Review: Walleye Junction by Karin Salvalaggio

• Format: Kindle Edition
• Print Length: 336 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books (May 10 2016)
• Sold by: Macmillan CA
• Language: English
• ASIN: B01775OCNG

Book Description

When outspoken radio talk show host Philip Long is kidnapped and murdered, Detective Macy Greeley leaves her young son in the care of her mother and heads up to remote Walleye Junction, Montana to take charge of the investigation. It is initially believed that Long’s murder is the result of a controversial radio show he’s done on the rise of far right militias in the state. Within days the two kidnappers are found dead following a massive heroin overdose, and the authorities are hopeful the investigation is finished. But there are too many discrepancies for Macy to settle for obvious answers. The kidnapper’s bodies have been moved, their son is on the run and a series of anonymous emails point investigators toward the murky world of prescription painkiller abuse. Macy soon finds herself immersed in small town intrigues as she races to find who’s really responsible for Philip Long’s murder.

Meanwhile, Philip Long’s daughter Emma is dealing with her own problems. It’s been twelve years since she left Walleye Junction after her best friend died from a drug overdose. Emma finds that little in Walleye Junction has changed in her absence. She is also becoming increasingly uneasy as the familiar surroundings stir up memories that are best forgotten.

With Walleye Junction, a taut, propulsive mystery, Karin Salvalaggio will once again grip readers from the opening page to the stunning conclusion.

About the Author

Karin Salvalaggio was born in West Virginia in the 1960s. Her father was career military and her mother was a homemaker. Karin has fond memories of her nomadic childhood. She’s lived in places as climatically diverse as Alaska and Florida and as culturally distinct as California and Iran. Early on, she found companionship in books. Karin attended the University of California Santa Cruz, graduating in 1989, but aside from two years in Italy, she has lived in London, England since 1994. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck, University of London. Her short story “Walleye Junction” was published in the Mechanics Institute Review 8 in 2011. Her debut novel, a thriller entitled Bone Dust White, has received critical praise. Burnt River, the follow up in the Macy Greeley Mystery Series, will be published on May 12th 2015

My Review


Walleye Junction is written by author Karin Salvalaggio. This is the first book that I have read of Salvalaggio's.

Walleye Junction is a straight forward mystery. It is well written and I enjoyed the Montana setting. The story was alternately told by investigator Macy and victim's daughter Emma. I found that a bit confusing a first but once I concentrated on discerning whose voice was telling the story, the novel flowed much better for me.

Walleye Junction is a solid well-written  mystery that I'm sure you'll enjoy.