The Royal Wulff Murders
The Royal Wulff Murders, Keith McCafferty (Sean Stranahan series)
A fisherman snags a body from a river, a sultry singer asks an artist to catch a fish her late father caught and marked, and feisty Montana sheriff Martha Ettinger refuses to take the easy way out in McCafferty’s thoroughly entertaining debut. Sean Stranahan, a recently transplanted Vermonter now living in Bridger, Mont., owns the art studio Blue Ribbon Watercolors, whose window sign includes the odd postscript “Private Investigations.” Velvet Lafayette is the lounge singer with the unusual and fishy request that hooks Stranahan. McCafferty blends plenty of fly-fishing lore (the Royal Wulff is a lure) with a host of intriguing characters, including fishing guide Rainbow Sam, Cottonwood Inn owner Doris Sizemore, and Blackfeet tracker Harold Little Feather. Only the sharp-eyed observation of the medical examiner suggests the body was a murder victim rather than an accidental drowning. The eventual identification of the victim helps link Stranahan’s task to that of the sheriff. The vivid Montana setting is a plus. Agent: Dominick Abel. (retrieved from Publishers Weekly, February >> )
Group Reviews/Comments:
Eight thumbs up, three thumbs down: overall it was liked by the group. Most people agreed that it had a slow start, and Sean, the main character, came across as whiny and unlikable. But the book picked up steam if you stuck with it.
One reader likened the Royal Wulff Murders to a “rural noir,” and the group felt this was right on target. When viewed through this lens, characters and plot made more sense and “fit” better.
Set in Montana, there was a good sense of place, and a decent mystery once it got started. We also all agreed that Martha, the policewoman and Sean’s co-protagonist, was very likable. As a first in series, this one was better than most.
I will mention that those who didn’t like the book found it slow moving and too “fishy.” All agreed that the fly fishing component, although the author was clearly knowledgeable, was tough to take after a while. Either you found something else to care about and liked the book, or you were overwhelmed by it and thought, as one member put it, “is it all going to be about fly fishing?”
