It was inevitable. With pickle ball being the fastest growing sport in the world, someone had to write a book that features pickle ball as a critical part of the plot.

Sheriff Lew Ferris is called in to investigate the murder of a pickle ball player. But then the player's partner becomes another victim. And other players are threatened. Lew has to solve this mystery before too many more players are killed.

This book was a great read. The plot is lively. The characters are well developed. The ending is unpredictable. I highly recommend this novel for mystery readers.

The third Sheriff Lew Ferris mystery finds her investigating the murders of pickleball players.

I did not realize this was a series so I was not familiar with the characters. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the other two first!

Dollycas's Thoughts

Accident or Murder?

When Bert Willoughby, a local dentist is shot at an old tennis court where he was practicing for an upcoming pickleball tournament with his mistress Sheriff Lew Ferris suspects a hunter's stray bullet took down the man. Later his partner, Robin Carpenter is killed on the same court and Lew can no longer believe the deaths were accidental. She learns the dentist has ruffled a lot of feathers over the years which means a lot of potential suspects. His pickleball friends believe they are being targeted. His overwrought widow wants his murderer found yesterday and is taking Lew to task. Lew calls in the "Wausau Boys" to help her get to the bottom of this case as soon as possible.

Are the pickleball players the only targets? Or is a serial killer on the loose with evil motives?

____

Every time I open a book in this series it is like visiting old friends. Lew is a capable sheriff who has assembled a great team to help her handle everything thrown at her. Her relationship with Doc Osbourne continues to grow at a comfortable pace. They enjoy the same things and are so good for each other. They work great together on cases and she continues to help him step up his flyfishing skills. Bruce Peters, a talented forensic scientist, and his "boys" from Wausau have become Lew's go-to guys instead of the director of the crime lab who is not supportive of a woman as sheriff. Bruce is also an avid fisherman so he trades lessons for his work. She also calls on her friend Ray Pradt, a unique individual but an expert tracker and all-around good guy. Ms. Houston's characters are well-crafted and well-developed and continue to easily draw me into their lives.

Ms. Houston's descriptive voice paints clear pictures of the beautiful Wisconsin Northwoods. Her love for the area and flyfishing shines in every story. Like Lew, it was my grandfather who instilled her love of fishing. She took that love and ran with it while I have only gone fishing a few times since my grandfather passed, but every time I start one of Ms. Houston's books my grandfather is front and center in my mind.

The author has written a fast-paced compelling mystery. What pushes someone to kill? Lew follows every clue, twist, and turn but the crime lab report and a key piece of evidence sealed the deal. That said the ending was unexpected.

At the Edge of the Woods is a great mystery filled with engaging characters and is a wonderful addition to this long-running series. Ms. Houston does provide enough backstory to jump in anywhere but it is a series that is fun to read from the start.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to the Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC.

Pickleball and murder? What a perfect combo!! A shooting takes place on a pickleball court, is it an accident or murder!? You will have to listen and find out! This was a fun filler read for me. I enjoyed the whole dunnit aspect and didn’t see the final twist! This was a fun and the characters were very likeable!

Do you play pickleball?

Victoria Houston continue to captivate readers with her Lake Loon adventures featuring Sheriff Lew Ferris and Doc Osborne. See my complete review at www.reviewingtheevidence.com.

At the Edge of the Woods is the third book in the Lew Ferris series.

A pickleball player in Loon Lake is shot and Sherriff Ferris is pretty sure it was an accident in spite of every clue points to murder, until a second player is also shot. The first victim’s widow is sure her husband is to blame as sets out to frame her for the crime. It turns out the first victim had a lot of enemies, and it could be any one of them.

This was a fun cozy mystery and a quick afternoon read. It is fun to read about a place you know about. We used to go through these towns on our way to go muskie fishing. Thoroughly enjoyable read.

An entertaining and fast paced mystery that kept me turning pages. I enjoyed the well developed plot, was glad to travel to Loon Lake and catch up with Sheriff Ferris
I enjoyed it and can't wait for the next
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I suspect Loon Lake isn't the only place where non-players are irritated by pickleball but that's not really what's going on here. Lew must sort through the murders to figure out whether Bert was a target because he was cheating, because he was a lousy dentist or for some other reason. And then there's another murder. This is a well done small town procedural with details about fishing that I find interesting. While it's the third in a series, it will be fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

At the Edge of the Woods is book 3 in the Lew Ferris series by Victoria Houston.
I’ve read and really enjoyed all three books now.
A great story, with lots of twists and turns.
This storyline grabbed my attention in chapter one and never wavered.
I love the strong female protagonist Lew. She is my favorite and I’ve enjoyed my time being back in her company.
The mystery was very interesting with some nice moments of suspense.
I’m definitely looking forward to the next book!

Thank You NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

At the Edge of the Woods by Victoria Houston is akin to a cozy mystery set in the Northern Wisconsin woods and full of fly fishing along with a murder investigation. It is highly recommended.

In Loon Lake a local dentist Bert Willoughby is shot while practicing with his partner Robin Carpenter for an upcoming pickleball tournament. Sheriff Lew Ferris suspects that the bullet may have been a stray shot from hunters in the area, but the investigation shows that Willoughby was an extremely unlikable man. The local rumor mill and retired men's coffee group (via Doc Osborne) have plenty of inside information and there is more than one local who could be a suspect in eliminating him.

After meeting Jane Willoughby and her daughter, it becomes clear that the whole family is unlikable. Lew is intent on solving the mystery and always hopeful to get in some fishing in too. Then another murder may change the questions she needs to ask.

This is always a fun, fast-paced murder mystery series to pick up and At the Edge of the Woods is a nice addition to the series. (The other two are Wolf Hollow and Hidden in the Pines.) These novels are akin to cozy mysteries, only set in Wisconsin and feature a lot of talk about fly fishing as well as other outdoor pursuits. There is enough information provided in the narrative that you can easily enjoy the books as a stand-alone read, but they do compliment each other.

Known characters are back and make an appearance, if even briefly, as Lew investigates. The pace is fast and the short length makes this a quick, comfortable, and entertaining series to pass the time with. Thanks to Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, X, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

This is the third book in the Lew Ferris mystery series. I chose it, despite not having read the first two books, because I was interested in the Northern Wisconsin setting. Lew is the sheriff. She was elected after some years as police chief of Loon Lake. And while being a sheriff is her job, her real love is fly fishing. She is an expert and an excellent teacher.

When a local dentist is shot while playing pickleball at a court he built at on old summer camp, Lew has a mystery to solve. She is of the opinion that the gunshot the killed him was an accident since deer season is coming up and lots of hunters are sighting in their guns and some aren't too concerned with safety. But there are a fair number of people who could have wanted the dentist dead including his wife and daughter.

Lew begins her investigation with lots of help from the local rumor mill. When the dentist's pickleball partner and the woman he planned to marry after divorcing his wife is also killed, Lew doesn't suspect a second accident.

I liked all the talk about fishing that was woven into the story. I thought the characters were interesting. I didn't really like the abrupt resolution to the mystery and felt that it was overshadowed by other parts of the plot.

Fans of the series will enjoy this one as well as fans of Northern Wisconsin.

This is my first time reading Victoria Houston and I wanted to try her book seeing that she is quite popular in the thriller genre. "At The Woods" is the 3rd book of the Lew Ferris Mystery series by her where Lew is brought into investigate the death of a prominent dentist of the community, Bert. He had been shot while he was playing pickleball with his game partner Robin Carpenter and Lew's team seem unable to determine if it is accidental or intentional. The fact that Bert had made a lot of enemies in the town owing to his attitude about money doesn't make it easier on the team.

When Robin Carpenter is also killed a couple of days later in the same court where Bert was killed, Lew begins to think that she might have been wrong after all. How are the deaths connected? Were they killed by the same person or by different people?

The story is quite straight forward and the events that take place surrounding the death are convoluted enough to keep the readers interested. I found the majority of the characters of the book likable and some were even intriguing. The prominent characters have a lot of things going for them and it is clear that they are a team in the making owing to the experiences they have had together in the pervious books; I loved all these aspects of the book.

Houston has a clear and crisp narrative style that makes the book easy to read and understand. Her narrative majorly stays at the shallow level and the reader mostly just gets an overview of what a character thinks or feels. I wouldn't particularly consider that a major problem as this makes it a short book and hence easier to stay engaged with the story.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a quick and thrilling read that won't ask you to engage your emotions.

This was a light intriguing mystery to read. I loved the fact it has a unique focus around a pickleball community in a small outdoors loving town called Loon Lake

A local dentist is murdered on the pickleball court, and shortly after, his pickleball partner and beau is murdered on the same court. Is someone targeting puckleballers? Who knew pickleball was such a cutthroat sport!

The best part of the book for me was the crafting of words to vividly visual Loon Lake and all the characters. Despite the murders, the area seems like just the quaint cozy and quiet kind of town one would love to retire at.

The character development is great in this book and the storyline flows at an attention holding pace. I was able to binge read it in one afternoon by the pool.

Four solid stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the digital advanced reader copy to read and review.

This is my first read by Victoria Houston and definitely won’t be my last! I love discovering new authors to enjoy!

Pickleball and fishing all in the same book? An easy-going beach read for sure. My first read from this author and overall enjoyable but lacking depth. Reminded me of an Agatha Christie with the pace and the odd line was reminiscent of Louise Penny but overall too easy to figure out and lacking depth for me. That said, if you are looking for a light, quick read for your holiday - this might be a good choice for you.

First of all, thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an arc of the book. This book will be released on 23rd April 2024.

This book was a simple and quick read. If you are interested in a quick murder mystery book, this one is for you. Solving the mystery was not hard at all, and while I don't want the twist in a book to be impossible to figure out, this one didn't require much thinking at all.

Sheriff Lew Ferris is back in At the Edge of the Woods by Victoria Houston. Once again we find ourself dealing with murder in between fly fishing lessons in Loon Lake. The usual set of characters are there but also some new ones, even though life expectancy can be short in this rural community. I myself has never been much for fishing or eating fish but the books are so well written it's a pleasure reading about the mysteries going on. I love small town series and this is one of those. I must thank Crooked Lane Books and netgalley for letting me read this advance copy.

“At the Edge of the Woods” by Victoria Houston is a captivating mystery novel that follows Sheriff Lew Ferris as he investigates a series of murders in Loon Lake. The book is the third instalment in the Lew Ferris mystery series and is set in the beautiful Northwoods of Wisconsin, where the peace and tranquillity of fly-fishing contrast sharply with the dark and sinister events unfolding in the story. The novel’s strength lies in its engaging storytelling and well-developed characters.

Houston’s writing style is engaging and captivating, drawing readers into the world of Loon Lake and its inhabitants. The author skillfully weaves together the various plot threads, creating a compelling narrative that keeps readers guessing until the very end. The book’s focus on the Northwoods and the peace and tranquillity of fly-fishing adds a unique and captivating dimension to the story, making it a must-read for fans of mystery novels set in picturesque locations. One of the book’s standout features is its emphasis on the Northwoods and the peace and tranquillity of fly-fishing. Houston’s vivid descriptions of the Northwoods and its natural beauty transport readers to the heart of Loon Lake, making them feel as if they are part of the story.

The author’s attention to detail and her ability to create a vivid and immersive setting are a testament to her expertise in the mystery genre. Overall, “At the Edge of the Woods” is a captivating and engaging mystery novel that offers a fresh perspective on the genre. The book’s engaging storytelling, well-developed characters, and vivid descriptions of the Northwoods make it a must-read for fans of mystery novels set in picturesque locations. Fans of the Lew Ferris mystery series and those seeking a captivating and immersive mystery novel are likely to enjoy this book and look forward to the next instalment in the series.

This is my first read by Victoria Houston. This book was a simple and quick read. If you are interested in a quick murder mystery book, this one is for you.

For me, it didn't quite hit the mark. The writing for me was almost too simple. I also had a hard time connecting with any of the characters. The references and information given about fly fishing, I felt, was not necessary and added nothing to the book for me. Solving the mystery was not hard at all, and while I don't want the twist in a book to be impossible to figure out, this one didn't require much thinking at all.

I appreciate the advanced copy from #netgalley and #crookedlanebooks

I didn't realize this book was part of a series but I was easily able to read it as a stand alone. It was an unique spin on a murder mystery and I really enjoyed it! Going to go back now and read the others in the series.

This was an ok read but not one that gripped me. I the characters did not seem to have enough depth. Although the book was based around a possible murder I couldn’t sense the seriousness of the possible crime from the characters. Not one for me