Buried in Wolf Lake is the well-written and highly enjoyable second installment in the Winnebago County series written by author Christine Husom. As the story begins, the characters, including narrator Corky Aleckson, are still trying to pull themselves together following the harrowing events of the first book, Murder in Winnebago County. They all just want to get the upcoming trial over with, and have a chance to heal both physically and emotionally, when a dog makes a gruesome discovery that sets Corky and the rest of the police force on the trail of a psychopath with a very specific, and somewhat familiar, M.O.

Christine Husom has successfully taken the characters from the first Winnebago County book, and continued to develop them into believable personalities that I have come to care about to the point where I have to stay up half the night reading just to be sure nothing bad happens to them. Ms. Husom also gives a peek into the psychology of a serial killer without making him seem like a victim of his childhood that we should feel sorry for or, like Dexter Morgan, someone we cheer for as he perpetrates his evil on others. It is the story of good vs. evil with a focus on good bringing evil to justice.

Overall, Buried in Wolf Lake is a satisfying novel with smart and relatable characters that should be able to sustain as many books as the author chooses to write. I, for one, can’t wait to read what is next for Corky as well as the rest of the residents of Winnebago County.