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Column: Murder mysteries lead to unsettling walks in the woods

Great Outdoors by James Murray
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Maybe it’s because we are somewhat out of our element in the wilds, or perhaps it’s because as the light changes we see things around us differently, but have you ever been out in the woods and felt, well, sort of an eerie feeling?

Every now and then, when I am making my way along a stream bank or coming back to the cabin after a day of fishing, I find I’m not really all that certain of my step, even when I am walking the most familiar of trails. Sometimes, when I’ve stopped along the trail to simply take in and enjoy all the sights and sounds that surround me, I feel a momentary, almost subconscious sense of hesitation – as if I should continue on my way until I am safe inside. Not that I am paranoid, it’s just a feeling – something that I think we all get every now and then.

Perhaps, that is why so many of us enjoy curling up on our couch, in the safety of our living rooms, and reading murder mysteries. I know I always make sure to pack a few when I am getting ready to head up to the cabin.

Pardon the pun, but it would seem that more and more, murder mystery writers whose books are set in the great outdoors are coming out of the woods.

David Leitz’s (Fly Fishing Can Be Fatal, Dying to Fly Fish, Casting in Dead Waters, Hooked on Death and The Fly Fishing Corpse) main character, Max Addams, runs the Whitefork Fishing Lodge. What can I say – I only wish it were me. During the course of his day, Addams fly fishes, unravels murder mysteries and works hard to save his favourite trout streams. His books are interesting, witty and, well, for some reason I just relate to them.

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John Galligan (The Nail Knot and The Blood Knot) is another murder mystery writer who incorporates fly fishing into his books. His main character, Ned “Dog” Oglivie is a dedicated fly fisherman who, while fishing, also happens to stumble upon the occasional dead body and subsequently has to solve the mystery and find the killer… “and in doing so, comes to rediscover what it means to care about another human being, whether living or dead. The Nail Knot is a terrific mystery that rivets the readers’ rapt and total attention from beginning to end.” Steve Hamilton’s Alex McKnight series of murder mysteries (A Cold day in Paradise, Winter of the Wolf Moon, North of Nowhere, Blood in the Sky, Misery Bay and The Hunting Wind) take place in and around the small, rural town of Paradise on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – mostly in winter. They are gritty, fast paced and a great read for cold winter nights or weekends out at the lake.

To say that C. J. Box’s books (Force Of Nature, Cold Wind, Blood Trail, Open Season and Winterkill) are clever or well written would not do them justice. Box’s main character, game warden Joe Pickett, is the antithesis of most modern murder mystery protagonists. For one thing, he is happily married with two daughters. For another, he does not have excess emotional baggage or a dark past that haunts him. Pickett works hard and tries, sincerely, to “do the right thing.” He doesn’t talk much. He’s a lousy shot. He’s human, and real, which means he sometimes screws up.

Ken Goddard (Prey, Wildfire, Double Blind, First Evidence and Outer Perimeter) is the lab director of the National Fish and Wildlife Laboratory in Oregon – the only wildlife forensics crime lab in the United States. While most of his books are set in the wild, some have an other-worldly twist. I would highly recommend First Evidence and its sequel Outer Perimeter.

Mark Sullivan only has two murder mystery books that I know of, Purification Ceremony and Ghost Dance. What a shame. Both are great reads and, like Goddard’s, have a bit of a supernatural twist.

Maybe if I didn’t read quite so many murder mystery novels that are set in the outdoors I wouldn’t get those weird feelings when I’m out in the woods. The problem is I enjoy reading them and, after all, those feelings are only in my imagination. Or are they?


@SalmonArm
newsroom@saobserver.net

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