Death Stalks Door County

Dave Cubiak #1

by Patricia Skalka

Six deaths mar the holiday mood as summer vacationers enjoy Wisconsin s beautiful Door County peninsula. Murders, or bizarre accidents? Newly hired park ranger Dave Cubiak, a former Chicago homicide detective, assumes the worst but refuses to get involved. Grief-stricken and guilt-ridden over the loss of his wife and daughter, he s had enough of death. 

Forced to confront the past, the morose Cubiak moves beyond his own heartache and starts investigating, even as a popular festival draws more people into possible danger. In a desperate search for clues, Cubiak uncovers a tangled web of greed, betrayal, bitter rivalries, and lost love beneath the peninsula's travel-brochure veneer. Befriended by several locals but unsure whom to trust or to suspect of murder, the one-time cop tracks a clever killer.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Book Club, Mystery Thriller, Murder Mystery, Adult, Thriller

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars

This book & author participated in our local book festival. That fact and the setting in nearby Door County apparently led to it being chosen for one of my book groups. I almost always enjoy books in a familiar real-life setting because it's so easy to picture the action of the book. Sadly, that was not the case with this mystery.

Setting: I had several problems with the author's use of the Door County setting. First, the inconsistent naming/re-naming of actual landmarks in the story. Peninsula State Park is clearly identified along with the two towns adjacent to its two entrances, Fish Creek and Ephraim. Yet the noteworthy Eagle Tower in the park for no discernible reason became Falcon Tower and the iconic Wilson's Ice Cream restaurant became Milton's. Secondly, the plot made little to no sense in this setting. Six deaths occurring in a short time span and the powers that be were able to downplay the deaths? A recent actual missing persons case that resulted in a death was a top news item in the entire NE Wisconsin media market for well over a month. Six deaths could not have been downplayed. Third, the nefarious sub-plot that was a motivating factor in the murders was quite simply ridiculous and unbelievable.

Characterization: The main character, Dave Cubiak, ex-Chicago PD, is portrayed as a man barely hanging on to any sort of life, grief-stricken over the deaths of his wife and daughter, wallowing in his own perceived guilt. He gets an assistant park ranger job that he seems to spend little time actually doing. Moreover, he is living on booze and cigarettes. How he is in any condition to work after consuming a bottle of hard liquor I do not know. Yet, when a lost little girl at the July 4th festival tells him that it's not his fault, he construes that as a message from his daughter in the beyond and decides to quit drinking except when he has a beer or a shot. Is he an alcoholic or isn't he? The author doesn't seem to know.

Many of the other characters seem stock caricatures, shallowly drawn. The perpetrator's motivation should be discernible if you read the clues carefully as a mystery aficionado. Yet an important piece on information is kept hidden from the reader until the denouement.

Overall, a disappointment.

[Elizabeth A.G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of the fun and intrigue in reading a mystery is the ability of the reader to perceive clues that lead toward discovering the guilty party. In Patricia Skalka's book the clues are elusive as there are numerous characters who could have motives in the several deaths that occur rather early in the book (six deaths in seven days). At one point in the story the principal character, Dave Cubiak, a former Chicago police officer who, guilt-ridden and mournful about the death of his wife and daughter and who has accepted a park ranger job in touristy Door County, Wisconsin, even reviews in his mind the various suspects and possible motives. But the lack of reader clues enhanced the reading in this case. Cubiak, as well as the reader, are stumped until some twists, secrets, and new revelations are presented toward the end of the book. The author's descriptions of the State Park and surrounding small towns and their inhabitants bring readers right into this environment. The depiction of the holiday and festival celebrations for the tourists of the park by the local residents are reminiscent of the fun and excitement of any that the reader might experience in real life. The author does a great job of building suspense with Cubiak expecting more deaths during these events, but when nothing happens, there is a feeling of let-down but also increased anxiety that the unpredictable will happen. Cubiak is convinced another death is imminent and the reader believes it also. I liked this book because there is a mix of a character trying to hide from or escape the sorrow in his past, but unable to escape the guilt he feels and yet there is a connection between one of the deaths and that of Cubiak's family tragedy. At the same time there is the tangle of secrets. lies, blackmail, resentments, greed, and duplicity to be discovered and resolved. My only issue with the story is that some of the secrets and their consequences might be a stretch in what might be believable. Enjoyed this one and will be reading more books in the Dave Cubiak Door County Mystery series.

[William Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skalka’s rich, stark prose and vivid character development compliments the intricate plot and dark mystery. You will wait on bated breath for book #2.

A great work of fiction.

[AnnaSeemsSoSmall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pluspunkte:
-Der Protagonist wird mit der Zeit sympathischer
-❤️Bathard❤️
-Hübsche Sprache und Landschaftsbeschreibungen
-war kurz

Minuspunkte:
-ungefähr ab der Mitte wurde es immer langweiliger (SO langweilig!)
-Ende war nicht schockierend. Nicht weil man es ahnen konnte, sondern weil es mir einfach mega egal war
-Zu traurig für mein sensibles Herz 😩 (es wurde ein paar mal über den Tod geredet (ja es ist ein Mystery/Krimi mit dem Wort „death“ im Titel))

Achso ja äh 2,5 Sterne

[Steph Slavik · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many awesome Door County references! I grew up there, so I was able to envision exactly geographically where everything took place.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok. Somewhat insulting l thought, to the people of Door County and the tourists. Too many caricatures. May or may not read another.

[Nancy Klarich · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it was fun to revisit some of Door County through the pages of this book, there was a too much going on with these murders. The characters and their back stories became too much to follow. The end was surprising but seemed rushed to make the story end.

[Bam cooks the books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dave Cubiak, a former Chicago homicide detective, comes to Door County, Wisconsin, to work as a park ranger after the death of his wife and child devastated his life. He wants nothing more than to retreat to the woods and drink himself into a stupor. But a series of six brutal murders in Peninsula State Park threaten the summer tourist industry and draws Dave reluctantly back into investigating and back to life. This is not bad at all for the debut of what is sure to be a new mystery series. It is a quick read with interesting characters, beautiful scenery, and intriguing mystery. I look forward to more from this author.

[Joyce Ziebell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading through this Door County series... mainly because it's Wisconsin-based fiction. I began w/ reading book #2 and frankly like that one much more than this one. A few too many 'murders' to solve and not at all sure I would of wanted to read more of Dave Cubiak... didn't seem Like a very likeable guy.

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't care for it. There were too many characters and I kept having to backtrack to see who was who. I also thought the style was a bit choppy.

[Kevintipple · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death Stalks Door County

Death Stalks Door County: A Dave Cubiak Door County Mystery by Patricia Skalka is the first book in a multi book series. Published in 2004, author takes readers to the peninsula that juts out between Lake Michigan and Green Bay.

Dave Cubiak is a man living with incredible grief. His wife and daughter were killed and he knows that he is responsible for their deaths. Not directly, but indirectly, and that grief is all encompassing and wide ranging.

“He found it unsettling how quickly life returned to normal for those on the outskirts of loss. For a week after Lauren and Alexis died, he’d failed to pick up the morning newspapers from the front porch, not because he forgot but because everything commonplace seemed superfluous. His perspective had been so altered by death, he could not comprehend a world in which someone would continue to drop a daily paper at his door. He was only beginning to understand that for those not directly touched by it, death was a transient event (pages 60-61).”

The former Chicago homicide detective left the force and came up to the Door County to be a park ranger. He promised his former homicide partner he would give the job a year and he intends to uphold that promise despite the grief, the massive alcohol intake, and the ongoing annoying stupidity of others including his boss, Otto Johnson.

He wanted to leave death behind. At least, that was the plan. Then three months into the job, in late June, he hears a sharp wail nearby while out running one morning as he tried to flush the toxins from his system. He investigates and finds his boss, Park Superintendent Otto Johnson, at the base of Falcon Tower. It appears that somebody took a header off the multistory fire watch tower.

It soon becomes clear that the deceased is Lawrence Wisby. As Cubiak is forced to explain to his boss, Sheriff Halverson, and Doctor Bathard, the deceased is the brother of the man that killed his wife and daughter by driving drunk and running them down with a car. That makes him a suspect as far as the Sheriff is concerned.

An intense and highly atmospheric story, Death Stalks Door County: A Dave Cubiak Door County Mystery by Patricia Skalka is a complicated and often intense read. Grief plays a major role in the book almost to the point of an actual living and breathing character. Issues related to that aspect of the book leads to considerable backstory as well as a deep resonance with this reader. The ongoing current day mystery is complicated and far ranging and resulted in a considerable surprise when the killer was finally revealed.

Intense, complicated, and very atmospheric, Death Stalks Door County: A Dave Cubiak Door County Mystery by Patricia Skalka is a very good read.

Death Stalks Door County: A Dave Cubiak Door County Mystery
Patricia Skalka
http://www.patriciaskalka.com/
University of Wisconsin Press
https://uwpress.wisc.edu/books/5315.htm
May 2014
IISBN# 978-0299299408
Hardback eBook (eBook and paperback formats also available)
246 Pages


Material supplied by the good folks of the Dallas Library System.


Kevin R. Tipple ©2021

[Gail Baugniet · Rating 4 out of 5]

While visiting the main library, I happened upon this book, the words "Door County" catching my eye. It is always a treat to read a mystery set in eastern Wisconsin where I spent my early years..

The protagonist, Dave Cubiak, is portrayed in realistic detail as the suffering ex-cop who tragically lost his wife and child and blames himself. Now he merely exists, going through the motions of living and keeping a low profile as a ranger in the forest region of Door County's Peninsula.

Author Patricia Skalka keeps her plot tight and sprinkles clues to the mystery of multiple deaths sparingly. The pleasure in reading this story, for me, was revisiting the extremely well-detailed fish boil that the area is noted for; spending time browsing in gift shops along the chain of towns; attending an evening performance in the park. All elicit pleasant memories.

In this story, the "JAWS" type tactics of the Peninsula's elders, who struggle to save the income derived from summer tourist season and grand opening celebrations, allow the reader to suspend disbelief. This quiet community accepts the goodness of humanity, and wants to believe that all is well.

[Gerald Matzke · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a long-time visitor to Door County, Wisconsin, the setting of this mystery, I enjoyed the many references to places in the book because I have been to almost all of them. Instead having to imagine the setting, I knew exactly what it looked like. The mystery itself was complex and it took the skill of a former big city detective to sort things out. Mysterious deaths in a tourist destination created many problems for locals especially when it could threaten their livelihood. It was a real page turner that was hard to put down. I look forward to more of the author’s Door County mysteries.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, while I’m up in Door County, why not read a Door County based mystery?…A Chicago police detective, who has suffered a great personal loss, relocates to this wonderful vacation area, as a ranger serving Peninsula State Park, is drawn into a series of murders that threaten the economic well being of much of the county’s businesses…Very formulaic, but the fun of picturing the various settings was a lot of fun!

[Dustin Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining. Once I got started on reading it went by very quickly and made me keep wanting to come back to it. The timeline seems to move very quickly which prevents me from giving it the 5th star.

[Darcie K · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this to read on a trip to Door County. It's a good thing I brought other books along - it wasn't my thing. Back to the library it went along with the other two books in the series.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid beginning to a mystery series set in Door County. Love reading books set in familiar territory, and am looking forward to following the rest of the series. Can't wait to listen to the author speak at the Chippewa Valley Book Festival!

[Gail Burgess · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked most about this book was the setting. Having been to Door County, I was able to imagine where a lot of the action was taking place. I was a bit frustrated with the mystery, though. It seemed to me that some action and information was left out; it jumped around a bit for me. Perhaps the author was trying to provide red herrings, but it just made things feel more disjointed. Still, I am looking forward to reading the next in this series and perhaps the mystery will be less frustrating. I di like Dave Cubiak, the main character and will enjoy seeing what happens to him and some of the other characters.

[Zana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose to read this book as I was born and raised only two hours north of Door County or half an hour across the Bay. It was neat reading about somewhere I was familiar with but it was just an ok book. The main character is very hard to like and seems like just a drunk idiot until one moment he decides to pull his head out of his ass. I also was not a fan of the racial slur used in the book when there was only like one or two other swear words in the entire book. Totally unnecessary. The book got better as it went along but I almost felt like the beginning took too long and the end was rushed. Not sure if I'll read the next in the series.

[Sherryann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having lived in Green Bay for the last 30+ years and having been a very frequent visitor to Door County, I was disappointed with the author's treatment of both characters and events in this book. First, the author seems to have NO idea what a ranger at a State Park does (and what he or she can or cannot do). Why set Cubiak up as a ranger if he never does much inside the actual park? He seems to be running all over the county with no administrative, conservational, or educational duties within the park itself. Secondly, she treats the character of the sheriff as a country bumpkin who had no professional ethics and who has little law enforcement training. Cubiak has to ASK if the sheriff should tape off the Tower crime scene? Come on. That would AUTOMATICALLY be done at a Door County crime scene or any other crime scene in Wisconsin. Also, since it is set in a STATE park, Wisconsin state officials may have jurisdiction over any crimes committed in the park. Lastly, she gives the character of Beck way too much power. He can be a wealthy, powerful man, but he would not be able to put Cubiak in charge of much of anything, and Cubiak certainly would not have the authority, as a park ranger, to order around the law enforcement officers (who also are portrayed as uneducated stooges) during Cubiak's "investigation." I was SO hoping this would be an interesting series set in the magnificent landscape of Door County, but instead it was an insult to the law enforcement officers, the Native American inhabitants, the park rangers, the artists, the conservationists, and the small business owners who do, indeed, count on the tourists to bring in income to keep Door County free of big business and beautiful. I hope that the second and consecutive books are better, but I hesitate to buy any more since I fear they will be a waste of my money.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a snarled mystery knotted up along the picturesque, Wisconsin vacation spot of Door County, Skalka balances this dark tale on an intricate thread. It weaves through the personal tragedies of myriad lives and events.

This beautifully crafted work creates a stark backdrop of a rich, scenic and historical tableau,both evidence of keen research and sharp insight. It is, however, the power of Skalka’s voice that moves this story to it’s depths.

From our hero Cubiak’s expletives to his friend Malcom’s promise of prayers and from 6 brutal murders, to pastor Waldo and Gladys Thorenson kneeling at the church alter offering up forgiveness, the expressions of both the sane and insane speak riddles. And the riddles are of broken lives. Lives that have made all the wrong choices and also of folks that have been noble despite it all, that tell the complexities and the anguish of loss.

Dave Cubiak is a former cop trying to start over in the Wisconsin wilderness after calamity has obliterated his very foundation. He is a tortured soul, his bearings are all cracked, yet a deeply buried inner strength seems to push him along. Herein emerges the finesse he eventually musters to unravel clues and twisted motives to an unlikely end.

This mystery noir is an intense, stark, telling, that makes me glad that Cubiak will return.

[Valerie Biel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love sinking into these murder mysteries set in one of my favorite places in Wisconsin. Skalka has created a rich set of characters in each of these novels that is supplemented by new faces (sometimes innocent/sometimes very, very guilty). The story arc of the returning characters is well-established as we root for them in both their personal and professional lives. But even better are the intricately detailed scenes that delve into the murder in each book, taking you along on the twists and turns so you feel like you’re right there with Sheriff Cubiak as motivations are discovered and the perpetrator is brought to justice. These books are immensely satisfying reads—even for the most picky mystery fans

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, a great read for the summer. Definitely a lighter mystery in relation to others I've read, but perfect what what I needed right now. Just a good, fun read.

The only issues I had were keeping track of characters and the a small issue with the ending. Characters were called by first name, last name, or by the job they did (e.g. The Sheriff) and sometimes, I got confused on who was who.

The ending really was ok, but I just found it to have a lot of detail that made things a little convoluted.

Overall, a solid read. The issues I had were small and didn't really detract much from my enjoyment. I'll definitely be looking for Skalka's other books!

[Laura Knaapen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much better than the other book I read that purported to be located in Door County. While things were fictionalized, it didn't tamper with the basic geography of the county. I had guessed who dunnit, but there was an overly long and complicated ending explanation of why that kind of spoiled it for me. It was fun reading about Wilson's, Eagle Tower and other landmarks renamed for the fiction but still recognizable. The basic premise caught the county but took it a little too far for me. It was a good advertisement for living on the Lake (quiet) side of the county.

[McKenzie Burns · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars. I am very familiar with the area since I have been traveling up to Door County with my family since I was an infant. The fact that 6 murders occurred within a few days and it got hardly any attention and caused very little concern seems very far-fetched. A few years ago, I girl slipped off a cliff and it was the main story in the news for the week I was up at my family's cabin. Very unrealistic if the reader is familiar with the area.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first chapter was very difficult to get through and I hated that the main character was written so femininely and then by the second chapter we were introduced to so many characters I couldn’t keep them straight, but I grew to feel like the main character was an actual person and enjoyed the story despite the beginning.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Death Stalks Door County was the February pick for the Page Turner’s Book Club at the Kewaunee Public Library. We had our meeting today at lunch to discuss this book. We live in Kewaunee County, which is the county south of Door County Wisconsin, where this book takes place. This is the first book in a series of mysteries featuring detective Dave Cubiak.

Dave Cubiak’s life has fallen apart. After the death of his wife and daughter, he needs change and a new direction. He takes a job as an assistant director at Peninsula State Park in Door County. After a series of murders takes place, Dave is racing against time to find the murderer. Who has murdered six seemingly random people in and around Peninsula State Park and why?

I enjoyed reading about the places I’m familiar with in this story. Cubiak himself was not a very likeable character, but after a while, he started to thaw, and I started to enjoy reading about him more. I was engaged with the story and wanted to know who the murderer was, but I found the plot to be rather convoluted and unrealistic. There were a lot of characters in this novel and most were not well developed. I also was annoyed as the implication in this novel is that you need to have some big city experience to really know what’s going on. The local sheriff is bumbling and has to be saved by Dave Cubiak the former Chicago detective. The local coroner goes out of his way to make sure Cubiak knows he once lived in the big city but came back to Door County. Living in an area where we do get a lot of tourists from the big city, I know this is how some people from the city feel, that we are all bumbling hicks, but it was annoying to have that bias so prominent in the book. Also having grown up in Michigan, the fact that author tries to say Wisconsin is a mitten shape at the start of the book bothered me. It’s not!

Favorite Quotes:
“Dutch showed me pictures of them as kids. Two beautiful little girls on an old tire swing. Then to end up like that. How sad the underpinnings of people’s lives.”

“Cubiak was beginning to realize that beneath the peninsula’s picturesque veneer, streams of animosity rippled fast and deep.”

Overall, Death Stalks Door County had an interesting setting, but the story fell flat with too many one-dimensional characters and a convoluted plot.

Book Source: The Kewaunee Public Library. Thank-you!

This review was first posted on my blog at: https://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2021...

[Steven Carpenter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would give it 2.5 stars, but it is closer to 2 (in my opinion) than 3. Here is why:

The main character, Dave Cubiak, is passably well-written overall, but there is an implausibly pivotal moment where the character fundamentally changes in every way. He starts off intriguingly drunken, crusty and despondent. Then, suddenly, he is an efficient, flawless (and somehow instantly sober?) machine of justice. People can be dynamic, but never that dynamic.

Several plot elements are unbelievable. One character has an absurd amount of shadow power in Door County, effectively controlling the police, local government, and press. This is Door County not prohibition-era Chicago. SIX PEOPLE get rapidly murdered in small-town Wisconsin. Somehow this guy gets it all covered up and the party goes on! Even the great "big city" detective, Dave Cubiak, is led to wonder if a man shot through the heart with an arrow, pinned to the door of a lighthouse, might actually just be an unfortunate accident instead of a murder.

Several subplots go nowhere. For example, the first victim is connected to Dave Cubiak in a compelling way. However, this proves completely irrelevant. Additionally, Cubiak is a park ranger the entire book, yet he might as well be unemployed for all his ranger badge brings to the plot.

There are many interesting characters. I enjoyed reading about many of them. There were, however, perhaps too many characters and too many backstories. I think the author's idea is this: intrigue the reader by befuddling them with a deluge of murders, irrelevant subplots, and decently well-written characters to keep them from guessing who the culprit is.

Near the end there were finally enough clues to figure out who probably did it. But why did they do it? The reader simply doesn't have anything to go off for motive. When the explanation comes, it is so far out of left field that it feels unrewarding. Not to mention, it really seems to be insufficient motive to kill 6 (effectively random) people. Yet the culprit doesn't ever consider killing the only person they actually have beef with?

Finally, I must mention this: on one occasion, the author also employs the use of a totally unnecessary racial slur from a bigoted character. Sure, I get the author is not endorsing this character's words, but it is way too inappropriate and out of place in this context.

Overall, there is promise here. Perhaps I will give the second book a try since I hear it is a marked improvement. The author clearly knows how to create compelling characters and has an adept sense of style, but is still finding their footing in plot, mystery, and verisimilitude.

[Diane Dachota · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this on vacation in Door County and got a kick of the lush descriptions of the places I am visiting. I like the character of Dave Cubiak, a park employee formerly a Chicago Cop. Dave's wife and little girl were killed by a drunk/druggie driver and Dave's life imploded. He began drinking heavily and was basically forced to resign his position in Chicago. A friend put in a word for him to get a job as a Park Ranger and he is still heavily drinking and just getting by when the story begins. A body is found at the bottom of a tower in Pennisula State Park and Dave's boss is not sure if it is an accident or murder. Several other murders all with different means, takes part over several days and just before tourist season in Door County. Lots of different characters, but Dave is asked to find the murderer by a wealthy man called Beck, who controls much of the area and is worried about the tourist season. As Dave begins his investigation, he finds himself living again.

Rating it 3.5 stars for a interesting character and the author has obviously done her research on the area (She is from Chicago but has a summer cottage in Door County). On the negative side: I dislike it when authors choose character names which don't fit their ages. I am in my fifties and do not know any men my age named Evelyn or Otto, nor do I know any teenagers or 20 year olds named Barry or Lawrence. The dialog and attitudes of Door County residents seems to be from the 50's and is not accurate in how people are in 2014.. But, I would probably read more about Dave.

[Peter A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first-in-the-mystery-series stories, set in Door County, Wisconsin, starting ex-Chicago-cop Dave Cubiak. The story begins with a series of deaths, just a few days prior to the opening of a famous start of a summer festival in Door County. As the story opens, Dave Cubiak, the protagonist, is still coping with a freak accident that killed his wife and young daughter by drinking himself to insensitivity. A former colleague of his forced him to leave Chicago to take a job as a park ranger in one of the Door County parks.

Just like Cubiak, new to the area and trying to understand the local social dynamics of the peninsula, we quickly meet of characters. The small county has a broad mix of personalities that Cubiak needs to understand. Through a series of events he is forced into the role of unofficial lead investigator by the counties powerful, and dislike, leading citizen.

I was attracted to the series because of its Door County setting. The author renders that setting well. Cubiak’s change, from drunk to responsible protagonist is plausible, if somewhat abrupt. Finally, beneath the surface of a great place to vacation is a story of malice that propels the story.

An enjoyable read with a well-paced plot. A series that is worth reading more of.

FB: Set in Door County Wisconsin, which is nicely rendered, a well-paced plot, with distinct character types. The first in the Dave Cubiak series that is worth reading more of.