Point No Point

Claire Watkins #7

by Mary Logue

The seventh book in the Claire Watkins mystery series. Deputy Sheriff Claire Watkins is faced with a difficult case when a friend of the family is suspected of killing his wife. Her investigation puts a great stress on her relationship with her husband. Things are further strained when the suspect attempts suicide, solidifying his guilt in Claire’s mind. But what if she’s wrong?

Genres: Mystery, Procedural, Fiction

235 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Wyma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked it up at random from the shelves, and read it in a few hours. I didn't expect to like it this much, but Claire isn't just any deputy sheriff with an at-home man who cooks her dinners. They are interesting characters and the mysterious deaths which turn out to be linked are not obviously so from the beginning. A good beach book and I'll look for more. (one caveat: The daughter may be too good to be true.)

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book drew me in right away. I do not see much depth to the suicide attempts, having said that I know that people who are serious about suicide do not let anyone know. Therefore, in that sense it was very accurate. Flowing nicely this book kept me interested. I will be looking for other books written by this author.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyably lightweight mystery novel. A couple dead bodies, a personal connection, some personal issues for the investigating detectives to resolve, etc. This is the kind of novel Charlaine Harris added a vampire named "Bill" to.

[William Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Claire Watkins series, but I was a bit put off by the premise of this one. I've had prostate surgery and I think the lengths the couple in this book went to were way too extreme. There are more ways to satisfy a woman, and if Chet had an imagination, there should only have been a short break in their love life. This book makes me feel great that my surgeon's office has a sexual health nurse who I meet with every 3 months. Yes, it was a bit uncomfortable at first, but I would never suggest to my wife to go find another sexual partner.

I still can't wait to read the next Claire Watkins novel!

[Madelynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Jan Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for Amy in the ending. Rich, not so much. I had most of the connections figured out at the end but not exactly.
I thought the book was well plotted.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hot summer day in August is not ideal for pulling a bloated body from Lake Pepin but then no day is ideal for finding a floater. Deputy Sheriff Claire Watkins and Deputy Bill Peterson arrive on the scene close to Point No Point. Other officers were at the scene including Lake City patrol and the Pierce County Sheriff’s office but it was deemed the body belonged to the Pepin County Sheriff’s office so Clair and Peterson were left to fish the body from the lake.

The man was quite large and it appeared he had been shot in the stomach and then dumped in Lake Pepin. Since the man wasn’t local there would be a problem tracking down his identity.

Claire lives with her daughter Meg and companion Rich Haggard. Claire and Rich have been having a few problems lately and Claire’s increased hours on duty are not helping. Meg is spending a lot of time with Curt, her boyfriend, and Claire worries that things might be moving too fast in Meg’s life.

Rich receives a frantic phone call from Chet Baldwin, an old and respected friend. Chet asks Rich to come over right away and on arrival at Chet’s home Rich immediately contacts Claire. Chet’s wife Anne is dead from a gunshot wound. Chet is not coherent and Claire takes Chet into custody for his own safety.

Claire’s treatment of Chet does not go over well with Rich but Claire has too much on her plate to be very concerned. Now she not only has the floater to identify and find out what happened but she also has the problem of Chet and his wife Anne.

This is a complicated story of murder, marriage, and teenagers and their problems. This is number seven in the Claire Watkins series and is recommended.

[P.J. Coldren · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s late August in Wisconsin, and Deputy Sheriff Claire Watkins has a floater on her hands. She’s got a daughter who just turned 16, and that daughter has a steady boyfriend. The only thing that’s cool right now is Claire’s relationship with her live-in boyfriend, Rich. Rich’s best friend Chet may or may not have murdered his much younger wife Anne, and this uncertainty drives a wedge between Claire and Rich.

Mary Logue writes with great sympathy and knowledge about life in a small rural community. She creates the kinds of problems in people’s lives that we all encounter, either in person or in those we know and love. Her skill lies in pushing those situations just a little farther than most people are willing to carry things, and then letting Claire figure out what happened.

POINT NO POINT is the seventh book in Logue’s Claire Waktins?Lake Pepin mystery series. While POINT NO POINT functions quite well all by itself, readers who love a series will probably want to start at the beginning. Logue’s characters grow and change over the course of the series. Plotting is not her strong suit, and the characters make up for it.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the very first book I've read by Mary Logue even though it is part of an established series. The main character is Claire Watkins, a deputy Sheriff of Pepin County, Wisconsin. It was fun for me to read this book because all her locations are real and they are all places I have been.

What's nice about this book is that it reads very well as a stand alone. I didn't regret not having read any of the previous books. Also, there is a theme that plays throughout this book as various characters are faced with situations that test their personal views of sex. There is the young teenage couple, the murder victim and her husband, Claire and her live-in boyfriend, and a couple of dating sheriff's deputies who all are undergoing transitions/issues.

Since this was the first book by this author that I have read, I didn't find the solution to be predictable. There might be a pattern I discover if I read more of her books, but while the solution made sense, I didn't have the whole puzzle figured out halfway through the book. It took me to the end.

[Catherine Woodman]

I very much like this series, and the protagonist--this one was not amongst the greats though. First, the plot is too tightly contained, and the characters are not well fleshed out--usually there is not alot of action--this is Wisconsin, after all (which is a good thing--action is not what a place wants to be known for)--but there isn't alot of reflecting going on with any of the characters with the exception of the 16 year old. The issues related to suicide and depression are also not well depicted, so a dissapointment--but not too too bad--more that I have read others that were better rather than this wasn't so good as a stand alone.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was sort of fun because it takes place in Pierce County, Wisconsin, located right across the river in Wisconsin. I've been to that area, and have visited a lot of sites on the Minnesota side of the Mississippi, where the inundation by the river creates flooded areas, and dead skeleton trees. It would be a creepy place to find a body. It's also creepy because the friend of our hero Claire Watkins is the suspected killer and Claire does not know what to believe.

It is a somewhat lightweight novel, but well done nonetheless

[P.J. Coldren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy this series, keeping in mind that I've only read two and they were not in order. I wish there was more to them. At about 250 pages, they are just done too soon for me. Another decent sub-plot per book would really help. I enjoy the minor characters as much as the main ones, which is (for me) one of the marks of a good writer.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm starting to feel a tad ho-hum about this series. This book was fine and it dealt with some issues you don't often see raised in murder mysteries which was nice, but it seemed a bit short and lacking depth. The ending was also kind of abrupt. I already have the next book in the series in my library so I'll read it, but that may be the end of the series for me if I don't find myself more moved.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pulled this book out of a traveling book box simply because it had a Wisconsin setting, which I needed for a state challenge. I have never read this author before, and wasn't impressed. The detective solves two interconnected mysteries, and her family solves all personal problems by themselves because she is never home.

[Laura Salas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this much better than Maiden Rock, the one prior to this. I'm not sure how I feel about the parts from Amy's pov--I really just want Claire, and I feel like it's trying to set Amy up as a main viewpoint character (here or in her own series--not sure which). I hope not. Happy to see the quality back where I expect it to be in this terrific series.

[Ishanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick summer read. While the story is somewhat predictable, the characters are interesting enough to keep you reading. Apparently, this is part of a series, and I wouldn't mind reading another on the beach or on the porch on a nice summer day!

[Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very down to earth murder mystery without a lot fairly true to life characters without an over the top murderer set confines of Pepin Co. Wisconsin. It makes me want to read the earlier Claire Watkins mysteries.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this "local" series.

[Mary Marlatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read. Some typo/grammatical errors that bugged me. I really liked Claire, though, and will probably read more in this series in the future.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this mystery. I am familiar with the area of Wisconsin where the story is set so that makes it all the more enjoyable.

[Lesley · Rating 2 out of 5]

fun to read having just hiked this trail at Frontenac State park.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

a wonderful 4 star read, I like my local writers...:)

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mystery enjoyed reading it to the end.

[Rose Hauge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love this series.

[Kaeeap · Rating 3 out of 5]

reread 3/31/20 just love this series and the