Tug O’Malley is dead, and there’s not a wet eye in the house.When Trout Run’s foremost curmudgeon turns up murdered, there are more suspects than mourners. Even Tug O’Malley’s own family found him irritating and abrasive.But Police Chief Frank Bennett still has to investigate the crime, whether he liked the victim or not.Frank turns up plenty of reasons why someone left Tug to die in an ice … someone left Tug to die in an ice fishing shack–his provocative politics, his obsessive nosiness, his casual cruelty. But as Frank works through the clues and rules out one suspect after another, his heart grows heavy. Because once the distractions are cleared away, all roads lead to a murderer who’s far more beloved than Tug O’ Malley.
Now Frank must decide: should he follow the rule of law or can he find an alternative path to justice?
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Ice Jig by S. W. Hubbard is another great addition to the Frank Bennett series set in the Adirondack Mountains.
This town and its inhabitants have become friends since I started reading this series and I was anxiously awaiting Ice Jig. The wait was worth it because the author did a wonderful job with Tug O’Malley’s murder and the ensuing investigation. Granted, Tug wasn’t exactly beloved, but what a sad way to go.
As always, just when I think I’ve figured out who the murderer is, I find out I’m wrong, but isn’t that what makes a mystery a great read? Between this series and the Palmyrton series, I’ve been a fan since the beginning and just hope that the author continues to write for a long while.
If you enjoy mysteries, small towns and great characters, this is the series for you. Pick one up and enjoy the visit to Trout Run.
Thank you to the author for providing an ARC at my request. All thoughts in this review are my own and happily provided.
Trout Run is a small town with a small town feel with few major crimes. However, stop and sit a bit in the local diner, Malone’s Diner, run by Marge and her daughter Jessica…..stay and watch the fireworks as the mother/daughter get into a screaming match. Then there is Pastor Bob and his mission to save his Church, it needs a new roof, more members and is having a hard time. There are the local taverns and bars and the library where Penny works. Penny is married to Frank and Frank is the Sheriff. You have your friends and neighbors and even a goat farm run by two women, partners in love and in work. Some characters live here and cause fights in bars and sell drugs but Frank and his deputy Earl try their best to keep the town clean. And then there is Tug and every town has a Tug…..into writing to the daily paper with his views on everything, putting out a blog meant to be divisive, attends every town meeting just to cause grief, and is the town” know it all.”
And today, people see a Tug on the news daily, political, outspoken, baiting, and just being a pain in the butt. But not every town has their Tug go missing and turn up dead! Let the mystery begin. And start with who didn’t want Tug dead because that list would be shorter! Frank wants to solve the maybe murder as no actual proof he was killed. But there is also the trouble brewing with Jessica and the boyfriend with drinking and maybe drug problems. And the family, including Marge, want the guy gone but not as much as Lucus. He is just a kid but scared to death of his mom’s boyfriend and runs to Frank. This part of the book is deeply sensitive, showing the way kids are just left to fend for themselves or rely on the kindness of others. Frank is a no nonsense cop but has a sense of humor and compassion needed when dealing with small town problems. Earl, the deputy. has matured and come into his own in this series. Undercurrents and politics, rivalries, and legal messes all enter into this mystery. Well written, solid plot, a look into the windows of some of the town’s people and a tidied up ending that works out for everyone. Four stars and a nice way to make it through another day in these times plus you may want to visit Tout Run, rent a cabin, go fishing, eat at Malone’s Diner and try the desserts.