Welcome to Week CCXV of 鈥楩ishing Parkland Shorelines鈥�. Like most of us I am a novice fisherman, loving to fish, but far from an expert. In the following weeks I鈥檒l attempt to give those anglers who love to fish but just don鈥檛 have access to a boat, a look at some of the options in the Yorkton area where you can fish from shore, and hopefully catch some fish.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a bright summer morning in Loon Lake when Police Chief Lewellyn Ferris is called to the scene of a horrific accident that occurred in the dead of night at a local gentleman鈥檚 club. The club is owned by one of the victims, a member of the private Deer Creek Fishing and Hunting Preserve and the scion of a wealthy Wisconsin family. When the county coroner is unavailable due to a car accident, Chief Ferris deputizes her close friend and fellow fly-fisherman, retired dentist 鈥淒oc鈥� Osborne, to step in.
鈥淥sborne鈥檚 discovery of mysterious footprints confirms Chief Ferris鈥檚 suspicions: this is no accident; it鈥檚 murder. Leaning on Doc Osborne for his forensic and interrogation skills, Lew also hopes to enlist the help of Ray Pradt, fishing guide and expert tracker. But Ray鈥檚 time is limited as he is coaching the University of Wisconsin鈥檚 fishing team in a muskie fishing tournament. Things get complicated when Doc Osborne鈥檚 granddaughter disappears on the first day of the tournament. Sunny June days turn dark as a desperate search ensues.鈥�
That is the intriguing teaser from the back cover of Victoria Houston鈥檚 latest book 鈥楧ead Loudmouth鈥�.
The book is the 16th title in Houston鈥檚 Loon Lake Mystery Series, several of which have been reviewed here in the past, including her previously most recent title Dead Rapunzel.
The mysteries are set in the Northwoods of Wisconsin against a background of fishing 鈥� fly fishing as well as fishing for muskie, bass, bluegill and walleyes.
So first a refresher course about Houston.
鈥淚 was born and raised in Rhinelander, WI, in the heart of the fishing culture that backgrounds my mysteries.聽 I grew up fishing for walleye and bluegills and muskie 鈥� and when I turned fifty, I learned to fly fish,鈥� she writes on her website www.victoriahouston.com
鈥淚鈥檝e always had an aptitude for writing (not singing, for sure as the nuns at St. Mary鈥檚 told me to 鈥渏ust move your lips鈥�) and won a full scholarship to Bennington College in Vermont.聽 Went on to have three children, marry and divorce twice. My second husband was nine years younger, hence my non-fiction book, 鈥楲oving a Younger Man鈥�, which I wrote 25 years ago.聽 We broke up for reasons that had nothing to do with the age difference. 聽
鈥淎fter a decade of magazine and newspaper feature writing 鈥� the source of my non-fiction books -- I directed promotion and publicity for Andrews & McMeel/Universal Press Syndicate during which time I had the privilege of working with outstanding writers and cartoonists such as Abigail Van Buren, Gary Larson, Erma Bombeck and Garry Trudeau.聽 Later I joined Jane Mobley Associates, a public relations firm based in Kansas City.聽聽 聽
鈥淚 moved back to Rhinelander in 1996 (having been gone for over 30 years) where I now hunt, fish and write mysteries.聽 Over the years, I have published 23 books 鈥� a fact that surprises the hell out of me as I never finished college.聽 I am just starting my 14th Loon Lake Mystery.鈥�
In specific terms of 鈥楧ead Loudmouth鈥� like all of Houston鈥檚 titles in the series it is a quick read at just shy of 200-pages for the hardcover edition. That makes it great for a weekend read while relaxing between trips to the lakeshore to cast a few spoons for pike.
As in all her books Houston makes sure to give us enough fishing, usually as a sidebar to the main storyline, to at least keep us fisherfolk interested as it is an aspect of the series which is likely to have attracted many of us. In this book both fly fishing, and musky hunting get some ink.
The mystery here though is a little thin. The eventual killer popped off the page rather quickly once introduced, although to be fair my better half thinks he was coerced by a woman who walks away nicely.
I鈥檒l be honest, Houston spends a fair amount of time expounding upon the woman in question鈥檚 virtues, so a twist at the end where she was the brains behind the dual murder would have been a most welcome twist which would have raised my overall enjoyment of the story.
As it is the book seems a tad short of intrigue and mystery.
Maybe Houston will wind the woman into a future mystery that shows she was the culprit, although that would break with the author鈥檚 pattern of keeping things rather simple.
If you want deep intrigue in a mystery, the Loon Lake Mysteries are not it.
But a quick summer read, with elements of our shared passion of fishing, well then this book and series are just the ticket.
And now just a taste more, from the inside flap of 鈥楧ead Loudmouth鈥�;
鈥淩ocking back and forth as it bumped forward in low gear, a golf cart made its way over the roots and rocks sabotaging the path worn by bears addicted to the garbage spilling from bins behind the supper club.
鈥淭he window the driver had jimmied open the night before was still ajar 鈥� enough that one shove pushed it wide open, but a quick glance inside didn鈥檛 help; no sightline to the stage. The driver knew the answer to that problem. The Formica-topped workbench just inside the open window would make for easy access without having to use the front door.
鈥淧ushing away the dusty curtain that had been hung in front of the window to discourage curious teenage boys, the driver crawled in far enough to perch, knees bent, on the countertop.
鈥淭he driver waited, breath held. No sound.
鈥淔rom that angle, the underside of the white baby grand piano was in full sight. A man鈥檚 foot could be seen sticking out over the top edge of the piano, but there was no sign of the woman. 鈥淭he foot was still; not even a toe moved.鈥�
Bird tales
In another area of interest to fisherfolk I turn to something from Nature Saskatchewan.
A recent article was on Piping Plovers.
It detailed that when we are on the beaches whether sunbathing, or fishing, we may not be the only ones.
Piping Plovers are endangered shorebirds, and are raising their families on beaches across the province. The Plovers first arrived on Saskatchewan beaches in mid-May and now have their chicks combing the beaches for invertebrate prey.
Piping Plovers have been classified as endangered since 1985 and their numbers are continuing to fall. 鈥淭here are many factors that contribute to the Plovers decline鈥�, explained Ashley Fortney, the Plovers on Shore coordinator in the Nature Sask article, 鈥渂ut a few factors are flooding of nesting areas, predation, and the loss of nests from being trampled by livestock and human activity.鈥� An international census counting Piping Plovers across North America is completed every five years. Less than 800 plovers were observed in Saskatchewan in the 2011 census which was a 53 per cent decrease from the previous one. The 2016 census has just been completed and Fortney is hoping, once the data is compiled, the population trend will show a rebound. 鈥淪askatchewan experienced exceptional flooding in 2011, so we鈥檙e interested in finding out if the low numbers from that year are a reflection of the extreme weather.鈥�
Piping Plovers are a small shorebird and are well adapted to blending into the beaches they live on so they can be difficult to spot. You can identify a Piping Plover using the distinctive black markings 鈥� a black band on their forehead and a single black band around their neck. They also have a sandy body with a white belly, orange legs, and an orange beak with a black tip.
To help with conservation efforts, if you see a Piping Plover call our toll-free Hoot Line at: 1-800-667-HOOT (4668).
