Murder shakes the quiet Wisconsin Northwoods in Wolf Hollow, the first book in Victoria Houston’s new series featuring police chief Lewellyn “Lew” Ferris. With a sheriff’s race underway, Lew juggles multiple cases—some of which hit too close to home.

When local landowner Grace McDonough’s son, Noah, is accused of a sex crime, Lew makes the arrest. But when her own brother, Pete, turns up dead, things take a darker turn. Then Grace is found dead in her submerged car, and Noah is soon murdered as well. As Lew digs deeper, she uncovers a web of secrets surrounding a controversial mining deal and a conspiracy that could cost her everything.

Houston skillfully depicts the Northwoods setting, and her familiarity with the area is evident. Fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy the small-town atmosphere and outdoorsy details, though the book leans heavier on police procedural elements than a traditional cozy. Lew is a strong female lead in a nontraditional career, which was a highlight. However, the writing felt simplistic at times, lacking the emotional depth I wanted—especially regarding Lew’s reaction to her brother’s death. Some passages, particularly those on fishing, dragged on longer than necessary.

Overall, Wolf Hollow is a decent mystery with a compelling premise, but it didn’t fully hook me. While it’s an enjoyable read, it lacks the tension and depth to make it truly memorable. Not a standout for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars)

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary review copy. The opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to Net galley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this audiobook! I felt like this book was extremely predictable but I did enjoy it and would read more by Victoria!

Wolf Hollow by Victoria Houston is a well paced and entertaining murder mystery with lots of bodies and interesting characters - both charming and evil. I really enjoy the picture of small town life. The twists were interesting and it wasn't at all easy to figure out in spite of clues appearing as the story developed. I listened to the audio version and found that the narrator had an engaging manner and it sounded like they might actually live there. Always great to have a book with a strong woman protagonist. Haven't read any Houston books prior to this but will be looking for more in this new series about Sherriff Lew Ferris.

Do you really love fly fishing? How do you feel about small town murder mysteries? If you love both of those things, then you’ll likely enjoy this book. It was warm and had well developed characters, but also had a bit of tension and danger. Oh, and a LOT of fishing.

In Wolf Hollow police chief Lew Farris investigates various crimes in her Wisconsin Northwoods community of Loon Lake. The suspect in a sex crimes case turns up dead and various murders are committed around town. The looming threat of drilling along the river causes concern for local environmentalists.

I really wanted to like this book. I have spent multiple summers in the Wisconsin Northwoods so I was excited to read a book set in a place I love. I found this book ultimately forgettable. It felt like there were too many plot threads and not enough focus on any one to be interesting. I also found the audiobook difficult to listen to. The narrator emphasized certain syllables and consonants in a way I found distracting.

Such a great premise and very well executed!

I really enjoyed this fun thriller and definitely would recommend for those who want a spooky read.

The narrator did such a great job grabbing my attention!

This is the first in the Lew Ferris series. Two members of the same family are found dead, along with Lew's own brother. She must put all the pieces together before anyone else gets hurt. As the mystery of who the killer is comes to play so do the connections of all the characters. The perfect "cozy" mystery for a cold winters night.

This book was not fast paced, but not slow. It had the right timing and kept the reader gripped. The narration was perfect, with the perfect inflection when needed.

I would like to thank NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for the electronic Advanced Reading Copy (eARC) in exchange for my fair and honest review.

I received a free audio book from the publisher through netgalley.com in exchange for a honest review.

Police Chief Ferris finds herself with a mystery on her hands when two members of a family are found dead after deciding to sell drilling rights to their land. Her brother, a nature conservationist is also found murdered and he was active in a lawsuit that would have tied the drilling up for years. Little by little Lew pieces together the piece of the puzzle.

Loon Lake is also a very big fishing community and Lew and avid fisher person and fly fishing guide spends a lot of her free time on the lake. Since I'm not a big fisherman this just dragged on for me a bit. I didn't care about lures and the difference between bait fishing and lure fishing but I'm sure it has its audience. The narration was well done and so was the mystery however Lew's reaction to her brothers death felt a bit off. Yes she was determined to find the killer but she didn't seem as broken by it as one would assume. Other than that I really enjoyed the characters but the story just wasn't for me.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* really good read, i found this book hard to put down! will be on the look out for more from this series for sure

Lew is the police chief of the tiny Wisconsin town of Loon Lake. And she has a mess on her hands. There are very few murders in her small town and now she has 3 to deal with, and one is her own brother. But, Lew is not to be beat. She has to keep her head in the game and this is hard to do because her emotions are all over the place.

This is a very quick read. It has quite a few twists and turns. I especially enjoyed the twist involving Grace and her weird son, Noah. I wanted to jerk both of them bald headed! Don’t you just love a story which creates this type of reaction! This one definitely does. And the biggest feeling of rage is the one surrounding Pete’s wife…all I have to say is WOW! She is a piece of work!

The narrator, Whitney Dykhouse, really did a great job. Great cadence and emotion. Perfect for this murder mystery!

Need a good, quick story with a kick…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

From making citizens arrest to multiple murders. Lew finds out her brother has died unexpectedly due to a heart attack. Lew knew there was no way he died of a heart attack.. her brother had no history of heart issues she continued to look for clues to determine the actual cause of his heath. While doing her investigation work she stumbles upon some dead bodies that may tie everything together.

(3.5/5 stars) This mystery was much more of the “cozy” variety than thriller. Cozy mysteries aren’t exactly my cup of tea and this style wasn’t what I was expecting from the cover and description. With that being said, the story-telling was good and the small town personalities kept me connected with the characters. The beginning really pulled me in and the first half of the book was a bit suspenseful. I enjoyed the audio version!

Very intriguing read. Narrator wasn't my favorite, but the book was good enough for me to push through.
Interesting plot with fleshed out characters. This was an enjoyable read.

I am giving this 5 stars because I am from WI and very familiar with the location that this is set. The storyline was interesting and came together well at the end however it seemed to have some 'unnecessary' details that bogged it down in some places.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing me with this advance listener copy.

Description from NetGalley:
It's mid-May in the tiny northwoods Wisconsin town of Loon Lake, and the fish are biting. But walleye isn’t the only thing on the hook. There are rumors that a precious vein of nickel and copper is buried on the property of wealthy Grace McDonough, and the drilling is about to begin. But not if environmentalist Pete Ferris can help it.
When Grace's twenty-four-year-old son, Noah, is caught in a sordid sex crime, police chief Lew Ferris makes the arrest. But a day later, Lew is stricken when her brother, Pete, turns up dead, a bloody pry bar found in the woods nearby. Then, Grace's body is discovered in a car at the bottom of a river—and Noah has vanished. Lew puts out a statewide APB, but before long, Noah is also found murdered on the McDonough property.
It's beginning to look like mother and son were killed by the same person. And when Lew learns that her brother had planned to file a lawsuit to prevent drilling for the sulfide mine, a key piece of the puzzle suddenly falls into place.
Lew is beginning to close in on the truth. But has the killer set his bait again, angling for his biggest catch yet?
It’s okay.

Like that’s it. It’s an okay blend of the cozy mystery/light suspense. I wasn’t bored. The narrator is good. The plot was okay as were the characters. It’s just probably not going to stick in my brain for years.

3/5

Part time fly fisher full time Police Chief Lew Ferris finds herself right in the middle of a major dispute between local environmentalists and wealthy landlords in this Wisconsin based mystery. Lew's personal and professional lives clash as she tries to solve a murder.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It has interesting characters, a cool setting, and it moves pretty quickly. The only thing that kept this from being a five star for me was that some of the things Lew does in this book are wildly inappropriate for *both* for a police chief and as a relative. While I understand the idea of small-town police inevitably being that there are only so many people and some of those people are police. However, usually there's at least some attempt to keep the professionalism. The scene at the memorial in particular was just so over the top (a eulogy turns into a case break update? the crowd claps!) that it almost seemed like comedy.

A twisted and well laid out thriller about a small rural Wisconsin town forgotten to anyone but those who have stayed after graduation. Great character development and depth for each of the major players. Greed, love, mystery this book has it all. I enjoyed the narrator, the characters from the funny to the creepy. Great quick read!

First off,
Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and author for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

These opinions are my own.

I ended up having to DNF this one unfortunately. The narrator was difficult to listen to in my opinion and the main topic of the book being a 24 year old who is accused of a sex crime with young teens...was just a turn off for me. I really wanted to finish the book as a whole but struggled.

Thank you for the opportunity.

3.5 stars for this book on audio, the storyline wasn’t awful, but there were not many exciting twists and turns, most of the mystery was pretty calm and “boring” for lack of a better term. It was a quick read that kept me going, but I didn’t really fall in love with any of the characters or storyline. Didn’t hate it, but definitely not a must read in my opinion. Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a chance at this audiobook.

This was an interesting book that felt like a mix between a cozy mystery and a light suspense. It was almost as if it couldn’t make up its mind which it wanted to be. I wouldn’t call that a negative - it was a bit gritty to be a cozy but also not full on suspense for those liking more everyday life to their mystery books.

I think lost will figure out the culprit as soon as they walk onto the page but it was nice to see how it all fit together. I did have a bit of an issue with how distant the main character felt to me - but that seems more standard to a cozy.

I think the thing that brought it down a star (for me personally) was the fact that through the whole book I felt like I was missing something. Like I’d been dropped into the middle of a series without knowing it. I even went back to check several times but kept thinking - how is this book 1? I think where this comes from is another series and, being my first introduction to this author, perhaps I shouldn’t have started with this book. However, if it’s the first in a series it’s hard read feeling like there are worlds of info you don’t have which blurred the picture for me.

All in all, an interesting mystery that fans of this author are sure to love. If you are new (as I was) you may feel a little confused to what you’ve missed but you can still enjoy the mystery unfold.

Also, fans of fishing will love this haha.

My rating 3.4*

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Thanks to NetGalley for this advanced listening copy. All opinions are my own.