“Murder in the Dell” by Bert Entwistle

Murder in the Dell

Bert Entwistle
Black Mule Press (2018)
ISBN: 978-0989676175
Reviewed by Dawn Colclasure for Reader Views (06/2024)

“Murder in the Dell” by Bert Entwistle is the kind of mystery novel that pulls readers into the story at the very beginning. Deacon Davis is a small-town sheriff with a big-time case, a serial killer of young, attractive girls. He works with his department to try to solve the case and find the killer, but he keeps running into hurdles: a respected citizen who is suspicious, a local writer who is also suspicious yet appears to be innocent, and his department supervisor grilling him about certain methods he is using to investigate the case. As the bodies pile up, he seems to be racing against time to find the killer before they lose him and hopefully restore security to his townspeople.

I have never been to Wisconsin or been anywhere near a frozen lake thawing when temperatures rise, so I appreciated how the author wrote:,

Ice out had just begun and they could hear the lake working on its annual break up. The slabs of fractured ice crashed down on each other with loud screeches and rumbling groans.   Pg 42

I didn’t know it made sounds like that! Or that you could hear those sounds from a distance! I was happy to come across that information, and I appreciated how the characters also spoke just as the locals in that area of Wisconsin might (such as saying “warn’t” instead of “wasn’t”).

This mystery novel has all the bells and whistles: a murder investigation lasting a long time with a bunch of fake leads and dead ends, characters who could very well end up being the killer (I kept suspecting one person after another), and a lot of suspicious activity. It all made for one entertaining story.

I was surprised that Angie’s role was portrayed as sexist at times. (She’s really going to lie outside on a deck chair naked in the winter, in Wisconsin? Okay.) At least she takes a stand on page 224. This is an older read, but it’s not that old- just pre-COVID. But it does seem like much has changed quickly in the last decade.

Even with this anomaly, I stayed focused on the story as I read. It did hold my interest. I wanted to know who the killer was! I also wanted to know if the severed arm had a connection to the serial killer case.

I found it interesting that there were a couple of mentions of infamous serial killers, such as Jeffrey Dahmer, in this story. Even more so that the coroner, who I had tagged as a possible suspect, was interested in the cases of the notorious serial killers lots of people know even today. I found it curious about how the coroner opined that more people remember the work of an infamous serial killer than they do of a small-town coroner.

The quid-pro-quo exchange near the end tickled my fancy, thinking about Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal Lecter. What a nice touch!

Regardless of the characters’ interests, knowing a lot about serial killers and their cases is not required for readers of this book. Sure, it makes the reading experience more interesting, but it’s not a huge deal. Reading the story was enjoyable enough in itself and I liked how the ending wrapped up nicely.

“Murder in the Dell” by Bert Entwistle is an exciting and thrilling mystery story fans of whodunits will enjoy. It’s also a perfect read for fans of small-town mysteries. Seeing Deacon Davis work his way through this investigation with people he knew and grew up with was enjoyable to read. This novel is just right for anyone interested in small-town crimes. The story keeps the reader guessing until the end, which ends up providing a very big surprise.