Buried in Wolf Lake Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)In the second book BURIED IN WOLF LAKE of the series A Winnebago County Mystery Thriller by Christine Husom, the heroine that we have come to know and love, Sergeant Corinne "Corky" Aleckson has been thrust into another frightfully in-depth investigation to find the identity of a psychopathic killer who targets women with specific features. After a family dog returns home with a young woman's dismembered leg, the investigation ensues as the Winnebago County Sheriff's Department attempts to unveil the mysteries buried in Wolf Lake. Will they work fast enough to keep another victim from the clutches of the evil that lurks nearby?
Christine Husom uses her past experience from when she worked for a sheriff's department to fill her books with realistic scenarios. Although fictionalized, the books are based on actual incidents. Christine has a natural talent when it comes to being able to immerse her readers into her books. The characters and atmosphere are rich in detail and realistic. I have to give Christine Husom great credit for being able to achieve such balance and readability. Her imaginativeness is to be commended and celebrated.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery/suspense or psychological thriller. I almost hesitate to label the book within these categories, because while the content is intense, it's not overboard. I would hate for anyone to pass up the opportunity to read this series based on book genre. Furthermore, the characters really become familiar and respected as you follow their daily lives and become immersed in their friendships, families and love lives.
Personally, I admire this series. After reading Murder in Winnebago County, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the sequel. I read Buried in Wolf Lake in one day. I couldn't stand to put the book down for long, because I was always wondering what would come with the flip of the page. The passion that Christine Husum writes with is powerful and compelling. I'm looking forward to reading the next installment and have high hopes that Christine will continue with this series. Do yourself a favor and pick this book up. Once you do, you'll be hard-pressed to set it back down.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Buried in Wolf Lake

When a family's Golden Retriever brings home a woman's dismembered leg, the Winnebago County Sheriff's Department launches an investigation unlike any other. Who is the young woman and where is the rest of her body? Sergeant Corrine Aleckson and Detective Elton Dawes soon discover they are up against an unidentified psychopath targeting women with specific physical features. Can they find him in time to prevent another brutal murder?Buried in Wolf Lake continues the saga of the bright, lovely girl who just happens to be the best detective in rural Minnesota.Most of the marvelous characters from her first thriller, Murder in Winnebago County, have returned for this adventure--but the killer she is pursuing is colder, crueler and deadlier than before.

Click here for more information about Buried in Wolf Lake

Read More...

Murder In Winnebago County Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I highly recommend "Murder in Winnebago County" by Christine Husom to anyone who appreciates a good mystery. I particularly liked the insight that is provided into the plotting mind of the killer. Although you never quite know what will happen next. Also, Sgt. Corky Aleckson is a well-drawn and believable protagonist. I expect to read more of her adventures in the near future.
"Murder in Winnebago County" is a really good read.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Murder In Winnebago County

Murder in Winnebago County features a the most unlikely serial killer in the most unlikely little Minnesota town. The clever murderer leaves a dramatically growing chain of apparent suicides who have everything, and nothing, in common. As her intuition helps her draw the case together, Sgt. Corky Aleckson doesn't realize that she has made herself the killer's next target.

Click here for more information about Murder In Winnebago County

Read More...

Chasing Smoke Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The main reason I liked this book so much was because the main character and narrator, Skin Kadash, is one of the most intriguing characters I have come across recently in a novel. He is so flawed, so self depricating, so frustrating, that the reader has really has nowhere else to go but to like him. He is a character you love to hate, hate because he is so much of a pain in the you know what. Good story, good mystery, but most of all good characters. Enjoy.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Chasing Smoke

Get 25% OFF

Click here for more information about Chasing Smoke

Read More...

The Man Who Went Up in Smoke (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I met a man who wasn't there.
Summer vacation season is in full swing and Inspector Martin Beck has just arrived in an isolated summer cottage on an island off the Swedish coast. The very next morning a neighbor rows out to advise him that he is wanted on the telephone. He is needed back in Stockholm for a meeting with the Police Chief and the Swedish Foreign office. Beck grudgingly returns for the meeting and is asked to travel to Budapest, Hungary to find a missing journalist. The journalist, Alf Matsson, has gone missing and the tabloid newspaper he works for has pressured the Foreign Office to search for the report. Beck has been asked to `volunteer' for the task. Despite, or perhaps because of, his wife's displeasure (their marriage is not in the best condition) at his departure, Beck accepts the assignment. In short order he is provided with a full set of travel documents, a brief dossier on Matsson, and a ticket for Budapest. The only thing Beck lacks is the first clue as to how to locate Matsson.
As the story progresses we see Beck put together bits and pieces of information as he wanders, seemingly aimlessly, through the picturesque streets of Budapest. Beck is traveling purely as a civilian and soon attracts the attention of the Budapest police force, in particular a detective who may or may not be an ally of Beck. Beck also attracts the attention of what may be either Budapest's underworld or representatives of the Hungarian security forces. For all intents and purposes Beck is a stranger in a strange land.
As with all the other Martin Beck mysteries in this ten-book series (this is the third in the series), "The Man Who Went Up in Smoke" is rich with character-driven narrative. Beck's character and his relationships with his colleagues and his wife are fleshed out as Beck plods along trying to unravel the mystery surrounding Matsson's disappearance. The authors, the husband and wife team of Per Wahloo and Maj Sjowall, do a nice job of revealing details in a measured pace along the way. The plot and narrative do fall squarely within the usual police procedural `formula' but that does nothing to take away from the enjoyment of reading the book. Although the reader may find the ending a bit predictable (I didn't) the real enjoyment of the series involves the development of Beck's character. As with many good detective series (Simenon's Maigret comes to mind here) the personality of Beck takes pride of place. He is far from being a super hero, is no Sherlock Holmes (who is?), smokes too much, doesn't eat right, and has some troubles at home. He is appealing because of these flaws not despite them and his dogged determination and his personal involvement in the cases he handles drags the reader right into the story. He works at his job and doesn't and cannot rely on flashes of genius to solve a crime.
The Beck series has been an entertaining one. I recommend starting with the first book in the series (Roseanna) and working your way in chronological order. My only fault with the publisher, Vintage Crime/Black Lizard (a division of Random House) is that they do not identify the order of books in the series. Despite that minor quibble any reader who enjoys Simenon, Eric Ambler, or Boris Akunin will enjoy the Martin Beck detective mysteries. Recommended. L. Fleisig.


Click Here to see more reviews about: The Man Who Went Up in Smoke (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)

The masterful second novel in the Martin Beck series of mysteries by the internationally renowned crime writing duo Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, finds Beck searching for a well-known Swedish journalist who has disappeared without a trace.Inspector Martin Beck of the Stockholm Homicide Squad has his summer vacation abruptly terminated when the top brass at the foreign office pack him off to Budapest to search for Alf Matsson, a well-known Swedish journalist who has vanished. Beck investigates viperous Eastern European underworld figures and--at the risk of his life--stumbles upon the international racket in which Matsson was involved. With the coolly efficient local police on his side and a predatory nymphet on his tail, Beck pursues a case whose international implications grow with each new clue.

Get 20% OFF

Click here for more information about The Man Who Went Up in Smoke (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)

Read More...