 2010’s Frozen Stiff), deputy Claire temporarily steps into the role of sheriff of Fort St. Antoine, Wis., just as her college-bound teen daughter, Meg, chooses 26-year-old Andrew Stickler as her new boyfriend. Only later does Meg realize that Andrew, who recently served as a soldier in Afghanistan, is employed by her mother as a deputy—and is a suspect in the murder case Claire is working. Glimpses into the deranged mind of Andrew’s war buddy, Doug Nelson, may heighten the suspense, but fail to frighten as they should. Likewise, the conflict between Meg and Claire over Meg’s relationship with Andrew generates little heat, while the victim whose skeleton is found in the ashes of the town’s traditional boat bonfire, its equivalent of the Burning Man festival, is vaguely unsympathetic, leaving the reader few emotional hooks to grab as the story goes through its procedural motions.

January 1, 2014
Deputy Sheriff Claire Watkins is enjoying a quiet summer in Fort St. Antoine, Wisconsin. She is a bit anxious about her daughter, Meg, who will be going off to college in the fall. The annual celebration of the autumnal equinox features the burning of a Norwegian longboat, and it always attracts a crowd. This year, more than the boat goes up in flames. When a camper notices some bones in the ashes, Claire has a murder case on her hands. Since her boss is recovering from a heart attack, she is acting sheriff and must coordinate the investigation. Her new deputy, Andrew Stickler, is a veteran returning from Afghanistan who is dealing with post-traumatic stress and, much to Claire's chagrin, dating Meg. When the murder victim is identified as Andrew's former girlfriend, things get complicated. To find the murderer, Claire will have to learn about Andrew's war experiences and how they affected him. Logue effectively deepens her well-plotted, small-town mystery with a sensitive look at the issues faced by returning veterans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)