The last time Kevin Tipple reviewed a book here, he discussed The Silence of the Loons. That was the first volume of short stories by “Minnesota’s Premiere Mystery Writers”. Resort to Murder This volume followed The Silence of the Loons. Again, it’s an older book, but it features thirteen stories you might not have read. Thank you, Kevin.

Awhile back, I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing the anthology The Silence of
the Loons. Put out by the “Minnesota Crime Wave” (Ellen Hart, Carl Brookins and
William Kent Krueger) the anthology was a good one and I enjoyed it immensely. So,
Carl Brookins sent me a review copy of their latest anthology quite some time ago. I
was thrilled and added it to mount TBR which promptly surrounded it, burped in
satisfaction, and continued to grow. I’m officially over 300 books now at last count and
woefully behind in my reading. Fortunately, Texas is a long away from Minnesota, so I
should be relatively safe.

After a brief introduction by Lorna Landvik on why Minnesota produces so many good
mystery writers, the book delves into the tales. There are 13 tales by 13 writers which
include the three of the “Minnesota Crime Wave” and many more authors. Each tale is
set at a fictional resort in Minnesota and each one is complex and enjoyable with no
depictions of graphic violence, gore or sex. Some of the tales can be described more
fully than others simply because to comment on some of them would blow the read.
Having read many reviews that told way too much, I always lean towards being very
cautious in my reviews so the tales will be explained as much as possible or not as the
case may be.

William Kent Krueger kicks off the killing in his “Hills Like White Rabbits.” “Cooper knew
they planned to kill him. Exactly how was the part that was still a mystery.” (Page 2)

“The Locked Fish–cleaning House Mystery” by Jess Lourey is next. While the title may
not be inspired, this tale about an elderly woman determined to party and solve a
murder at the same time is.

Followed by “14-A” written by Ellen Hart that takes a look at the pain of love and how
relationships evolve or de-evolve over time. The little things begin to burrow under the
skin and an outside threat can make everything explode.

The age old theme of cheating comes to light in the tale of “Miss Behavin'” by David
Housewright. A favorite author of mine whose most recent novel is “Dead Boyfriends”
creates here a story a story full of misdirection and complications.

“Out of the Jacuzzi, Into the Sauna” by Scott Pearson marks the author’s first published
mystery story despite a long and impressive publishing history in various areas. Kate
and Bill, a married couple, have known things at Great Lakes Lodges were wrong from
the moment they called to confirm their check in. They didn’t know that while they could
check in, they easily might never check out.

Pat Dennis follows with a tale titled “Mother’s Day.” Carl has had enough of dear old
mom and he has a plan.

If you haven’t read Carl Brookins before you have really missed out. “Bloody Halls”
was/is an excellent book as is the often laugh out loud “The Case of the Greedy
Lawyers” featuring private investigator Sean no middle initial Sean always present in his
red sneakers. Sean also makes an appearance here in the tale titled “Fish Story.” Sean
isn’t much happy to be in a vacation resort in northern Minnesota. He had a more exotic
climate in mind for vacation and if that isn’t enough, he certainly didn’t want to be
dragged in to a local murder case.

While many of the stories are told from the viewpoint of the guests, Joel Arnold took a
different angle. In “Leave No Wake” he weaves a tale told from the view point of one of
the elderly owners of a resort who soon has a dead body to deal with along with a
business to run. Along the way, Mr. Varney is reminded just how quickly time passes
under business pressure. This very good story does feature a character with a penchant
for graphic language that is out of tone with the rest of the anthology.

“The Moose Whisperer” by Deborah Woodworth features characters who aren’t
sleeping as well as they should be or need to. Police Chief Jens Johansson is one of
the nocturnal wanderers and he saw something odd in the middle of the night while on
vacation at Glass Lake. Something that he will need to follow on and something that is
just a small piece of a bigger deal.

Barbara DaCosta is next with her disturbing story “Cabin 6”. This is her first story and it
is a good one. A story that really can’t be explained at all without ruining it for other
readers. So, I won’t.

Like the “Bird of Prey” the human known as the “Falcon” goes after his next kill. In this
tale written by Michael Allan Mallory, some things are obvious while many others are
not.

“The Body at Dust Bowl Lake” is exactly that and much more. History plays the main
role in this interesting tale written by Moira F. Harris.

Judith Yates-Borger concludes the anthology well with her tale “Hunter’s Lodge.” The
past is a huge part of the tale as well and in this case the past must be honored and it
will be. Like others in this anthology, this also marks her first foray into the field of
mystery writing after an extensive and award winning journalist career.

Unlike many anthologies that place the interesting author biographical information at the
back of the book, this anthology does the right thing and places it at the beginning of
each tale. Also, pictures of the authors are included. Therefore, the book is well
designed and places the picture of the author and bio on the left page with the tale
written by the author on the right. By such format, one gets a feel for the author before
delving into the tale.

Like the anthology, The Silence of the Loons, the tales in Resort to Murder: Thirteen
More Tales by Minnesota’s Premier Writers, this book feature intriguing characters
from a variety of viewpoints and walks of life. Some have seen this collection as darker
in tone, but, I would not agree. Graphic descriptions are not present here with the focus
being on the characters and the tales they tell. Each tale, well told, often is filled with
misdirection while touching on some of the age old concepts of deceit, family honor,
envy and others that ultimately lead to murder. Murder, well told, and another good read
compiled and edited by the members of the “Minnesota Crime Wave.”

As noted in the review, author Carl Brookins sent it to me long ago when dragons still
flew overhead and magic ruled the land.

Kevin R. Tipple © 2008, 2024

Resort to Murder: Thirteen More Tales of Mystery by Minnesota’s Premier Writers. Nodin Press, 2007. ISBN 9781932472479 (paperback), 184p.