The Marshal and the Mystical Mountain: A Nelson Lane Frontier Mystery

Early in Wendelboe’s atmospheric third Depression-era mystery featuring Wyoming U.S. marshal Nelson Lane (after 2019’s The Marshal and the Sinister Still), Lane agrees to help Sally Maddis find her freelance reporter brother, Jesse, who has not been heard from since setting off for the Mystical Mountain Hunting Lodge in search of a story he intends to sell to the New York Daily News. Lane wonders: “what interest would the publication have in an obscure hunting lodge in Wyoming? Especially written by a muckraker like Jesse Maddis.” A visit to the fortresslike lodge and an encounter with some of the armed security personnel deepen his interest, as does the client list, which includes a lot of wealthy men. Ignoring warnings from the security team, Lane does a flyover of the property and spots a dead body. Other deaths follow. Convincing local color makes up for a mystery whose solution relies exclusively on Lane’s discovery of one piece of evidence. Those who like to have no doubt about who the villains are or the full extent of their crimes will be satisfied. (Mar.)