Book Review: Dead Madonna

Reviewed By: Pat Reid - RAM

Dead Madonna     Amazon US TPB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada TPB Amazon Canada HC
Victoria Houston
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural
Series: Loon Lake Fishing Mysteries # 8
Bleak House Books, 2007, 236 pps.

Dead Madonna is the most recent addition to Victoria Houston’s series and the best yet as far as I am concerned.

Police Chef Lew Ferris is working short-handed and barely gets to the scene of one murder when she is notified of a second murder. Doc Osborne as well as Doc’s neighbor Ray is called in to assist. Lew and Doc seem to have perfected their technique for working together in their professional life and their personal lives seem to be moving in a forward direction.

DeeDee Kurlander is a lovely young girl who turns up dead under a pontoon which has been used as a party boat by the son of a rich Chicagoan. Nora Loomis is a widow who is found dead in her home. The murders seem to be totally disconnected at first but further investigation shows that there is a connection. The clues seem to lead in different directions though and Lew and Doc have their work cut out for them. Ray always seems to come up with some good tracking information to help them along as well as a few jokes to lighten things up.

Ray is on an investigation of his own to find out what kind of creature is hanging around at Lew’s place. Doc’s daughter is helping him out with this project. And Ray’s project is an interesting side-bar.

Victoria Houston does an excellent job of drawing all of the disconnected facts together and Dead Madonna is a fast read with an exciting conclusion.

Loon Lake is such a picturesque place and Houston’s descriptions want you to travel there and at least have time to go to a fish fry.

Pat Reid - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Pat Reid - RAM