Dead Hot Shot
Victoria Houston
Reviewed by Barb Radmore
Dead Hot Shot is the eighth in the series of Loon Lake mysteries. It
continues to highlight the detective abilities of retired dentist Doc
Osborne, his girlfriend Lew Ferris, who is also the chief of police and
their assorted friends. The series is named after its setting, the
small town of Loon Lake, Wisconsin.
Nolan Reese is not everyone's favorite person but it is still a crime
when she is murdered on the night of her daughter's engagement party.
Then the irascible owner of the local store, Mildred Taggert, is
shot. Could there be a connection or is it a crime wave in Loon Lake?
The investigators must take a close look at a connection that links
both murders- the sisters Francis and Josie Dark Star. Mildred let the
sisters live with her after their mother was not longer able to take
care of them but it was Nolan Reese who pampered and spoiled them,
especially Josie. Nolan's daughter, Blue, has her own issues with her
mother but not to murder her, at least that is what Doc believes. To
complicate matters Doc and Lew's old friend, Gina Palmer, is staying in
town while she looks into the rash of credit card fraud that has hit
the Midwest.
Dead Hot Shot definitely reads like a book in a series. The reader will
not be lost at any point if they have not read the previous seven but
it must be interesting to see how the characters, especially their
relationships, grew from the beginning. It is also an accurate glimpse
into the workings of a small town where everyone keeps track of their
neighbors, their lives, their comings and goings and is happy to share
their opinions of each other, if they must and only to those they know.
Victoria Houston is able to construct a well crafted murder mystery
with likeable characters you want to read more about. It is the
characters that will draw the readers back to the series and keep them
there.