In the 19th installment of Victoria Houston’s Loon Lake Mystery series set in Northern Wisconsin, retired dentist and acting coroner (the “real” one is usually too drunk to function), Doc Osborne and his lady love, Chief of Police Lew Ferris, find themselves with a double homicide on their hands.

A Chicago industrialist and his wife are found shot in their summer home on the lake. At first it’s thought it might be an outside job—the industrialist was involved in several ugly lawsuits. But when a second person ends up in Loon Lake with her head bashed in by a cast-iron skillet and an old woman disappears, Doc’s and Lew’s suspicions turn local. They set out to solve the murders with their good friend, neighbor, and lady’s man Ray Pradt, a fishing guide who often takes their crime-scene photos.

At the same time, Ray is trying to avoid the advances of Judith Kerr, a prodigal daughter who has returned home. Ray is happy when she turns her attentions to Bill Kimble, a local who, while married, cuts a wide swathe through the ladies of Loon Lake. As Lew, Doc, and Ray try to disentangle truth from rumor, they can only hope they find the killer before another murder takes place.

Author Victoria Houston seems very comfortable with her Loon Lake characters, so much so that a new reader may have a difficult time keeping the huge cast of characters straight. Her use of local lingo, such as “razzbonya” (nincompoop), may send those same readers scurrying to the dictionary. On the plus side, readers will come away with a wealth of fishing information—her characters are all avid fishermen and women and jump in a boat with a rod and reel whenever possible. All in all, an enjoyable read indeed.