hardcover 1st edition; like new dust jacket (amhbx18) When a beautiful, flame-haired fishing guide goes missing from a dude ranch, and one of the searchers is found impaled on the sword point of a dead elk’s antlers, Sheriff Martha Ettinger turns to Sean Stranahan, the fishing, painting PI, for help. The missing woman, locally famous as the Fly Fishing Venus, has a complicated history that involves both an eerily charismatic biker and the save-the-wolf movement—and, when her sister arrives from Canada and wants to hire Sean privately, things only get more complicated. The third Stranahan novel (following The Gray Ghost Murders, 2013) delivers a carefully plotted western procedural with interesting characters and relationships; a strong sense of its Madison Valley, Montana, setting; and plenty of fly fishing for readers who like to wet a line. Like C. J. Box’s early Joe Pickett novels, it takes an evenhanded look at a controversial contemporary western issue—in this case, wolf reintroduction. Good reading for fans of Box, Craig Johnson, Nevada Barr, and Paul Doiron, although McCafferty has his own distinctive voice. --Keir Graff “McCafferty’s beautifully written third mystery….The complex, multilayered story smoothly switches from one character to another.”— Publishers Weekly (Starred) “McCafferty knows his country and his characters, who have a comfortable, lived-in feel and yet shine as individuals….[his] understated prose deserves to be savored.”— Kirkus “[ Dead Man’s Fancy] delivers a carefully plotted western procedural….Good reading for fans of [C. J.] Box, Craig Johnson, Nevada Barr, and Paul Doiron, although McCafferty has his own distinctive voice.”— Booklist “McCafferty’s third series entry lassos up a range of topics—wolf reintroduction, wilderness living and survival, animal rights—that are uncovered through his protagonists’ meticulous sleuthing.”— Library Journal Praise for The Gray Ghost Murders   “This is a truly wonderful read.  In an old and crowded field, Keith has created characters fresh, quirky and yet utterly believable, then stirred them into a mystery that unfolds with grace and humor against a setting of stunning beauty and danger.  Stranahan, the fisherman sleuth, breaks free of the old cliche's and delights with his humanity, vulnerability and love of cats.  Yes, cats.  Keith has written a book that speaks to women and men regardless of color or background.  The only downside of this book is that we must wait a year for the next one.”—Nevada Barr, New York Times bestselling author of the Anna Pigeon Mysteries   “Even amid the serene trout streams of Montana, Sean Stranahan can’t seem to stay out of trouble—and there’s a heap of it in this bracing second adventure for the fly fisher/painter/PI… Field & Stream editor McCafferty skillfully weaves Big Sky color, humor, and even romance (in the form of Sean’s stunning new girlfriend, Martinique, who’s bankrolling veterinary school by working as a bikini barista) into the suspenseful plot as it gallops toward a white-knuckle. . . climax. The book’s biggest lure, however, remains Sean and his rugged band of Montana individualists.”— Publishers Weekly   “Think big-city CSI teams have it tough? Their examinations of crime scenes are hardly ever interrupted by a grizzly bear like the one that sends Deputy Harold Little Feather to the hospital…Irresistible.”— Kirkus Reviews “Firmly set in the Montana wilderness and populated by well-drawn characters. This series will appeal to fans of Nevada Barr and C. J. Box as well as to fly-fishing devotees.”— Booklist Praise for The Royal Wulff Murders by Keith McCafferty   “Sportsmen will find the one-of-a-kind novel captivating, intelligent, and at times uproarious.”— Field & Stream    "Keith McCafferty has pulled off a small miracle with The Royal Wulff Murders — a compelling Montana-based novel that will please both mystery readers and discerning fly-fishers.  A terrific debut that rings with authenticity and style."—C. J. Box, New York Times bestselling author of Back of Beyond and Force of Nature    “An impressive debut… the people here are all solid creations, sometimes prickly but always engaging, characters readers will be more than happy to see again.”— The Houston Chronicle    “Keith McCafferty hits a bull's eye with Sean's story in his debut novel,  The Royal Wulff Murders … like bacon and brownies--Stranahan's odd mix of painter, P.I. and fly fisher  works . It helps that McCafferty, an editor at  Field & Stream , really knows his trout, and life in Bozeman has obviously acquainted him with the ways of Montana. He writes with both a love of nature…common in the outdoorsman. Add the backwoodsy feminism of Sheriff Martha Ettinger, and the mystery is a good fit for enthusiasts of Nevada Barr who have read through all the Anna Pigeon novels. Packed with wilderness action and starring a band of stalwart individualists,  The Royal Wulff Murders  will have read