Hunting the Saturday Night Strangler: A Bitter Wind Mystery

Wendelboe effectively combines lurking menace and laid-back charm in his captivating sequel to 2017’s Hunting the Five Point Killer. A group of Wyoming sheep ranchers hire retired Denver homicide detective Arn Anderson, who’s settled in Cheyenne, to nab the Midnight Sheepherder, a pesky rustler who’s been raiding their flocks. The murder of a local girl complicates Arn’s investigation, especially when a blowhard young deputy confuses things by insisting that the victim was part of the Sheepherder’s rustling mob. Arn later figures out that the Sheepherder must have watched the crime from nearby—which means the retired lawman and the sadistic killer are now in a race to find the witness. A couple of appealing friends, elderly jack-of-all-trades Danny Spotted Elk and spunky TV newscaster Ana Maria Villarreal, lend support. Meanwhile, the murderous psychopath is stalking Arn and beginning to think that Ana Maria might be fun to “dance” with. Readers will look forward to Arn’s next outing. (Oct.)