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Murder at Pelican Lake
When Carley loses her high-profile job and her partner in the span of a few short months, she returns to the place that feels most like home—her childhood cabin on Pelican Lake, Minnesota. But when a teenager is abducted, it becomes clear that her once-sleepy vacation community has its share of secrets—and someone who will kill to keep them hidden. As her cabin becomes the epicenter of an investigation, Carley must question the neighbors she knows and trusts. Will she uncover the shocking truth before things turn deadly? In this cozy mystery, one small community learns that the view from the dock isn’t always what it seems. Marjorie Mathison Hance has been mesmerized by Pelican Lake for over fifty years. In that time, she has paddle boarded, kayaked, cruised on her pontoon boat, and been intrigued by the lives of Pelican Lake residents. When she can tear herself away from her lake home, Marjorie resides in Wayzata, MN, where she is a member of Twin Cities Sisters in Crime. This is her first novel.
- GenresFiction
192 pages, Perfect Paperback
Published January 1, 2018
4 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
January 5, 2020
I did not care much for this book. I did like the local MN setting but the story reads like a young adult novel. Too many cliches -- "ducks in a row" "can't wrap mind around," etc. Could use more editing to tighten it up. It is a first novel for this author and it showed.
July 22, 2019
I did 4-star this as a good concept and kept me page turning. There were parts I was really frustrated with Carly and her character. Some could be fleshed out a little more for suspense and drama. The cover was a bit much, but overall a good mix of mystery and who-dun-it.
January 23, 2022
It grabbed me initially, but the ending was a bit over the top. Loved the lake stories and small town images.
October 2, 2024
Great Read.
Set in Minnesota’s lake country, Murder at Pelican Lake engages you from the first page to the last. The tension starts on page one when a Pelican Lake girl, Lindsey, is abducted on her way home from school. The tension builds chapter by chapter as the question is left hanging whether the murder victim of the story is Lindsey or somebody else. The reader is two-thirds of the way into the story before this question is answered.
At the same time as the girl’s kidnapping, a 30s-something woman, Carley, returns to the Pelican Lake cottage of her youth to recapture her life after losing her romantic partner as well as her job in the city. She no sooner arrives than several suspicious events increasingly threaten her own safety. Through several carefully planted clues dropped by the author and a series of ingenious plot twists, the white-knuckle tension keeps building throughout the story.
Carley is a very sympathetic protagonist. She is clever, resourceful, and brave. To the reader’s consternation, however, she attracts men who are not good for her. It’s almost like watching a Hallmark movie to see various men compete for her attention. But unlike a Hallmark movie where the viewer knows almost immediately who the right guy is, in Pelican Lake, readers are well into the story before they themselves know which one Carley should pick. But once she picks him, they become an effective team.
If you have ever spent time by the lake in the summer, many elements of this novel will have a powerful nostalgic appeal. Barbecues by the lake shore, scuba diving, dinners and drinks at quaint restaurants, boating, as well as bitter conflicts between old-time residents and big-time developers seeking to rim the lake with condo developments for the rich and well-off.
Murder at Pelican Lake is a first-rate mystery and the first of a trilogy in which each story takes place on a different lake. Since the author’s home state of Minnesota has thousands of lakes, we lovers of lakeside mysteries should have many more to look forward to.
Set in Minnesota’s lake country, Murder at Pelican Lake engages you from the first page to the last. The tension starts on page one when a Pelican Lake girl, Lindsey, is abducted on her way home from school. The tension builds chapter by chapter as the question is left hanging whether the murder victim of the story is Lindsey or somebody else. The reader is two-thirds of the way into the story before this question is answered.
At the same time as the girl’s kidnapping, a 30s-something woman, Carley, returns to the Pelican Lake cottage of her youth to recapture her life after losing her romantic partner as well as her job in the city. She no sooner arrives than several suspicious events increasingly threaten her own safety. Through several carefully planted clues dropped by the author and a series of ingenious plot twists, the white-knuckle tension keeps building throughout the story.
Carley is a very sympathetic protagonist. She is clever, resourceful, and brave. To the reader’s consternation, however, she attracts men who are not good for her. It’s almost like watching a Hallmark movie to see various men compete for her attention. But unlike a Hallmark movie where the viewer knows almost immediately who the right guy is, in Pelican Lake, readers are well into the story before they themselves know which one Carley should pick. But once she picks him, they become an effective team.
If you have ever spent time by the lake in the summer, many elements of this novel will have a powerful nostalgic appeal. Barbecues by the lake shore, scuba diving, dinners and drinks at quaint restaurants, boating, as well as bitter conflicts between old-time residents and big-time developers seeking to rim the lake with condo developments for the rich and well-off.
Murder at Pelican Lake is a first-rate mystery and the first of a trilogy in which each story takes place on a different lake. Since the author’s home state of Minnesota has thousands of lakes, we lovers of lakeside mysteries should have many more to look forward to.
May 28, 2019
Three and a half stars
Here we have a sort of semi-traditional story, not quite a cozy, set in a small lake-side community with some terrorizing incidents, a little non-explicit sex, and a variety of meaningful, warm and logical relationships.
We also have a carefully crafted mystery surrounding a sometimes lonely career woman, Carley Norgren. The setting is one of Minnesota’s prettiest lakes, surrounded by sand beaches, pines and small cabins, many owned for generations by the same families. It is here, to the cabin built by Carley’s grand-parents, that she retreats after her job in Minneapolis is abolished. At almost the same time, her lover and she have separated and her life seems to be in ruins. So Carley retreats, amid languid summer days, to recoup and recover at the lake. She has no plans, so life has a way of filling the empty spaces, but she is a strong woman and we sense early on that she will recover. Carley lands in the middle of strange and unusual goings on.
A local teen goes missing, a stranger out of the blue asks to copy certain pages from her deceased father’s research and her pet dog and bird seem at times to experience mysterious or unsettling vibrations. Then, late one night while she kayaks alone on the quiet lake, she encounters men dumping something in deep water.
All these events, strategically woven into the narrative, lead readers along step by step to surprising revelations and a satisfying conclusion. All in all a good nicely designed and written mystery for warm summer days relaxing on the beach and carrying good binoculars for observation of life along Pelican Lake.
Here we have a sort of semi-traditional story, not quite a cozy, set in a small lake-side community with some terrorizing incidents, a little non-explicit sex, and a variety of meaningful, warm and logical relationships.
We also have a carefully crafted mystery surrounding a sometimes lonely career woman, Carley Norgren. The setting is one of Minnesota’s prettiest lakes, surrounded by sand beaches, pines and small cabins, many owned for generations by the same families. It is here, to the cabin built by Carley’s grand-parents, that she retreats after her job in Minneapolis is abolished. At almost the same time, her lover and she have separated and her life seems to be in ruins. So Carley retreats, amid languid summer days, to recoup and recover at the lake. She has no plans, so life has a way of filling the empty spaces, but she is a strong woman and we sense early on that she will recover. Carley lands in the middle of strange and unusual goings on.
A local teen goes missing, a stranger out of the blue asks to copy certain pages from her deceased father’s research and her pet dog and bird seem at times to experience mysterious or unsettling vibrations. Then, late one night while she kayaks alone on the quiet lake, she encounters men dumping something in deep water.
All these events, strategically woven into the narrative, lead readers along step by step to surprising revelations and a satisfying conclusion. All in all a good nicely designed and written mystery for warm summer days relaxing on the beach and carrying good binoculars for observation of life along Pelican Lake.
December 13, 2024
Murder at Pelican Lake
Marjorie Mathison Hance
September 10, 2024
She found herself returning to Pelican Lake, to a cabin her great-grandfather built. She played there as a kid, loved to fish and grew up with her dad in the summers after her mother passed. It is difficult coming back to live in the old home. She thinks back to the times with her dad and brother,John. Arthur was a professor at a local Minnesota University. He died in his early 60s, so many of his patents were not completed.
Carley sold her condo when she and her boyfriend broke up.She decided to take her latest project to the lake to decide what her future would be. As she moved into the old cabin she found it clean and ready to move in. A couple living nearby was paid by her to keep it clean and ready to return to. After his passing, they continued to keep up it ready for Carley, her dog, Abigail and Prattle, her large bird.
Murder at Pelican Lake was published originally January 1 of 2018. It was republished on September 10, 2024. I was able to read the new edition of Hanceś book via NetGalley. It is her first in the North Lakes Series. I really enjoyed this first novel that Ms. Hance has written. It has suspense along with Carleyś journal of attempts to build a career. It is a clever read, take a chance and enjoy.
Marjorie Mathison Hance
September 10, 2024
She found herself returning to Pelican Lake, to a cabin her great-grandfather built. She played there as a kid, loved to fish and grew up with her dad in the summers after her mother passed. It is difficult coming back to live in the old home. She thinks back to the times with her dad and brother,John. Arthur was a professor at a local Minnesota University. He died in his early 60s, so many of his patents were not completed.
Carley sold her condo when she and her boyfriend broke up.She decided to take her latest project to the lake to decide what her future would be. As she moved into the old cabin she found it clean and ready to move in. A couple living nearby was paid by her to keep it clean and ready to return to. After his passing, they continued to keep up it ready for Carley, her dog, Abigail and Prattle, her large bird.
Murder at Pelican Lake was published originally January 1 of 2018. It was republished on September 10, 2024. I was able to read the new edition of Hanceś book via NetGalley. It is her first in the North Lakes Series. I really enjoyed this first novel that Ms. Hance has written. It has suspense along with Carleyś journal of attempts to build a career. It is a clever read, take a chance and enjoy.
January 25, 2020
I chose to read "Murder at Pelican Lake" from a list of cozy murder mystery recommendations.
I was drawn to this story because the Minnesota author developed her story around Pelican Lake in West Central Minnesota. The story is believable because the author weaves surrounding towns such as Pelican Rapids, Fergus Falls, Vergas and Fargo into the narrative.
The author did a good job developing her characters and keeping the story flowing without being predictable.
As a cozy murder mystery reader, I have a double standard. I like to read murder stories, but I am not a fan of seeing blood on the cover. Don't let this deter you from reading this book.
I look forward to reading more of Marjorie Mathison Hance's books.
I was drawn to this story because the Minnesota author developed her story around Pelican Lake in West Central Minnesota. The story is believable because the author weaves surrounding towns such as Pelican Rapids, Fergus Falls, Vergas and Fargo into the narrative.
The author did a good job developing her characters and keeping the story flowing without being predictable.
As a cozy murder mystery reader, I have a double standard. I like to read murder stories, but I am not a fan of seeing blood on the cover. Don't let this deter you from reading this book.
I look forward to reading more of Marjorie Mathison Hance's books.
November 24, 2024
I really enjoyed this mystery set in Minnesota. Having been up to that area once, it was great to have some perspective in my imagination. And you can feel that the author knows and loves the setting!
Carley is a relatable character, full of emotions we can all relate to-- heartbreak after the ending of a relationship, grief after loosing her father and now going to the place his memory is strongest, being unsure about new men in her life...
Her idea of a peaceful, relaxing summer at the lake is quickly shattered when a local girl is kidnapped and weird events keep happening on Carley's property. Who kidnapped Lindsay and why? Who keeps breaking into Carley's garage and why?
And great news-- this is book #1 in a trilogy!
Carley is a relatable character, full of emotions we can all relate to-- heartbreak after the ending of a relationship, grief after loosing her father and now going to the place his memory is strongest, being unsure about new men in her life...
Her idea of a peaceful, relaxing summer at the lake is quickly shattered when a local girl is kidnapped and weird events keep happening on Carley's property. Who kidnapped Lindsay and why? Who keeps breaking into Carley's garage and why?
And great news-- this is book #1 in a trilogy!
April 7, 2019
Very quick read, would have given it 5 stars because it was a great plot, however the main character Carley was an idiot or just clueless living in a big city then coming back to a small town you think she would've been a little more cautious & suspicious of people, even I a small town. I come from a small town, moved to bigger cities, moved back to a small town & thankfully experiences have taught me to pay attention! I will definitely read Marjorie Mathison Hance's next book when it's published. I just hope Carley isn't such an idiot next time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2023
This book opens the North Lakes series, focusing on Carly, trying in her mid-thirties to reestablish herself. Her losses are significant: parents, job, partner. But she doesn't begin the story, and the story's opening establishes a sense of threat and menace behind the scenes that pulls the reader in effectively. And some of the menace is unsuspected and adds to the sense midway through the novel that Something Is Wrong Here. The plot is engaging, the resolution satisfying, and we have an interesting main character poised to grow.
November 26, 2024
Overall I enjoyed this book. I read it in one sitting, and it kept me engaged the entire time. It’s a fairly quick read, with enough drama given in little pieces to always leave you wondering what will happen next.
I enjoyed the lake setting and the realistic development of the characters. Carley was sometimes frustrating, but protagonists in murder mysteries always are. The characters are written well and you could predict some of the twists, but others caught me by surprise.
4/5 stars as some of the writing was a bit cliche, but I liked the concept and the development of the story.
I enjoyed the lake setting and the realistic development of the characters. Carley was sometimes frustrating, but protagonists in murder mysteries always are. The characters are written well and you could predict some of the twists, but others caught me by surprise.
4/5 stars as some of the writing was a bit cliche, but I liked the concept and the development of the story.
August 12, 2019
Summary: easy enjoyable mystery that takes place in small town Minnesota.
Since I live in Fargo (referenced many times in the story) and I know the Pelican Lakes area pretty well, it made the mystery even more enjoyable. I started the mystery last night and finished it this evening. There was enough suspense to keep me interested and entertained. Fun read!
Since I live in Fargo (referenced many times in the story) and I know the Pelican Lakes area pretty well, it made the mystery even more enjoyable. I started the mystery last night and finished it this evening. There was enough suspense to keep me interested and entertained. Fun read!
September 3, 2023
I had to give this 1 star in order to leave a review I hoped to like this book as it is by a local author It might of been better as a short story ( even though it’s only 180 pages it’s at least 100 pages too long) the characters were immature and unlikeable The cliff hanging moments were laughable most of the book felt like fillers and bored me other than engaging me into the story
January 4, 2025
I gave this book a 2 star review and that is being generous. I found the main character to be frustrating and that is putting it mildly. I wanted to like the book, I think with some work it could be the book I wanted and hoped it would be. I received this book as an advanced reader copy and have reviewed this book voluntarily
October 8, 2019
I loved this book! Being from the area, it was so neat to actually know what/where she was writing about. I can't wait for more books from this author! I hope to one day get to meet her at a book signing!
December 28, 2019
3.5 ⭐️
I really enjoyed this. The crime plot was original and interesting. I liked Carley the main character. It was a quick easy read at 185 pages. This was our #sunrisers book club pick. First novel for the author, I hope she writes more.
I really enjoyed this. The crime plot was original and interesting. I liked Carley the main character. It was a quick easy read at 185 pages. This was our #sunrisers book club pick. First novel for the author, I hope she writes more.
January 14, 2023
No thank you. This was so uninteresting and completely predictable. It felt very out of touch, and wasn’t even properly edited. I was given this book, as well as the next two in the series, and I will not be continuing with them.
November 11, 2025
I don’t want to be too harsh on an indie author but ouch- this was awful. I only finished because I know and live in area the book takes place. It was fun to read about some local spots but story was horrible.
March 12, 2019
Our neighborhood book club had fun with this mystery because so many of them had personal experiences at Pelican Lake or at similar Minnesota lakes.
August 17, 2021
Interesting premise but I had it figured out 1/4 of the way in. Her inexperience in writing shows. There is too much telling and not enough showing.
September 1, 2021
Very good for a local book :)
August 4, 2022
This is a great small town murder mystery with an amateur sleuth protagonist. Carley is great in this role. I really enjoyed this mystery from beginning to end.
April 8, 2023
Good, quick whodunit but the line at the end of the book got me...Who is the man with the binoculars 3 cottages down? Hmmm
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2023
Good character development. Page turner and easy read. Leaves me waiting for the next book in this series.
September 21, 2023
Loved this book! A lot of twists.
September 21, 2023
I loved this book! Kept me interested. Loved the suspense of wondering who was watching ….I loved all the Minnesota locations.
November 5, 2023
First book by author. Chosen by our book club because the setting is in Minnesota. Story is choppy, scenes are written that don't matter. Skip it.
December 19, 2023
Great series starter! Interesting people and a great storyline.
November 2, 2024
This is amazing book to read it's so good you can't put it down
November 8, 2024
The characters and locations are engaging, and you are drawn into Carley’s adventure. All along I wondered who did it! A very enjoyable mystery with a twist.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews