Dead Lil’ Hustler: A Loon Lake Mystery

Smalltown police chief Lewellyn “Lew” Ferris has to deal with the same problems faced by urban communities, though with much fewer resources, as shown in Houston’s pleasing 14th mystery set in Loon Lake, Wis. (after 2013’s Dead Insider). A particularly potent strain of marijuana has found its way to Loon Lake, but a more serious problem is the discovery of banker Peter Corbin’s body in the Pine River in nearby Nicolet National Forest. Then a distraught father, Jake Barber, implores Lew to help find his college-age son, Liam, who disappeared in the area while fly-fishing a small stream. Lew can count on boyfriend Paul Osborne for help, while bumbling mayor Ed Pecore and bossy FBI agent Alan Strickland complicate her investigation. Houston knows both her territory and her characters well, and she uses both to good effect in advancing her nicely executed plot. [em]Agent: Martha Millard, Martha Millard Agency. (June) [/em]