Blood Country

Claire Watkins #1

by Mary Logue

After the death of her husband in a hit-and-run accident, police officer Claire Watkins and her daughter Meg move to the small, quiet town of Fort St. Antoine, Wisconsin, but Claire's quiet life is shattered when she discovers her neighbor has been murdered. Reprint.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Thriller, Audiobook, Amazon

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1999

Reviews

[Sheyna Galyan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the ebook version, and was very disappointed with the editor and ebook designer. However, that's not the author's fault. The story was slow at first, and it took me a couple of times to get into it, but by the end, I really liked the characters. I'm now reading book two, which starts off with action and shows Logue's development as a writer.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because it takes place in Wisconsin, where I live, and I wanted to start a new series. Well, this was just meh.

The storyline was OK, though I found it hard to care about the dead and possibly murdered neighbor. The characterizations weren't great; there were the usual cops making bad and unrealistic decisions (such as Claire going alone to confront the man who, um, KILLED her husband) and a 10-year-old who at one point uses the word "aristocratic", then later needs to have a book read to her. All after quite easily escaping and hiding from the man who, um, KILLED her dad, and being oblivious (inside her "fort") while the whole town is looking for her. And why/how did the dead guy's brother all of a sudden become profoundly mentally ill?

I won't be reading the rest of the books in this series.

[Steve Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm torn about this book. I rather like the main characters but I found the writing, especially the dialogue to be rather pedestrian. Without giving anything away I thought the ending with Bruce was pretty contrived. Solving the murder mystery afterwards was anti-climatic. Since this was the first book I'm willing to try the next in the series to see if the author has honed her writing.

[Aidan Erickson]

I loved reading this book. It gave me more information on the 1800s

[Karen Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving to a small Wisconsin town after her husband died in a bit and run accident, former Minneapolis detective Claire Watkins finds herself in the midst of a homicide investigation when her elderly neighbor is bludgeoned in his garden with a shovel. Claire's past also follows her to the town as her young daughter confesses that she saw the driver of the truck than ran down her father, putting them both in danger. There is also a land development company that had designs on her neighbor's property, Claire's sister Bridget has doubts about her husband's honesty in his whereabouts and a pheasant farmer suspects the deaths of some his birds may be due to a human predator.

The author has an interesting style, giving the reader a view into the main characters' thoughts and motives. I enjoyed the mystery, and the several subplots and Claire was pretty much given free reign by her boss to conduct the homicide investigation, a fresh point instead of the usual "my boss hates me" plot lines. The ending where Claire goes after her husband's killer was also something you don't read every day.

I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series and see where it goes from here!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was good. Claire is a strong leading character. I would give it four stars, because I enjoyed the story line and the characters, but I don't care for stories that change perspectives so often. Especially at the beginning when you don't even know who all the characters are. Some of the switches weren't even at chapter breaks; sometimes the switch was so abrupt, it was confusing keeping up with which character we were on. I'm sure it's a writing technique to weave all the different characters together by the end, I just personally don't like that style of writing very much. Hmmm, looking at a preview of the next book in the series, it looks like it does the same thing. I'm not sure I'm going to continue on with this series. And for the love of Pete, was there an editor involved at any time? I read a lot and think I have a pretty sharp eye, but a book should not make me feel like the grammar police because of all the errors! TONS of punctuation missing - at least in the Kindle version. So if there was an editor, I hope they've changed careers.

[Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not sure why, but this one just isn't doing it for me. I don't have a lot of interest in who killed the old man or how the backstory involving the psychological trauma to her daughter is resolved. And it feels to me like that's a story that's going to go on and on and infect any further books. Perhaps it's just that I don't find child trauma enjoyable to read about. So, a DNF for me. Which is o.k. ... I have LOTS of other books and series to read.

[Mary Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need half stars. Between three and four for this one, but I will definitely read the rest of the books in this series. The author is so good at describing the landscape and the fictional small town where this story takes place. She is also a poet, and it shows. I will not spoil the mystery, but I finished the book in two days and was not disappointed in the ending. If you are looking for a good mystery set in Wisconsin that you can forget about once you finish it, this might be a good one.

[Bexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having grown up in the area where this book takes place I really enjoyed the setting and it felt so nostalgic to read about these towns. As for the mystery, I figured out who was the partner relatively quick and so got frustrated with Claire and her inability to see anything that was going on. There were also just so many characters and we got everyone's perspective on everything so it became a little long-winded. I still enjoyed it and want to read more.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

My assessment is probably closer to 3 1/2 than 4. I read it as a book club choice by another member. What I found interesting were two points: the locale of Wisconsin, which is where I live, and the timeframe as this was published nearly 25 years prior to my reading, allowing me to recall those times without widespread internet, computer use, and cell phones. The story itself had merit, a simple read, though the identity of Hawk was too easy to figure out.

[Anna Flournoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An addictive mystery series

I loved this book, the first of Claire Watkins mysteries. It is engaging from the beginning and continues to be a page turner throughout. The characters are well defined and interesting. The plot well developed - never leaves you hanging - and it is not a bloody mess. I loved that. A very satisfying read! I’m on to the next in this series.

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

RATING: 3.25

[Mary Buss · Rating 4 out of 5]

The start of an interesting series.

[Madelynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[John Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good writing, an okay mystery, fairly dull although better than her last, "Still Explosion." Not sure I'll read any more--at least for a while.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved that it’s set in Wisconsin. Great start to woman led series.

[Austin Rider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good old fashioned whodunit, baby!

[Lori Mitchell Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book in a thrift store. I'd never heard of this author. I really enjoyed the drama and mystery. I will definitely be looking for more books written by her.

[Rebecca Graf · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little girl witnesses the death of her father in a hit and run accident. Keeping the secret to herself, she doesn’t tell her mother, a cop, the truth until after they have moved and a nice old man across the street is found murdered. Now the widowed cop has to solve a murder and follow up on the lead from her daughter. Are they connected?


I love a good mystery and this was one of those.The author did a great job in keeping the culprit(s) a secret. That’s not always easy especially with me as a reader.


The characters were well-developed. I could see them in my mind as they revealed different aspects. A few really struck good chords with me.


The plot itself was well done though I figured out who was responsible about halfway through it. Even though I knew, I kept guessing how the author was going to handle the next scene.


If you love mysteries, you really have to give this story a try. Great read. Great characters. Great plot.

Note: I downloaded this book during promotional event on Amazon with no expectation of a positive review.

[Kamas Kirian · Rating 2 out of 5]

The basic story is fine, even if it is rather predictable. I like most of the characters and I like the setting. But, there were a few problems that a good editor should have caught. The first was that Teddy and Rich are supposed to be classmates, but Rich is described as mid-40's and Teddy was supposed to be born in '42. That doesn't make any sense given that the story is supposed to take place in '98 or '99. Also, Claire puts her badge on the counter to identify herself at the ER, but she's in uniform.

The eBook was not formatted well at all. There were numerous spelling and punctuation errors. There was also a problem with the spacing between paragraphs in that several times all of a sudden a new scene would be playing without any notice. In one case a conversation was taking place and suddenly there is a new conversation taking place without any warning.

[Alan Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Claire was a Minneapolis murder detective when her husband was killed. In an attempt to escape, she and her pre-teen daughter relocated to a small Wisconsin town, where she is hired on as a beat cop. In her new job, traffic tickets are the height of crime. Then her next door neighbor, Landers, is murdered in his own garden in the dead of night, and everything changes.

Weaving together the separate strands of the question of who killed Claire's husband and who killed Landers, Mary Logue does a great job of fleshing out terrific characters..Claire, her neighbor John, her daughter, Meg, and several peripheral town residents. Her old partner Bruce is less well drawn,,and ends up being little more than a cliche, as does the killer of her husband.

All in all, an excellent start to what promises to be a fine series centered on Claire...and presumably her friends, relatives, and neighbors.

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #41 read in 2007

This was a decent first book of the series. There were some continuity errors that bugged me. For example a guy had a wife in one scene, but the next time we met him he lived only with his parents and there was no mention of a wife. Anyway, these did not detract from the story too much. I really enjoyed the main character and found the plot interesting. I will definitely read more in the series.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Protagonist Claire Watkins has moved to rural Wisconsin with her young daughter after her husband was killed by a hit-and-run driver. She's exchanged the life of a big city police officer for a small-town sheriff's deputy career and is learning to live in the country. But the problems of the city won't leave her or her family alone. Both a police procedural and a thriller, with a great sense of place and engaging characters. I will be reading more of this series. Highly recommended.

[R.G. Phelps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood Country is the type of mystery that keeps going throughout the story therefore your interest doesn't have a chance to diminish. I feel that the intention of a review is twofold; first to lead other readers to the opportunity of reading a good story, and second to show appreciation to the author for their writing skills. So, I recommend this book to you as a very well developed mystery and have found Mary Logue to be a gifted writer.

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the setting of this Lake Pepin murder mystery, with a strong female lead and her uncovering the murders of her husband and neighbor. Included is a love interest but not a romance, well done and written nicely. One bothersome part was the introduction of a transgender minor character, that is improperly described as transvestite. Either the author did not do proper research, or this was written before anyone knew better terminology. (1999)

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

set in Ft. St. Antoine, Wisconsin, on the shores of Lake Pepin, you've got to love the local flavor! Story of Claire Watkins, who fled Mpls when her husband was killed by a hit and run driver. Solving the murder of her neighbor, she also finds out what really happened to her husband. Will definitely read more of the series!

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first in the Deputy Claire Walker series, Ms Logue does a wonderful job of seamlessly introducing backstory - maybe the best that I have yet read. The characters and setting of small town Wisconsin remain inviting. The mystery itself if just OK. Still, I am enjoying trying to catch up on how the characters got to where they are now.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really kept me engaged. I don't know if it was the female police officer, the mystery of her husband's death, that it took place not far from where I live, or what, but I really liked it. I guessed the baddie (or should I say the baddie's bobo) pretty soon, but I still kept reading and was interested in how everything would pan out. I look forward to more books in this series.

[Stacy K B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read. Not as creepy as I was hoping based on description and title but still fun. The ending wrapped up quickly and would have liked a little more follow thru on the issue with the man, and his "boss", who killed the husband but... ... Still an okay read. The best part for me was the main characters and the setting.

[Lorlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of the series. Set in Wisconsin, with Claire Watkins left her police job in Mpls, moving to a small town after her husband was killed. She is now a deputy sheriff. Her neighbor is murdered (by his conniving sister-in-law) but the crux of the book surrounds finding out that her former partner was a drug lord and was responsible for her husband's murder -- so she kills him.