Dead Deceiver by Victoria Houston
c.2011, Tyrus Books
$24.95/$30.50 Canada hardcover
$15.95/$18.50 paperback
240 pages

One thing; that’s what was on your To-Do List last week. Just one little chore, wouldn’t take long, ba-da-bing, and the weekend was yours.
Famous last thoughts, huh?

When it comes to time management, the problem is that you never manage to have enough. Something else always comes between you and enjoyment, and it’s usually not so pleasant.

Officer Lewellyn “Lew” Ferris had the same problem. She was looking forward to peacekeeping duties during Loon Lake’s International Ice Fishing Festival, but that wasn’t going to happen. In the new novel Dead Deceiver by Victoria Houston, Lew had a few bodies to deal with first.

Though it was a cold night in northern Wisconsin, Officer Lew Ferris was feeling warm. Her long-time beau, Paul Osborne, had fixed them a tasty walleye dinner and they were in for the night. Then Lew’s cell phone rang.

Rob Beltner had called the Loon Lake sheriff’s office to report that his wife, Kathy, was missing. Kathy Beltner loved to snowshoe in the woods, but she hadn’t come home and Rob was worried. When her body was found stuffed under a local bridge, it was obvious that she was never coming home again.
There is, of course, no good time to look for a killer, and because Loon Lake was about to become inundated with fishermen from all over the world, Lew’s department was spread a little thin. Her usual coroner was in the hospital so, once again, she deputized Osborne and Ray Pradt, a scruffy Loon Lake fishing guide who was good with a camera and with the ladies.

And the deputizing was just in time: Local hermit Walter Frisch was found dead and someone was stalking Wheedon College president and newlywed Patience Schumacher, hacking into her computer, sending spam to her students and generally terrifying her.

Patience’s husband, Charles, tried to be supportive, even though he couldn’t see any danger – until the night their house was ransacked.

But was Charles really who he said he was? Local breakfast club gossipers couldn’t wait to tell Paul Osborne a little secret they knew about Patience’s husband. And once Lew Ferris heard the truth, the deception had to end.
Though Dead Deceiver is the latest in a long line of Loon Lake mysteries, this one is a little different – which is a mixed bag. Yes, Lew and Paul are back and it’s great to see them, but Dead Deceiver is quite a bit folksier than the rest of author Victoria Houston’s series, which takes away some of the bite fans have come to enjoy.

Newcomers to the series are treated to some helpful backstory, and there’s a new character with intriguing potential, but one storyline felt forced another was quite transparent, and Paul Osborne often turns into sentimental jelly, which made me wistfully miss the punch of the past few books.
Still, if you’re a fan of the Loon Lake series, you can’t miss catching up with old friends in this mystery. For you, Dead Deceiver may be the one thing to read this summer.

Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was three years old and never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 11,000 books. Readers with questions or comments may write to Terri in care of this publication.