Wolf Pass

Pliny Pennington #2

by Steve Thayer

A New York Times Bestselling Author Pennington now returns with another gripping story set in the dark and murderous hills of seemingly bucolic Kickapoo Falls, Wisconsin.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction

380 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

STEVE THAYER is the New York Times best-selling author of Saint Mudd, Silent Snow, and The Wheat Field. He lives in Edina, Minnesota.

Reviews

[Edmond Gagnon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having found this book on a shelf in a private cottage in Tobermory, I was pleasantly surprised. I'd never heard of Steve Thayer, although he's reportedly a N.Y. Times bestselling author. For anyone who is looking for suspense thriller that's not a cookie-cut tale like many of Patterson's, this novel is a good read.
The story jumps back and forth from Nazi occupied Germany to the Kennedy assassination era, with a Deputy Sheriff from Wisconsin narrating the tale. The characters are interesting and the plot keeps you guessing until the end. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[Lori Shafer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of history and a bit of mystery... Wolf Pass is told by a retired policeman. He is reliving some of his investigations. In this sequel to the Wheat Field, the detective is investigating the mysterious death of a railroad employee and his wife. Soon he realizes these deaths are linked to his past. A ghost from Nazi Germany has resurfaced and he may be the next victim.

I wish I had read this book soon after reading the first novel in the series. Although it is not necessary, I think I would have gotten more out of the storyline. My memory of the first book has more than a few gaps. I like the way the author tied the different time periods of the story line together. He moved from 1940's to 1960's with ease. In a way, the end was a bit predictable, but still good.

[ELDEE]

I have read the author before as I like mysteries. Since he is from our area it is also appealing. The part I got the most from was how the plot was woven into the reality of German prison camps that were scattered across the country and how they suffered. I did not know that this took place during the war. There is plenty written about the Japanese camps, but the German ones were not mentioned to my lowly experience. The two options for the last chapter were interesting.
I think if you like mysteries and history I would recommend this book.

[Carl Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptional story of a small county lawman set in the early 1960’s. I would probably rate this a 4.5, if partial numbers were allowed. It was a fast read and a great story. I didn’t like the ending but that’s just a personal preference. It’s still a great book. I read it in one day so it keeps you engaged.

[Lynn Hutchinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book, the first of his that I’ve read. Small town America at its best!

[Pennie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't particularly care for this book. I don't really enjoy books that go back and forth between different time periods. The story was ok but I was not a big fan of his writing.

[Denise Felton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a page-turner. However, the character of the sheriff-who-enjoys-watching-women-masturbate was written by a man who clearly has never seen a woman masturbate.

[Joel Ambelang · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mystery with historical context is keeping me interested. Not boring. Easy to read writing style. It helps to know German, but not a barrier to understanding the plot.
If you enjoy reading WWII historical fiction (or reality for that matter) Wolf Pass will hold your attention. Since I live in Wisconsin and as a child remember German POW camps, Wolf Pass felt familiar.

[Kara Jorges · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s 1962, and Deputy P.A. Pennington has a lot of issues to grapple with in the small Wisconsin town of Kickapoo Falls after the conclusion of World War II. He’s running for sheriff against a man appointed to the position after the death of much-loved Sheriff Fats, who Pennington had always admired. Sheriff Zimmer is a member of the Kickapoo Gunn Club, an elitist organization with suspicious ties, and there is no trust between him and Pennington. When a train engineer is shot to death at long range, and then his wife, who was Deputy Pennington’s “special” friend, is also shot to death, he becomes a suspect, as he was a sniper in World War II. Deputy Pennington is also looked upon with some suspicion because he’s a catholic in a protestant world, and has been invited to attend mass with President Kennedy.

It doesn’t take Deputy Pennington long to figure out who’s murdering the innocent of Kickapoo Falls: he’s got an old enemy from his days as a POW in Germany, and is certain that Commandant Wolfgang Stangl, formerly of the SS, is behind the murders. When Stangl starts calling him to chat, he’s certain of it, but still can’t convince Sheriff Zimmer that Stangl is a real threat. Pennington is assisted in his investigation by lovely Scotland Yard investigator Alex LaChapelle, and soon finds himself falling in love with her while they investigate a cold-blooded murderer.

There is a lot of action and intrigue packed into the pages of this book as the timeline moves back and forth from the days of World War II to the happenings in Kickapoo Falls in 1962, and both converging stories held my interest. Deputy Pennington is also a very likeable character with flaws and strengths. I much admired the author’s portrayal of small town life with its power players and the darkness often hidden therein. The very way this aspect of the story is written opens many doors for future novels of interest. This story is carefully woven, with just enough information given to the reader at key points to keep us eagerly turning pages. While some of the intrigue wasn’t hard to figure out, there were a few surprises along the way. I will definitely read more by Steve Thayer.

[Ice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thayer brings back Deputy Sheriff P.A. Pennington of Kickapoo County, Wis. (hero of last year's The Wheat Field), who singlehandedly solves a set of sniper murders in which he is the chief suspect. The thriller is set in 1962, when Pennington is running for sheriff. As a Catholic, he meets with a good deal of suspicion from his largely Protestant electorate. That suspicion gets new focus when the double murder of a railway engineer and his wife disrupts the campaign, as the wife is a former lover of Pennington's. The engineer is shot at long range, and Pennington, a brilliant sharpshooter during WWII, is the obvious suspect in both murders.

Yet he has a strong hunch about the real identity of the killer: former SS officer Col. Wolfgang Stangl. During the war, Pennington had escaped from a prison camp that Stangl directed. Now, Pennington believes, Stangl has come to the U.S. to set him up in a complicated revenge plot-and, what's worse, Stangl seems to be plotting to assassinate President Kennedy. Needless to say, Kickapoo law enforcement finds this story a bit far-fetched. But Pennington has a comely female Scotland Yard detective on his side, who mysteriously shows up in Kickapoo to help him out with the case. Their attempts to unveil Stangl bring the novel to a stunning climax. This fast-paced, sexy suspense novel also offers a snapshot of postwar ethnic and social rivalries in the bucolic fictional Wisconsin county.

[Carlene Amaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thayer always has an interesting plot going, and this book is no exception. His main character in this one, Deputy Pennington, has an unique approach to law enforcement and politics. He characterizes himself as a "slow thinker" because he must mull over the facts to arrive at his solutions. Usually, I am still a way behind him, but this time, I had most of the surprises predicted before I actually read them. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book. The author's descriptions of the Kickapoo Valley of Wisconsin and small-town life on the cusp of the '60s sea change were incisive and engaging. The references to Wisconsin prisoner of War logging camps and the fear that such camps brought to communities in the forties made me want to read about that chapter of our country's history.
My criticism is that the evil guy in the book was a little too stereotypically evil in appearance and mannerisms. It made it difficult to believe that no one had figured him out before Deputy Pennington even without the internet and digitized records.

[John Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cop/WWII/Nazi/sniper/Kennedy/kinky sex/thriller set in the Wisconsin Dells is a fast read. It’s 1962 and our hero, a deputy sheriff, is running for sheriff against the state appointed interim sheriff. An engineer is killed by a sniper, and the deputy, a former sniper, is sent to investigate.
The plot unfolds with beautiful women, kinky sex, more killings, WWII heroics, an evil Nazi, and an assassination plot on President Kennedy in nearby St. Paul. Pretty much everything that you’d want in a thriller, and a surprise ending (if you don’t think too much about it.)
Actually, the thing that surprises me most about this book is that it hasn’t been made into a movie.

[Bryan Higgs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I happened upon this book left in a rack -- you know, leave a book you've read; pick up a book to read if it interests you.

It was an OK read. Not terribly deep, not great characters (all the female figures seemed to be movie star material and the leading male character seemed to fall in love with them without fail). The chapters moved back and forth between different times, which made things interesting, but somehow I felt the chapters were mostly too short, giving the book a too-light feel.

[Steve Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fast read and I liked the characters enough. There were just too many suspense cliches. The "sex" seemed forced, like the author felt compelled to include it although it really didn't contribute much to the story.

[Jeff Minar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Wisconsin Dells, very enjoyable.

[Clifford Wollum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story written in first person has been given a 4star. This story is presented as a past story with a present story that ends together with a great twist that's a fast read.

[Andy Plonka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting mystery involving German prisoners of war kept in prisons in the United States.

[Andrew Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story. Real characters.

[Lori M · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Sajeev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pacy

[Rachelle Hinkley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually liked this book better the second time around.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nancy 5 stars; Ron 5 stars

[Lofti1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

was ok. easy read but nothing great. I wished I had read the first book ahead of this one. not required but it would have made some of the repeated references more understandable.