I live in Michigan although not in the U.P. Our U.P. is unbelievably beautiful but believe me it is an entire "country" unto itself...or at least it would like to be:) I had the honor of meeting this author and his lovely wife last night when he was a guest speaker at my library. I read his first book [The Snowfly] because I had never read anything by him and didn't want to go into the discussion session not knowing anything about him or his books. I couldn't get into that story at all but thought maybe it was just me and I should really try another. After two books I have come to the conclusion that his books are well written, and the characters are a bit unusual but still interesting, but they are not my "cuppa" tea. I'm not a sexist but I believe that this series might be more male oriented...not that there are not women that enjoy hunting, fishing, and camping. My mother loved doing all of this... but all of these activities are firmly ingrained into this mystery series as well as the Wildlife Officer Grady. I can't relate to this very well, so I have concluded that I'm really not into this series. As I said however, that even with all that against it, what I read was well done. The characters were different and totally selfless. There are a lot of abbreviations in this story that I was unfamiliar with. There should be a page somewhere that explains what they mean. In spite of not caring for the story, I certainly did enjoy meeting the author. I have nothing but the highest admiration for anyone that can actually write an entire book, much less an entire series, but I think I will remember what a delightful and gifted man he is and let others enjoy his books. On a sidenote: If you have never visited the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where these books are set...if you take the trip across the 5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge that connects Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, you will in for a breathtaking treat. As you can see, I love my adopted state. ( )

Grady Service is a CO - Conservation Officer - in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. His duties are far-ranging and he takes them seriously. He has been happily on the job for over 20 years.

Thus when he sees a man with a small hammer, acting oddly, he is curious. Especially because this man is in the Mosquito Wilderness, an area he considers his own to patrol. When he asks the man what he is doing he gets vague answers.

Then some odd things happen. Fire breaks out in the Mosquito Wilderness, near where the man was. It's arson. Grady begins investigations into ownership of the range, based on a strange tip. He hears rumors and investigates those.

When a second fire breaks out and a dead man is found in it, Grady knows this is serious business and he needs to know what is happening.

Beset by a pro-business governor who would as soon sell out the wilderness as sneeze, and cautioned by his superiors, Grady needs to act quickly.

I enjoyed the realness of the tale. Heywood takes us with Grady as he cautions campers, challenges hunters, and does any number of everyday ranger duties. He brings us into the wilderness and its beauty, and at the same time shows us Grady's meager housing, a choice that reveals much of the man.

On the other hand, I didn't get a really close sense of who Grady is. Casual comments now and then, an understanding of his persistence, and little else. When he is with a woman it can be difficult to understand the attraction. I would have loved a little more fill-in on the personal front. ( )

Ice Hunter: A Woods Cop Mystery by Joseph Heywood begins a series built around Grady Service. A former marine who served in Vietnam, these days he is a conservation officer working in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Specifically, an area known as the “Mosquito Tract” that his father also patrolled before he was killed. Like his father before him, the land and the creatures are everything to him, and he does not play well with others who do not have a moral code to live by. A complicated childhood has led to a complicated life in many ways.

In addition to the usual events a conservation officer has to deal with as he protects the land and all living things, he has to deal with strange things that are going on in the woods. Fires are being ignited by an arsonist who seems very careful to do so in some sort of controlled burn. The burns seem to be orchestrated to clear some small areas for an unknown reason. Then there is the unknown helicopter occasionally seen doing something in what seems to be some sort of grid like search pattern. Not to mention the fact somebody wants him to butt out of something and is making that point very violently. He has an idea what might have stirred things up, but with so much going on it is hard to tell.

Ice Hunter: A Woods Cop Mystery by Joseph Heywood is a good read though it takes quite a bit to get going. Originally published in 2001, it does not follow the current fad of starting with an action scene before doing a sort of informative flashback as seems to be required in every book published now. There is a lot of setting the stage as this read begins and the character as well as those in his life are slowly revealed.

The bigger issue for this reader, was the fact it read a bit different than most due to the lack of scene or transition breaks. Everything just runs into each other without any identifying characteristics of scene or transition breaks which results in the read being the equivalent of being tossed into the raging river just upstream from class five rapids.

In the end, Ice Hunter: A Woods Cop Mystery by Joseph Heywood is worth sticking with it as the multiple storylines coalesce into a high powered and intense finish. Convoluted and chaotic, the reader is shot through the rapids to find oneself slowly floating gently in calmer waters downstream in the wide bend of the river very much shaken and stirred as well as appreciative of the fact that was one heck of a ride.

Because of Aubrey Hamilton’s review from last March, I got this from the library just before they closed their doors back in mid-March. While they have most of the rest of the series, they do not have book two. I have put in an order for that and hope to hear something, one way or another, soon.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2020 ( )

Really liked this character, the secondary characters and the descriptions of everything this guy has to do in his day to day job. The mystery was good too. Glad I found this author! I look forward to reading more in this series. ( )

Really liked this character, the secondary characters and the descriptions of everything this guy has to do in his day to day job. The mystery was good too. Glad I found this author! I look forward to reading more in this series. ( )