A Superior Mystery

Near Ashland, Wisconsin, Chequamegon Resource Recovery Company plans to salvage lumber that sunk to the bottom of Chequamegon Bay off Lake Superior in the 1890s. The firm offers a public relations job to Seattle based Michael Tanner claiming that their concept is economically sound in terms of profit and local jobs and ecologically superior to cutting down trees. Michael wonders why a small Wisconsin firm would turn to Washington State for a minor leaguer like he knows he is. More surprising is how far his client dug into his life. They know his beloved Mary Whitney has ties to the area and needs a sailboat that they offer as part of the deal.Life in the northern Midwest seems idyllic to Michael until the crew brings up the skeletal remains of a person starting with a detached skull. Soon it becomes obvious that the victim was shot in the back over a century ago. Though planning to stay out of the 1890s murder, Michael is forced to investigate to keep his beloved Mary and himself safe from a modern day felon.The second Tanner ecological mystery (see the vividly descriptive INNER PASSAGES) is a superb who-done-it starring a delightfully reluctant hero. The story line is straightforward in terms of the modern day shenanigans though the use of flashbacks interspersed throughout the novel brings 1890s Wisconsin to life inside a murder subplot. Carl Brookins does not beat around the bush as he targets a college graduate save the environment audience with this well written, picturesque novel that lucidity uses a murder theme to render a strong ecological message.Harriet Klausner

Carl Brookins has a history as a freelance photographer; mystery reviewer; Cable TV administrator; a Public Television program director; and a faculty member at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul. A Superior Mystery is a Michael Tanner follow-up to his first mystery, Inner Passages.Michael Tanner us a successful public relations executive from Seattle. His second wife, Mary Whitney, is an heiress to an industrial empire. Both share a love of sailing. When Michael receives a call from a lumber recovery firm in Ashland, Wisconsin, he and Mary decide to go to hear their pitch and check out the area of Lake Superior as tourists and sailors. Mary's family has logging roots in Ashland, which seems to be more than a coincidence. But when Michael and Mary repeatedly find themselves targets of someone intent upon bodily harm, the plot heats up, particularly when they discover Mary's first husband may be behind some of the mischief:"'I can think of a couple of reasons,' Mary paused and took a drink of beer while she organized her thoughts. 'He already knew a lot about how I think and he must have remembered that the Whitneys cleared some of this land. He could easily find out about you,' her hand reached out and tapped Tanner's, 'and the firm. Could he have concocted a scheme to take some kind of revenge on me? Or on both of us?' She looked at Tanner and he saw the concern in her eyes."A Superior Mystery is a well written yarn containing some of the finer things one would associate with a mystery: deep water; storms; car crashes; sailing; and wealth. Michael Tanner and his wife Mary are interesting and wealthy characters who lead a life not unlike the Harts from Hart to Hart. They bring in just enough glamour to entice the reader. Add the mystery of sailing, and all sorts of fun near-misses jump out of this plot.Carl Brookins knows his sailing, and he also is keenly aware of how to engage the reader. His knowledge of public relations and industry is also central to the flow of the plot, and he handles these things assiduously. A Superior Mystery contains more than just a simple murder...this tale goes back in history and uses the past to make sense of the present. A delightful read.Shelley GlodowskiSenior ReviewerMidwest Book Review