Reading Minnesota Blog

A new blog covers Minnesota authors, bookstores, and publishers. Reading Minnesota Carl Brookins and Jess Lourey are current Resort to Murder authors currently featured.

Review of Resort to Murder

Resort to Murder was recently reviewed by Sarah Terzo at Helium:

"I am a sucker for anthologies, especially mystery anthologies, and I was intrigued by the premise of Resort to Murder. The theme of the anthology is that every story takes place on a resort in Minnesota. The book features writers from Minnesota who are spinning yarns about their own state. Although I've never been that far West, I was intrigued. I felt it was an interesting theme for an anthology. I also thought that it would be nice to explore the work of some new' authors, writers who I had not read before...." more

Resort Midsummer Review

Veteran reviewer Kevin Tipple takes on Resort to Murder at Blogger News. Tipple writes: "Like the anthology “Silence of the Loons” the tales in this book feature intriguing character from a variety of viewpoints and walks of life. Some have seen this collection as darker in tone, but, I would not agree. Graphic descriptions are not present here with the focus being on the characters and the tales they tell. Each tale, well told, often is filled with misdirection while touching on some of the age old concepts of deceit, family honor, envy and others that ultimately lead to murder. Murder, well told and another good read compiled and edited by the members of the 'Minnesota Crime Wave.'" See the whole review at Blogger News, 7/13/08).

Armchair Interviews Review

"Nodin Press and thirteen talented Minnesota writers took on a challenge of writing mystery stories that take place at a Minnesota resort. Let me tell you, going ‘up north’ to the cabin (resort) will never be the same for me. I will constantly search the woods for stray bodies, wonder what is buried near the volleyball court, and I will always check out the resort handyman—I could go on and on. Suffice to say, the thirteen Minnesota writers hit the mark with their anthology." Read the complete review by Andrea Sisco.

Resort to Murder Review—Pioneer Press

"Resort to Murder is the second in a series (following "The Silence of the Loons") commissioned by Minnesota Crime Wave - William Kent Krueger, Ellen Hart and Carl Brookins. They asked contributors to "Resort to Murder" to set their stories at a Minnesota resort, and the 13 authors delivered. Some of the stories are about revenge, including David Housewright's "Miss Behavin' " and Hart's "14-A." Several tales offer an O. Henry-style twist, including Brookins' "A Fish Story" and Judith Yates Borger's "Hunter's Lodge." Pat Dennis describes a very odd mother-son relationship in "Mother's Day," and Deborah Woodworth evokes the dark north woods in "The Moose Whisperer." Barbara DaCosta's "Cabin" is the most surprising, and Michael Allen Mallory's "Bird of Prey" shows how far a writer will go for her craft. The sweetest tale is Joel Arnold's "Leave No Wake," featuring a pair of gay senior citizens. For lots of fun, there's Jess Lourey's "The Locked Fish-cleaning House Mystery," featuring a lively sleuth who lives in a nursing home and crashes weddings." - Mary Ann Grossmann (St Paul Pioneer Press, 9/23/07)

Resort to Murder's First Review

Resort to Murder has been reviewed in the prestigious Publishers' Weekly. Here's what they had to say: "The Minnesota Crime Wave’s entertaining second volume of short stories from Minnesota writers (after 2005’s The Silence of the Loons) introduces some promising talent to a wider audience. Taking a somewhat darker tack than the previous anthology, many of the 13 stories center on actual or suspected infidelity or some other betrayal, concluding with satisfying but somewhat anticipated twists. No stories stand out as either duds or stunners, though Pat Dennis’s “Mother’s Day,” about a neglected son’s homicidal plans for the holiday, and David Housewright’s “Miss Behavin’,” which follows a philandering physician down a spiral of bad luck and poor choices, are particularly taut and suspenseful. Several authors include notes of local color, giving a nice sense of continuity from one piece to the next and appealing to Minnesotans and visitors alike." (Publisher's Weekly 7/23/07)