Lake Geneva Public Library Community Engagement Librarian Ellen Ward-Packard recommends a few good mysteries with Wisconsin ties, perfect for “spooky season.”
BREAKFALL
BY ZHANNA SLOR
Part dark romance, part murder mystery, Milwaukee author Slor’s sophomore outing follows Mina, a writer and recent divorcee who finds herself at the center of a disappearance investigation. Readers bored with typical murder mystery setups will be pleased by the story’s unusual and atmospheric setting in a jiu jitsu gym.
DEATH STALKS DOOR COUNTY
BY PATRICIA SKALKA
Following the loss of his wife and child, ex-homicide detective Dave Cubiak seeks solace as a park ranger in one of Wisconsin’s most popular vacation spots. His respite is cut short by six bizarre murders. Good news for those seeking Wisconsin noir; Door County is the first in a seven-book series, which also includes Death in Cold Water, Death Rides the Ferry and Death Casts a Shadow.
THE GOOD SON
BY JACQUELYN MITCHARD
Told from the perspective of Thea, the mother of a young man convicted of manslaughter, The Good Son considers the complexities of reentering society post-incarceration. The small- town Wisconsin setting heightens the tension as neighbors protest the son’s light sentencing, Thea receives menacing phone calls and the family home is vandalized. Recommended for those who enjoyed Mitchard’s smash debut, The Deep End of the Ocean.
