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The Backyard Model Mysteries #2
Model Wave
Comments and Awards for The Backyard Model Mysteries
~A witty former fashion model turned accidental sleuth ...~Lisa Lickel, editor, Creative Wisconsin Magazine
~Word play on every page and jokes about Wisconsin customs ... ~Christine DeSmet, award-winning author & scriptwriter
~Rarely are cozy mysteries this much fun to read! ~Laurie Sheer, writing mentor, media goddess
~Model Suspect, Book One in The Backyard Model Mysteries earned an RWA Excellence in Mystery, a Royal Dragonfly, a Southwest Writer's Award, and was named a Top 100 Notable Indie by Shelf Unbound magazine
In Model Wave, Mel Tower travels Up North for a vacation and a date with a handsome sheriff. When a boat owner is found dead on "No Bullship," his new pontoon, Mel's plans for relaxation and romance are sunk faster than a popped beach ball. In this small-town summer mystery, Mel acts as an amateur sleuth because she fears a friend is being set up for the murder.
Meanwhile, the Northwoods is hosting “The Deliveree,” a summer competition for delivery drivers, knights of the road. Mel attends oddball games such as boxing (with actual boxes) and skiing on cardboard skis while pursuing the killer. Mel discovers the victim’s ex-wife had no alibi—even though the name of her pontoon is My Alibi!
This is the book for readers who enjoy summer beach reads, funny cozy mysteries, and quirky characters. They're Midwest fun and intrigue served with a brandy old-fashioned and a side of cheese curds. Mysteries similar to The Backyard Model Mysteries are Jeff Nania's Spider Lake Mysteries and Annelise Ryan's Monster Hunter series.
These stories are comic cozy mysteries with no foul language, sex, or graphic violence.
Coming in October 2024, Model Ghost, Book Three in The Backyard Model A fashion designer chokes to death on a fried cheese curd, and Mel’s cousin is accused of the murder. Mel must work with rivals from her fashion modeling past to solve the crime in this spooky fall mystery.
~A witty former fashion model turned accidental sleuth ...~Lisa Lickel, editor, Creative Wisconsin Magazine
~Word play on every page and jokes about Wisconsin customs ... ~Christine DeSmet, award-winning author & scriptwriter
~Rarely are cozy mysteries this much fun to read! ~Laurie Sheer, writing mentor, media goddess
~Model Suspect, Book One in The Backyard Model Mysteries earned an RWA Excellence in Mystery, a Royal Dragonfly, a Southwest Writer's Award, and was named a Top 100 Notable Indie by Shelf Unbound magazine
In Model Wave, Mel Tower travels Up North for a vacation and a date with a handsome sheriff. When a boat owner is found dead on "No Bullship," his new pontoon, Mel's plans for relaxation and romance are sunk faster than a popped beach ball. In this small-town summer mystery, Mel acts as an amateur sleuth because she fears a friend is being set up for the murder.
Meanwhile, the Northwoods is hosting “The Deliveree,” a summer competition for delivery drivers, knights of the road. Mel attends oddball games such as boxing (with actual boxes) and skiing on cardboard skis while pursuing the killer. Mel discovers the victim’s ex-wife had no alibi—even though the name of her pontoon is My Alibi!
This is the book for readers who enjoy summer beach reads, funny cozy mysteries, and quirky characters. They're Midwest fun and intrigue served with a brandy old-fashioned and a side of cheese curds. Mysteries similar to The Backyard Model Mysteries are Jeff Nania's Spider Lake Mysteries and Annelise Ryan's Monster Hunter series.
These stories are comic cozy mysteries with no foul language, sex, or graphic violence.
Coming in October 2024, Model Ghost, Book Three in The Backyard Model A fashion designer chokes to death on a fried cheese curd, and Mel’s cousin is accused of the murder. Mel must work with rivals from her fashion modeling past to solve the crime in this spooky fall mystery.
- GenresMysteryCozy Mystery
284 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 21, 2024
About the author
T.K. Sheffield
4 books48 followersTK Sheffield writes stories for readers to laugh and escape. Her comic cozy mysteries, The Backyard Model mysteries are whodunnits served with a brandy old-fashioned and a side of cheese curds.
Model Ghost releases in October '24! Also in the series is Model Suspect and Model Wave.
The series has earned awards including Killer Nashville, an Eric Hoffer finalist, RWA Excellence in Mystery, and a Top 100 Notable Indie from Shelf Unbound magazine. TK has degrees from UW-Madison and Mount Mary University, and she's on the board of the Wisconsin Writers Association and a member of Blackbird Writers and the Wisconsin Chapter of Sisters in Crime.
For updates, give a follow! Thank you! (Also on Instagram as TheBackyardModel.)
Model Ghost releases in October '24! Also in the series is Model Suspect and Model Wave.
The series has earned awards including Killer Nashville, an Eric Hoffer finalist, RWA Excellence in Mystery, and a Top 100 Notable Indie from Shelf Unbound magazine. TK has degrees from UW-Madison and Mount Mary University, and she's on the board of the Wisconsin Writers Association and a member of Blackbird Writers and the Wisconsin Chapter of Sisters in Crime.
For updates, give a follow! Thank you! (Also on Instagram as TheBackyardModel.)
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 1, 2024
Mel Towers is at it again. In T.K. Sheffield's "Model Wave" (her second book in the cozy-mystery Model Series), Mel heads for the quiet, restorative Wisconsin northern woods and lake life to relax after her last mystery in Book 1, "Model Suspect." After renting a sweet cottage and meeting the handsome local sheriff, Mel's life is turned upside down, to say the least, when the first date with the sheriff is cut short because the dead body of Curtis Grey, a supper club owner she had just talked to earlier in the day, is discovered on his pontoon boat, making her someone to question. The story moves forward with an intriguing plot, great subplots, and familiar characters from Book 1, but the inclusion of new, highly unique characters - Cousin Lou, anyone? - is what really makes the story come alive.
Sheffield adds an extra layer to the story when Mel's friendship with Susan (her right-arm help when Mel started her artist craft mall back at home in Cinnamon, Wisconsin and who is also up north vacationing) becomes strained due to Susan's escalating drinking issues. How does one help a friend who says she doesn't need it but clearly does? In "Model Wave," Mel's character starts to grow, soften from the first book, making her more real and human, a far cry from her days in New York City as a once shut-down model.
What I especially loved about the story was being almost to the end of the book and NOT knowing who committed the murder! Talk about being well-written. Sheffield hands out enough doubt and motive to all of the suspects that you won't know who did it until the very end. Funny at times, engaging, and a page-turner, it's a great summer read whether you're out on the beach or taking in life on the lake. If you liked "Model Suspect," you'll love "Model Wave."
Sheffield adds an extra layer to the story when Mel's friendship with Susan (her right-arm help when Mel started her artist craft mall back at home in Cinnamon, Wisconsin and who is also up north vacationing) becomes strained due to Susan's escalating drinking issues. How does one help a friend who says she doesn't need it but clearly does? In "Model Wave," Mel's character starts to grow, soften from the first book, making her more real and human, a far cry from her days in New York City as a once shut-down model.
What I especially loved about the story was being almost to the end of the book and NOT knowing who committed the murder! Talk about being well-written. Sheffield hands out enough doubt and motive to all of the suspects that you won't know who did it until the very end. Funny at times, engaging, and a page-turner, it's a great summer read whether you're out on the beach or taking in life on the lake. If you liked "Model Suspect," you'll love "Model Wave."
January 30, 2025
WARNING: Do not enjoy a beverage while reading this book. It's laugh-out-loud funny and guaranteed to make you snort your drink. This trifecta of comedy, romance, and suspense set in the Wisconsin northern woods is an absolute must-read. I highly recommend "Model Wave" by T.K. Sheffield.
May 15, 2024
When people in Midwestern cities escape to their summer homes by the lake, two things are certain. First, they’ll be pointing the car north. Second, they will cherish the peace, quiet, and pine-scented air. A high-stress situation might involve burning some muffins or getting some fishing gear tangled up. This is exactly the sort of experience our main character, Mel Tower, was hoping for when she closed up shop and drove to Glass Lake, accompanied by her beloved collie; her first real vacation in twenty years. This is “Model Wave: Romance, Boats, and Bad Business in the Northwoods,” part of The Backyard Model Mysteries series by TK Sheffield.
Alas, as so often happens in these sorts of novels, she soon finds herself up to her plaid bandana in unwanted events. An innocent date with the county’s hunky Sheriff is interrupted by a dead body under suspicious circumstances; her weird Cousin Lou shows up; her friend Susan can’t control her drinking, and we’re off and running in a description of North Woods life as precisely described as you’re likely to find this side of Northwestern University’s Department of Anthropology.
Side plots involving friends’ weddings and a traditional village festival bubble up to add to Mel’s feeling that she really needs a vacation from this vacation. How strongly this is felt by the reader depends on their tolerance for good-natured upcountry wackiness, which permeates the book more strongly even than the smell of grilling walleyes.
Speaking of which: Do *not* read this book hungry! How the characters remain so physically alluring amidst the avalanche of ice cream sundaes, milkshakes, grilled bratwursts, fried cheese curds, chocolates, and booze is as big a mystery as the murder. The author even thoughtfully throws in a muffin recipe at the end. But I guess we all know that, on vacation, normal rules don’t apply. To me, these sounded like the perfect ingredients for a week or two in the woods and I almost felt like I’d been on vacation myself.
The author has lived an interesting life, and some of the topics about which she is knowledgeable – horses, dogs, modeling, Wisconsin, and New York life – find their way into the book. She is also quite adept at describing moods – the dread feeling of a friend in trouble, the joy of falling in love, and the peace brought on by a warm sun on one’s back. She has a deft way of describing people. Says one North Country bride:
She could shoot a squirrel out of a tree at a hundred yards. Walleye would throw themselves into the boat. Becks didn’t even need a pole.
Or the aforementioned sheriff:
I’d describe him as a Midwest Sequoia: a healthy specimen with dark hair and a trunk-like body that soared beyond six feet. Appeared to thrive on dairy products and church spaghetti.
The puns and wordplay sprouted as thickly as Glass Lake pines, and to me, eventually grew wearisome. But that’s a minor complaint. This may not be the perfect beach book for everyone, but it’s as close to a perfect cozy mystery boat book as you’re likely to find anywhere.
Alas, as so often happens in these sorts of novels, she soon finds herself up to her plaid bandana in unwanted events. An innocent date with the county’s hunky Sheriff is interrupted by a dead body under suspicious circumstances; her weird Cousin Lou shows up; her friend Susan can’t control her drinking, and we’re off and running in a description of North Woods life as precisely described as you’re likely to find this side of Northwestern University’s Department of Anthropology.
Side plots involving friends’ weddings and a traditional village festival bubble up to add to Mel’s feeling that she really needs a vacation from this vacation. How strongly this is felt by the reader depends on their tolerance for good-natured upcountry wackiness, which permeates the book more strongly even than the smell of grilling walleyes.
Speaking of which: Do *not* read this book hungry! How the characters remain so physically alluring amidst the avalanche of ice cream sundaes, milkshakes, grilled bratwursts, fried cheese curds, chocolates, and booze is as big a mystery as the murder. The author even thoughtfully throws in a muffin recipe at the end. But I guess we all know that, on vacation, normal rules don’t apply. To me, these sounded like the perfect ingredients for a week or two in the woods and I almost felt like I’d been on vacation myself.
The author has lived an interesting life, and some of the topics about which she is knowledgeable – horses, dogs, modeling, Wisconsin, and New York life – find their way into the book. She is also quite adept at describing moods – the dread feeling of a friend in trouble, the joy of falling in love, and the peace brought on by a warm sun on one’s back. She has a deft way of describing people. Says one North Country bride:
She could shoot a squirrel out of a tree at a hundred yards. Walleye would throw themselves into the boat. Becks didn’t even need a pole.
Or the aforementioned sheriff:
I’d describe him as a Midwest Sequoia: a healthy specimen with dark hair and a trunk-like body that soared beyond six feet. Appeared to thrive on dairy products and church spaghetti.
The puns and wordplay sprouted as thickly as Glass Lake pines, and to me, eventually grew wearisome. But that’s a minor complaint. This may not be the perfect beach book for everyone, but it’s as close to a perfect cozy mystery boat book as you’re likely to find anywhere.
September 11, 2026
What book pray tell did other reviewers who gave this five, four and three stars even read? I'm sorry but this was horrible. I can't believe the book is #2 in a series, heck I can't believe it even got published. The writing is a bit better than you might get from a C student in a sophomore English class in High School.
T.K. Sheffield loves puns, way too much. Literally every other page has a horrible pun that is used as the "gadget" of the book. And the setting; don't get me started. We own a cabin in Northern Wisconsin near Rhinelander (home of the hodag). And I can tell you that the setting of this story is nothing like that part of the state. The author starts the story by saying the lead character is staying near Lake Minocqua, which is a real place, then she proceeds to make up a north woods town called Copper Falls. The real Copper Falls is in fact a State Park and waterfall about 90 minutes away from the real town of Minocqua and the area where this story is set.
But the author doesn't stop there; she goes on to describe an environment that doesn't exist with cliffs, exposed rock faces and every pontoon boat sporting a catchy (or punny) name. And while most of the story focuses on the plaid clothing of locals or the omnipresent hodag she also pretends that the main town has a Wild West theme. Let's get something straight Northern Wisconsin is the home to Paul Bunyan stories the Hodag and lots of trees and lakes. It's not the home to Wild West shows, towns with hitching posts in the middle of town and police riding horses while pretending to be the Lone Ranger.
And then let's get to the characters, they are as flat as Kanas after Dorothy's house lands on the wicked witch. No one behaves like cousin Lou and no friend acts like Mel Tower does to her cousin, paramour, or supposed best friend. And their motivation is wildly unrealistic. The main character has just met one tangential character who has just gotten engaged and suddenly she is the person helping her pick out wedding dresses, the shoulder she cries on when she thinks there is trouble with the groom and the sage giver of advice to both the bride and groom - no way. All of which has absolutely no bearing on the characters or the story, by the way.
And finally the "mystery". This is supposed to be a Northwoods mystery after all. It's not. It's a weird trope of poor settings, weird plot twists, a funky contest pitting delivery drivers against one another and no mystery. Even Sherlock Holmes couldn't have figured this one out with the clues given to the reader.
Why I didn't add this to my DNF pile I really don't know; but I slogged through to the end thinking it had to get better and there had to be redeeming qualities; I was wrong! Victoria Houston certainly has nothing to be concerned about and the fictional Northern Wisconsin world she created though not perfect is 100% superior to this travesty.
If you couldn't tell from this review I will not be reading other installments, highly unlikely to read other books from this author and I will be dusting off the half finished book I worked on 10 years ago because while it's really not good enough to be published it is better than Model Wave. Here's a wave goodbye and good riddance to this stinker (oops I meant sinker, it's a pun after all).
T.K. Sheffield loves puns, way too much. Literally every other page has a horrible pun that is used as the "gadget" of the book. And the setting; don't get me started. We own a cabin in Northern Wisconsin near Rhinelander (home of the hodag). And I can tell you that the setting of this story is nothing like that part of the state. The author starts the story by saying the lead character is staying near Lake Minocqua, which is a real place, then she proceeds to make up a north woods town called Copper Falls. The real Copper Falls is in fact a State Park and waterfall about 90 minutes away from the real town of Minocqua and the area where this story is set.
But the author doesn't stop there; she goes on to describe an environment that doesn't exist with cliffs, exposed rock faces and every pontoon boat sporting a catchy (or punny) name. And while most of the story focuses on the plaid clothing of locals or the omnipresent hodag she also pretends that the main town has a Wild West theme. Let's get something straight Northern Wisconsin is the home to Paul Bunyan stories the Hodag and lots of trees and lakes. It's not the home to Wild West shows, towns with hitching posts in the middle of town and police riding horses while pretending to be the Lone Ranger.
And then let's get to the characters, they are as flat as Kanas after Dorothy's house lands on the wicked witch. No one behaves like cousin Lou and no friend acts like Mel Tower does to her cousin, paramour, or supposed best friend. And their motivation is wildly unrealistic. The main character has just met one tangential character who has just gotten engaged and suddenly she is the person helping her pick out wedding dresses, the shoulder she cries on when she thinks there is trouble with the groom and the sage giver of advice to both the bride and groom - no way. All of which has absolutely no bearing on the characters or the story, by the way.
And finally the "mystery". This is supposed to be a Northwoods mystery after all. It's not. It's a weird trope of poor settings, weird plot twists, a funky contest pitting delivery drivers against one another and no mystery. Even Sherlock Holmes couldn't have figured this one out with the clues given to the reader.
Why I didn't add this to my DNF pile I really don't know; but I slogged through to the end thinking it had to get better and there had to be redeeming qualities; I was wrong! Victoria Houston certainly has nothing to be concerned about and the fictional Northern Wisconsin world she created though not perfect is 100% superior to this travesty.
If you couldn't tell from this review I will not be reading other installments, highly unlikely to read other books from this author and I will be dusting off the half finished book I worked on 10 years ago because while it's really not good enough to be published it is better than Model Wave. Here's a wave goodbye and good riddance to this stinker (oops I meant sinker, it's a pun after all).
July 14, 2026
Fun series. The author is from Wisconsin and the book is set in a fictional town called Cinnamon, Wisconsin. The heroine is a former model named Melanie Tower. She left Cinnamon at 18 after her parents died and went to NYC to begin a modeling career. She was treated harshly by the ones in charge but she stuck it out until she retired at 50. She bought two buildings and established an arts and crafts mall and a book store. She has a dog named Max and an exuberant cousin named Lou. She’s friends with Fern Bubbles and others in town. She maintained a long distance relationship with an airline pilot named Rand for 10 years. After meeting a sheriff in northern Wisconsin named Cole, she ended things with Cole.
The books have a very detailed murder with lots of suspects to pick between. Mel is often philosophical, quoting and paraphrasing Shakespeare among others. She and Lou constantly make jokes, especially about the Chicago Bears. Mel solves the mysteries in town before the police can. Good 4 star book.
This book is set up north during a competition for delivery drivers. This is when Mel and Cole begin their relationship.
The books have a very detailed murder with lots of suspects to pick between. Mel is often philosophical, quoting and paraphrasing Shakespeare among others. She and Lou constantly make jokes, especially about the Chicago Bears. Mel solves the mysteries in town before the police can. Good 4 star book.
This book is set up north during a competition for delivery drivers. This is when Mel and Cole begin their relationship.
August 12, 2024
When’s a good time for a vacation to Wisconsin’s Northwoods? Fashion model Mel Tower chooses summer, the perfect time to be out floating in a sparkling lake on a pontoon, cocktail in hand. Unfortunately for Mel, her vision of the perfect getaway goes sideways, along with a potential romance. An ice cream date turns deadly when a thunderstorm takes down a local bar owner, pitching him into the lake - or did he have help? Most of Mel’s hometown of Cinnamon relocates to the Northwoods too, accompanied by their quirks and troubles, which turns a murder investigation into a light-hearted caper. But lurking behind the laughs is real danger, and Mel is reminded never to go into the woods alone. A mystery filled with whimsy and charming word play on every page. Enjoy your Northwoods getaway any time you want to dive into this book!
July 20, 2024
Loved this story as much as the first book in the series. I continued to laugh (out loud) through Mel Tower’s hijinks as she sleuths out another killer. But this time she’s ‘up north’ and we’re treated to a great description of Wisconsin in the summertime. Boats, lake time, fish fries, ice cream, cheese curds and more. There are plenty of potential villains because everyone seems to be hiding something. Again a fast-paced and smartly plotted mystery with a blossoming romance that adds a layer of intrigue.
July 16, 2024
The perfect Summer read! Model Wave is a delightful blend of Wisconsin summer boating rituals and Murder mystery. I was swept on board and rode the wave with Melanie Tower as she sleuthed the mystery of the pontooned man. Like a vacation to the North Woods, except plenty more mystery and intrigue!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews