Dead Insider


Book Description

In the midst of a catastrophic August rainstorm, a grisly discovery shatters the serenity of a summer evening in northern Wisconsin. Moving quickly to prevent a panic among tourists, Loon Lake Police Chief Lewellyn Ferris enlists the forensic and interrogation skills of her close friend and fellow fly fisherman, the retired dentist "Doc" Osborne. Within hours of launching their investigation, they find themselves faced with a national media circus as Loon Lake becomes the focus of a murderous scenario that links the murder to the race for the U.S. Senate by a woman who is heir to a Northwoods fortune and other, less savory, family traditions. In the meantime, Doc Osborne's eldest daughter, Mallory, enters into a relationship that may put her life at risk--unless her father and Chief Ferris can find the killer stalking the residents of Loon Lake.




Dead Hot Shot


Book Description

Murder never takes a holiday...or so Loon Lake learns one wintry Thanksgiving Day. Chief of Police Lew Ferris, short-handed thanks to an AWOL coroner, never even gets the turkey stuffed before the bodies start to surface. By the end of the day, credit card theft and dysfunctional families have so muddied the waters that not even expert tracker and dedicated fishing guide Ray Pradt can hope to fish the final day of muskie season. And while retired dentist Doc Osborne had counted on sitting by the fire with Lew (out of uniform) and planning a fly-fishing trip to Wyoming, the unexpected arrival of Gina Palmer, former investigative reporter turned forensics database expert, ramps up the action with her pursuit of a Canadian link to the theft of merchandise from stores across the upper Midwest. Dead Hot Shot, ninth in the Loon Lake Mystery series, is a heady mix of murder, mayhem, and fishing in the northwoods of Wisconsin.




Loon Lake


Book Description

The hero of this dazzling novel by American master E. L. Doctorow is Joe, a young man on the run in the depths of the Great Depression. A late-summer night finds him alone and shivering beside a railroad track in the Adirondack mountains when a private railcar passes. Brightly lit windows reveal well-dressed men at a table and, in another compartment, a beautiful girl holding up a white dress before her naked form. Joe will follow the track to the mysterious estate at Loon Lake, where he finds the girl along with a tycoon, an aviatrix, a drunken poet, and a covey of gangsters. Here Joe’s fate will play out in this powerful story of ambition, aggression, and identity. Loon Lake is another stunning achievement of this acclaimed author. “Powerful . . . [a] complex and haunting meditation on modern American history.” –The New York Times “A genuine thriller . . . a marvelous exploration of the complexities and contradictions of the American dream . . . Not under any circumstances would we reveal the truly shattering climax.” –The Dallas Morning News “A dazzling performance . . . [Loon Lake] anatomizes America with insight, passion, and inventiveness.” –The Washington Post Book World “Hypnotic . . . tantalizes long after it has ended.” –Time “Compelling . . . brilliantly done.” –St. Louis Post-Dispatch “A masterpiece.” –Chicago Sun-Times




The Loon Lake Murders


Book Description




Murder Under the Loon


Book Description

In the good old Minnesota town of Fergus Falls, murder is about as common as shorts-wearing tourists in January. But even in quiet Nordic towns, strange things can happen in the dead of winter. Eager to retire, insurance company owner "Pinky" Hofstead had grand plans to announce the appointment of his new president at an all-employee winter weekend retreat. But after a night of snowmobiling in sub-zero weather, Hofstead is found the next day—as cold and stiff as a piece of dried lutefisk. Puzzled by how Hofstead's body could be lying beneath a concrete loon with his snowmobile abandoned fifty feet away, Otter County Sheriff Palmer Knutson and his upstart rookie detective suspect that this is more than just an accident. With possible motives of greed, ambition, and jealousy, could any of the four employees or their spouses be cold-blooded enough to ice the boss? Uffda! There's a murderous chill in the air!




Dead Big Dawg


Book Description

Murder, She Wrote meets Fargo in the Northwoods of Wisconsin in the nineteenth “gripping, atmospheric, and smart” (T. Jefferson Parker, New York Times bestselling author) installment of the Loon Lake series. When the bodies of a wealthy Chicago industrialist and his wife are discovered in their summer home at the same time that a local lawyer disappears, life becomes complicated for Loon Lake Chief of Police Lew Ferris. Relying on the forensic dental expertise of her close friend and acting coroner, Doc Osborne, Lew soon finds the investigations are even more complicated than she thought when a rarely used computer belonging to a local sawmill operation is taken over by foreign hackers. Add to that the family issues facing both Lew and Doc, and this Northwoods summer becomes both hot and dangerous. Engaging and fast-paced, Dead Big Dawg is a clever mystery perfect for fans of Lee Goldberg and Janet Evanovich.




Wolf Hollow


Book Description

Murder stalks the Wisconsin northwoods in a gripping novel from the author of the acclaimed Loon Lake mysteries. It's mid-May in the tiny northwoods Wisconsin town of Loon Lake, and the fish are biting. Walleye's not the only thing on the hook. There are rumors that a precious vein of nickel and copper is buried on the property of wealthy Grace McDonough, and the drilling is about to begin. But not if environmentalist Pete Ferris can help it. When Grace's 24-year-old son, Noah, is caught in a sordid sex crime, police chief Lew Ferris makes the arrest. But a day later, Lew is stricken when her brother Pete turns up dead, a bloody pry bar found in the woods nearby. Then, Grace's body is discovered in a car at the bottom of a river--and Noah has vanished. Lew puts out a statewide APB, but before long, Noah is also found murdered on the McDonough property. It's beginning to look like mother and son were killed by the same person. And when Lew learns that her brother had planned to file a lawsuit to prevent drilling for the sulfide mine, a key piece of the puzzle suddenly falls into place. Lew is beginning to close in on the truth. But has the killer set his bait again, angling for his biggest catch yet?




The Ghost of Loon Lake


Book Description

Ten years ago, ASHLEY HALE left the Inn at Loon Lake, her family's business, frustrated by her father's apprenticeship that treated her more like a personal assistant than heir apparent. Her childhood best friend turned husband, CHRISTOPHER LEWIS, stayed behind, breaking her heart. After her father's sudden passing, Ashley discovers that he changed the terms of the will to include either her or her husband, whoever stays for thirty consecutive days following his death. To claim her rightful legacy and her only chance at a happy future, Ashley sneaks into the lighthouse behind the Inn with the intention of scaring her estranged husband off the premises by pretending to be a ghost. Unfortunately for Ashley, Christopher knows she's back. He's spent the last decade running the business and hating himself for not following her. Her father forbade him from telling her the truth of the Inn's financial circumstances. In an act of love, he saved the resort and has been supporting her with an allowance ever since. When Ashley accidentally sets the lighthouse on fire, she runs into Christopher's arms. He hopes her return means a relationship resolution and a chance to show how much work is involved in managing the property, hoping she will gladly hand over the reins. However, Ashley isn't giving up, and Christopher doesn't want her to leave. Convinced the Inn's lighthouse is haunted, she starts an investigation. Together, they uncover one mystery after another. Will they discover the secret to a happy future and a second chance at love? If you love second chance, small town romance, then you'll love THE GHOST OF LOON LAKE!




A Bird's Eye View of Murder


Book Description

“A fast, fun, satisfying mystery told by a master of sarcasm and wit.” “A BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF MURDER dishes more of Vick’s signature sarcasm, wit, and humor.” What’s a pet psychic’s worst nightmare? A tarot card-reading aunt, a cranky cockatoo, and a very dead Blue-Ribbon Queen. Pet psychic Frankie Chandler is feeling frazzled. Ever since the night she lost her ability to communicate with animals--and wound up reading the minds of two potential dates--nothing seems to be going right. Her new animal behavior business is a dud, and her love life is as dry as the Arizona desert. To top it off, Frankie's assertive Aunt Gertrude is in town to attend the premiere of Blue-Ribbon Babes, the Baking Channel's latest show. When Frankie and Auntie stumble over the body of the newly appointed Blue-Ribbon Queen, Detective Martin Bowers suspects that Auntie knows more about the victim than she's admitting. The only witness to the murder is an unfriendly cockatoo that's obsessed with cats. Frankie scrambles to revive her talent for talking to animals before the police arrest Aunt Gertrude, but the more she finds out about the victim, the more she wonders if Auntie is guilty. Mystery meets romance in this comedic romp through the minds of furry and feathered friends.




Dead Lil' Hustler


Book Description

Police Chief Lewellyn Ferris unravels a double mystery deep within the national forest in the fourteenth installment of the gripping Loon Lake Mystery series. It's mid-July in Loon Lake, and Police Chief Lewellyn Ferris has her hands full with the discovery of the skeletal remains of a missing bank executive and the murder of graduate student. To complicate matters, both victims were discovered on a hidden river deep in the heart of the national forest—a place that just so happens to be a dangerous wolf rendezvous site. Lew recruits her close friend and fellow flyfisherman, retired dentist "Doc" Osborne, for his forensic and interrogation skills. But Doc has his own set of problems to worry about: his grandson is hospitalized with a grave illness, and now Lew seems to be getting too interested in the father of the murdered student—a well-to-do widower who is teaching her the Japanese art of tenkara flyfishing.