Catch and Keep: A Mystery - Hardcover

Weber, Ronald

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1885173253 ISBN 13: 9781885173256

Publisher: Write Way Pub, 2000

Synopsis

In this sequel to Ronald Weber's Aluminum Hatch, Fitzgerald gets a call from a colleague in the newspaper business, asking Fitzgerald to see if he can locate a wannabe reporter who hasn't checked in for some time. Reluctantly, Fitzgerald drives out to the remote lake area where the reporter lives, and finds her dead from a gunshot to the head. After calling in his discovery to the sheriff, Fitzgerald learns that the reporter's husbands is also dead.

Fitzgerald's girlfriend, Mercy Virdon, a district officer for the Department of Natural Resources, gets involved when Fitzgerald's investigation leads him in the direction of a man who's already caused the DNR a good deal of trouble by illegally fencing off land he doesn't own and denying anyone access to the Borchard River.

As Mercy and Fitzgerald dig deeper into the murders, they find more and more compelling evidence of illegal goings-on' in Michigan's lower peninsula, while keeping in mind a local argument: is it catch and keep, or catch and release?

About this title

About the Author

Ronald Weber is a professor of American Studies at the University of Notre Dame; he was a journalist before he began his academic career. Mr. Weber has published many books, short stories and articles, in both fiction and non-fiction.

Reviews

Fitzgerald, the lottery-winning journalist from Weber's The Aluminum Hatch, spends his time in Michigan fishing and trying to write a novel when he gets caught up in another murder mystery. Checking on a local newspaper "stringer" for a friend in Detroit, Fitzgerald discovers the woman dead--assassination style. Suspicion falls on her always-skirting-the-law husband until he, too, is found dead. Fitzgerald shares clues with the local sheriff and with girlfriend Mercy, signs that point to bootlegging, dangerous local militants, and ongoing turmoil surrounding fishing regulations. A few quirky characters, a temperamental setting, and solid prose make this a pleasing sequel for fans.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Weber's second outdoor mystery starring conservation officer Mercy Virdon and her boyfriend, on-leave newspaperman Fitzgerald, lives up to the promise of its predecessor, The Aluminum Hatch (1998). Fishing devotees will enjoy the way Weber pokes fun at the contemporary trout-fishing dogma of "catch and release," and they are sure to appreciate the arcane plot twist that has an heirloom bamboo fly rod foiling a murder. Along with angling lore, this too-little-known series boasts stylish prose, tight plotting, vivid views of autumn in northern Michigan, and a sharp yet affectionate portrait of small-town life. Best of all is the appealing duo of Virdon and Fitzgerald. Add Weber's series to your short list of fine fishing mysteries, along with William Tapply's Brady Coyne novels and Philip Craig's J. W. Jackson series. John Rowen

Edition details

• Publisher: Write Way Pub
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1885173253
• ISBN 13: 9781885173256
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 255