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Summary: Loon Lake isn't boring; neither is DEAD FRENZY 2/16/03
Review: DEAD FRENZY is the 4th Loon Lake Fishing mystery series by Victoria Houston staring retired, widowed dentist Doc Osborn & Police Chief Lew Ferris. Life is anything but boring in Loon Lake. Things get kind of crazy when a fishing tournament & a biker convention convene at the same time. Lots of people have descended on the town including those who used to live and work there; not all are there for simple fun. Ray, Doc's unorthodox friend and neighbor, is hired as a bodyguard for one of the visiting VIPs; he might get his chance of a fishing TV show yet. Once Osborne is deputized, they have their hands full trying to make sure there is no cheating during the million dollar tournament & dealing with the possibility of drug deals with the bikers. The paramedics have had to rescue a few kids with similar symptoms. Has Ecstacy found its way to the Loon Lake area? Then they have to figure out why bikes are being sold cheaply. Doc gets quite involved when he goes undercover as a biker-once he learns how to ride one. (He discovers he likes riding a bike.) On top of all that, someone is making obscene phone calls from his office to his women patients, & one of Doc's daughters, Erin, is having trouble with her marriage. She is especially worried because her husband bought one of the bikes. Osborn's neighbor, Brenda Anderle, has the hots for him, but Chief Ferris would be his first choice. He's really not sure how to tell her he isn't interested. Last but not least, Doc would like to solve an old murder case he feels the wrong person was convicted of.
If you haven't read the other books, don't worry you don't have to read them in order.
Rating: 
Summary: Houston's Best Mystery Yet
Review: For retired Wisconsin dentist Paul "Doc" Osborne, the perfect day is being able to practice his fly fishing techniques with the lovely Loon Lake Police Chief Lewellyn "Lew" Ferris. Their peaceful day though, is shattered by the discovery of a teenaged girl suffering from a drug overdose. It seems that the small village of Loon Lake is being overrun by visitors, first for a million-dollar-prize fishing tournament and then by a neighboring town's Harley-Davidson motorcycle rally. Accompanying the tourists are an influx of Ecstasy drug trafficking and a fencing operation of stolen motorcycle parts. With these crimes overwhelming Lew's four-man department she again deputizes Doc and asks him to participate in an undercover operation that will tax all of his skills. Namely, he will be posing as a biker looking to upgrade his Harley.Learning how to just ride a motorcycle would be demanding enough, but soon Doc also has to contend with his daughter, whose husband is suffering from a possible mid-life crisis, and also with the unwelcome attentions of a predatory widow. As the investigation heats up Doc realizes that there are those who will do anything to make money, including salting the lake with fish in the fishing tournament. He realizes that he is placing his life, as well as the lives of those he loves, at risk. Houston has once again created a wonderfully atmospheric and amusing mystery with a plot that keeps the reader riveted to the page. The pace moves along swiftly and is filled with complications that are all neatly tied up in the end. She also demonstrates great talent in creating characters that are both engaging and realistic, from outdoorsman Ray Pradt, who lives in a trailer decorated as a fish, to a woman who has transformed herself from a dainty beauty into a tattoo-covered biker chick. As someone who has taken a motorcycle safety training course, dropped the bike, then prayed that someone else would crash so that I didn't feel like the only moron, Houston's description of Doc's first experience learning how to ride is dead on. Yet even if you're not particularly interested in either motorcycles or fishing, Houston's humor, characters, and fascinating plot make this a winning read. DEAD FRENZY, the fourth in the Loon Lake fishing series, is the best yet and I eagerly anticipate the fifth.
Rating:
Summary: Houston's Best Mystery Yet
Review: For retired Wisconsin dentist Paul "Doc" Osborne, the perfect day is being able to practice his fly fishing techniques with the lovely Loon Lake Police Chief Lewellyn "Lew" Ferris. Their peaceful day though, is shattered by the discovery of a teenaged girl suffering from a drug overdose. It seems that the small village of Loon Lake is being overrun by visitors, first for a million-dollar-prize fishing tournament and then by a neighboring town's Harley-Davidson motorcycle rally. Accompanying the tourists are an influx of Ecstasy drug trafficking and a fencing operation of stolen motorcycle parts. With these crimes overwhelming Lew's four-man department she again deputizes Doc and asks him to participate in an undercover operation that will tax all of his skills. Namely, he will be posing as a biker looking to upgrade his Harley. Learning how to just ride a motorcycle would be demanding enough, but soon Doc also has to contend with his daughter, whose husband is suffering from a possible mid-life crisis, and also with the unwelcome attentions of a predatory widow. As the investigation heats up Doc realizes that there are those who will do anything to make money, including salting the lake with fish in the fishing tournament. He realizes that he is placing his life, as well as the lives of those he loves, at risk. Houston has once again created a wonderfully atmospheric and amusing mystery with a plot that keeps the reader riveted to the page. The pace moves along swiftly and is filled with complications that are all neatly tied up in the end. She also demonstrates great talent in creating characters that are both engaging and realistic, from outdoorsman Ray Pradt, who lives in a trailer decorated as a fish, to a woman who has transformed herself from a dainty beauty into a tattoo-covered biker chick. As someone who has taken a motorcycle safety training course, dropped the bike, then prayed that someone else would crash so that I didn't feel like the only moron, Houston's description of Doc's first experience learning how to ride is dead on. Yet even if you're not particularly interested in either motorcycles or fishing, Houston's humor, characters, and fascinating plot make this a winning read. DEAD FRENZY, the fourth in the Loon Lake fishing series, is the best yet and I eagerly anticipate the fifth.
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Summary: Dead Frenzy has many twists and turns to hold your interest.
Review: I have read all of Victoria Houstons books and believe this is the best yet. There are a lot of suprises and twists to this book. You had best pay attention or you will miss something. I really enjoy all of her books with their intrigue. Her books keep your attention and I have difficulties puting them down. I would certainly recommend this book or any of her others. You do not have to be a person who loves fishing, but some interest in it adds to the pleasure.
Rating:
Summary: Dead Frenzy has many twists and turns to hold your interest.
Review: I have read all of Victoria Houstons books and believe this is the best yet. There are a lot of suprises and twists to this book. You had best pay attention or you will miss something. I really enjoy all of her books with their intrigue. Her books keep your attention and I have difficulties puting them down. I would certainly recommend this book or any of her others. You do not have to be a person who loves fishing, but some interest in it adds to the pleasure.
Rating: 
Summary: Dead Frenzy
Review: I liked the story, it was a very interesting book, although I find sometimes there was too much about something that really had nothing to do with the story. But otherwise a good read.
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Summary: When does the fifth book come out?
Review: I've now read all four "Dead" books in the Loon Lake mystery series and am recommending them to friends and relations who enjoy not just good mysteries, but series where you get to know characters like friends and neighbors.Like most of the women he encounters, I've fallen for Ray and come to admire Lou, the police chief who stars in each of the books. Houston's plotting gets richer in each effort, her characters more intriguing and always there is such lush detail in her descriptions of the Wisconsin woods I feel like I'm there, boating, hunting and especially catching and cooking up fish.
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Summary: Move over Qwilleran, Doc Osborne's in town!
Review: Small town mysteries abound. Good examples would include those by Joan Hess, Susan Rogers Cooper, and Diane Mott Davidson. Perhaps the most popular would be the _Cat Who..._ series by Lillian Jackson Braun. Victoria Houston writes in much the same vein as Braun, but without the cats and the annoying psychic moustache. The quality of her writing is certainly of the same, if not better, caliber. Quiet little Loon Lake is hopping this summer. A fishing tournament is expected to bring in 15,000 visitors, and a Harley-Davidson rally in a nearby town is expected to bring 30,000 bikers into the Northwoods at the same time. To top it off, someone is funneling drugs and hot bike parts through the area, a VIP is being stalked, and an old murder, once thought solved, is re-opened. Paul Osborne, retired dentist and amateur trout fisherman is always willing to help out his lady friend and fishing tutor, Police Chief Lew Ferris. When she suggests that he pose as a Harley rider in hopes of getting a line on the drugs and hot parts, he also discovers a taste for the open road. Meanwhile, Doc Osborne's pal Ray, famous for his guiding and grave digging skills, is hired as a bodyguard for the stalked VIP. Toss in a daughter's marital crisis, a million dollar tournament prize, and lots of long-lost locals, and things certainly get interesting! Unlike the characters in some series, these folk have grown since their first outing in _Dead Angler_. They learn from their mistakes, and even the flighty Ray has one foot firmly anchored in common sense. In _Dead Frenzy_, more insight is given into Lew's life, and Doc and she address their relationship and where it is going. Houston has a way with words; her use of colloquialisms unique to Loon Lake is a reminder that small town life can be isolating. Her humor is well rationed, and while Ray may seem over-the-top (having met the "real" Ray, I can affirm that he is not), the good doctor is a pleasant, witty voice. The description of a fishing experience is well done, depicting the Northwoods to a "T." The mystery is plotted well, and there is enough action to keep the reader engaged to the end. The Loon Lake series holds great promise for a pleasurable reading retreat.
Reviewed by kat >^.^<
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Summary: Another great upper midwest fishing/mystery novel!
Review: There are a few mystery/adventure series with fishing for which I eagerly await each new book. Randy Wayne White and Doc Ford, William Tapply and Brady Coyne, Philip Craig and J.W. Jackson, James Lee Burke and Dave Robicheaux, and now of course, Victoria Houston and her characters, Lew, Doc, and Ray. These recurring characters take on a life of their own and it seems like you know them personally after a few books. I feel like I've known these three all my life. Dead Frenzy has a little something for every taste. Fishing, murder, an old unsolved murder, antique fishing lures and rods, drug smuggling, a biker convention along with a biker chop shop. She tops it off with a crooked Bass pro and his cronies who plan to fix a million dollar Bass tournament. What else could you want? My only complaint was it didn't contain more Smallmouth Bass fishing - I say that with a grin. This is a series of books I can recommend - if you haven't already read them, order all four.
Rating:
Summary: Another great upper midwest fishing/mystery novel!
Review: There are a few mystery/adventure series with fishing for which I eagerly await each new book. Randy Wayne White and Doc Ford, William Tapply and Brady Coyne, Philip Craig and J.W. Jackson, James Lee Burke and Dave Robicheaux, and now of course, Victoria Houston and her characters, Lew, Doc, and Ray. These recurring characters take on a life of their own and it seems like you know them personally after a few books. I feel like I've known these three all my life. Dead Frenzy has a little something for every taste. Fishing, murder, an old unsolved murder, antique fishing lures and rods, drug smuggling, a biker convention along with a biker chop shop. She tops it off with a crooked Bass pro and his cronies who plan to fix a million dollar Bass tournament. What else could you want? My only complaint was it didn't contain more Smallmouth Bass fishing - I say that with a grin. This is a series of books I can recommend - if you haven't already read them, order all four.
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