Customer Reviews

Dead Boogie: A Loon Lake Fishing Mystery (Loon Lake Fishing Mysteries)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A short cut home on an abandoned road led to a big surprise for a Forest Service employee when he found a wrecked car in the road with three dead women inside. Doc Osborne got a call from Chief Law Farris to help her out by finding Ray Pratt, his neighbor local fishing guide, and get to the scene of the accident. Lew needed Doc to help identify the victims and have Ray begin taking pictures of the scene.

Much to Doc's surprise when he arrived at the scene he recognized Peg Gamin, a local resident, with a rather shady reputation as one of the victims. He also realized the deaths were from gun shot wounds and not caused by the wreck. Peg had been Ray's friend for years and he was shattered at the news and determined to find the killer.

It is soon discovered that Peg not only was an heiress but also had a son. The three women were connected with their once a week Karaoke outings as well as the fact that they had all been patients of a plastic surgeon. Peg was in the process of filing suit against the surgeon malpractice.

This is the seventh in the Loon Lake series and Victoria Houston brings back many of the characters from previous books as well as a couple of new ones. Even if you don't like to fish you might wish you did after reading a Loon Lake mystery.

If you've read any of Victoria Houston's previous mysteries in the Loon Lake series, you know what to expect, but if you're a first-time reader of Ms. Houston's novels, you are going to be pleased. I heard Ms. Houston on an NPR show and liked her immediately--her Midwestern sensibility, her sense of humor, the way she talked about writing. So I purchased this book, and I found it a terrific, engaging, and completely enjoyable reading experience.

The characters are likeable, slightly quirky, and believable. The story features a triple murder, and couple of other grisly deaths along the way, but the author loves her main characters so much, and writes so wonderfully about the locale, that the reader is almost more interested in the interactions of the cast of mostly amateur crime fighters who move from clue to clue to solve the crime. The book is well-paced and contains humor and local color--and some nicely written descriptions of fishing experiences--and the mystery unravels page by page.

Ms. Houston is a skillful writer. This book is a keeper. And I recommend it to anyone who likes the Midwest, the outdoors, character-driven fiction, and a good story.

The mystery created by Victoria Houston, in this instance in "Dead Boogie", is set in some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. Contrast that with the "looney" characters in the story and we get a taste of life in the woods of the Upper Great Lakes. I live in the north woods and my friends and I feel we have met everyone of these characters. Victoria is the only author able to capture the essence of this area in her books, and with a good mystery to boot. I am afraid that I am another woman who is attracted to Ray Pratt and was glad to see the many sides of him in "Dead Boogie".

This is a terrific addition to the series of Loon Lake mysteries. Have read and enjoyed them all. Love the plots and the people. Not a fisherman, but love the out-of-doors. Can't wait for the next.

Couldn't put it down. What a great visit to Loon Lake and all the memorable characters that Houston has created. Left me axiously waiting for the next book in the series.

Once again I enjoyed Victoria Houston's latest Loon Lake mystery. She continues to develop her characters making them more dimensional, and her writing style has grown from the "cozy" genre she started with to a more hardboiled suspense style.
I always enjoy the dental references as I am a hygienist, and applaud her accuracy in those details. She knows the Northwoods and Wisconsin and always injects a lot of local events into her tales that make them pertinent to this Northwoods dweller. Can't wait for the next one! Thanks!

Dead Boogie is another classic example of the Loon Lake series. Once you start it you just can't put it down. The characters remain strong, the plot thickens, and the book mirrors facets of life in Northern Wisconsin with a liberal dash of murder and mystery thrown in. The fishing references are a bonus for all who love to wet a line, and just the right amount of humor adds seasoning. A book for everyone who likes that sort of thing to enjoy. I just wish I didn't have to wait so long for the next one in the series, but it's well worth it. The Old Codger, River Falls, WI

From the first book in the series, I have hardly been able to wait for the next one. I think this latest one is one of the very best. I feel like I know the characters and can't wait to see what happens next. My Grandaughter loves them too and actually recommended them to her teacher who purchased some for the school library. Keeps your interest, exciting, and a really fun read. I highly recommend to anyone.

Houston's books are as good as any in the genre of serial mystery novels. As good as Parker's and Block's. Better than Braun's.
Wonderful characters. Fascinating twists and turns to the plots. You find yourself missing the characters as you wait for the next installment.

Dead Boogie, Victoria Houston"s 7th Loon Lake fishing mystery is one of her best. The characters we have learned so much about, Ray, Gina, Lew and Doc are back with all their quirks and northwoods smarts. I grew up in "Loon Lake" and the author's description of the setting is right on and if you like reading mystery series for the characters, you'll enjoy where she takes you in this book. I don't personally remember all this crime but the plot is very plausible and current. Quick read but left me wanting the next adventure quicker than she writes them.