Third Novel in the Door County Mystery Series, Death in Cold Water, Set for October Release

In January 2015 I wrote a blog entitled "Sleuth for the New Door County Detective Series." I talked about how Door County is a place like no other and a favorite destination of mine as well as many North Shore residents. I added how excited I was to spy a book entitled, Death Stalks Door County (2014) by Patricia Skalka. According to the author, there is this one and there will be four more in her crime series. It introduces a new detective series, The Dave Cubiak Door County Mysteries. These mysteries pit a former troubled Chicago cop against a roster of clever killers on the Door County peninsula in the heart of the Midwest. It is set against a backdrop of stunning natural beauty.

Not quite sure how, but the second volume, Death at Gills Rock (2015) slipped by me. So what's the second book about? In this one, Dave Cubiak is back, and this time he's the new sheriff in town. After tracking a clever killer in Death Stalks Door County, park ranger and former Chicago homicide detective Dave Cubiak is elected Door County sheriff. His newest challenge arrives as spring brings not new life but tragic death to the isolated fishing village of Gills Rock. Three prominent World War II veterans who are about to be honored for their military heroics die from carbon monoxide poisoning during a weekly card game. Blame falls to a faulty heater but Cubiak puzzles over details. When one of the widows receives a message claiming the men "got what they deserved," he realizes that there may be more to the death than a simple accident. Investigating, Cubiak discovers that the men's veneer of success and respectability hides a trail of lies and betrayal that stems from a single, desperate act of treachery and eventually spreads a web of deceit across the peninsula.

Then there's the third book in the mystery series, Death in Cold Water (2016) due out in October. The third installment in this series begins on a bracing autumn day in Door County when a prominent philanthropist disappears. Is the elderly Gerald Sneider - known as "Mr. Packer" for his legendary support of Green Bay football - suffering from dementia or just avoiding his greedy son? Is there a connection to threats against the National Football League? As tourists flood the peninsula for the fall colors, Sheriff Dave Cubiak's search for Sneider is stymied by the FBI. When human bones wash up on the Lake Michigan shore, the sheriff has more than a missing man to worry about. With the media demanding answers and two puzzles to solve, Cubiak must follow his instincts down a trail of half-remembered rumors and local history to discover the shocking truth.

Patricia Skalka is the author of The Dave Cubiak Door County Mysteries. She is a former writer for Reader's Digest, presents writing workshops throughout the country and divides her time between Chicago and Door County.