Listen to this blog post as a podcast!
Dry enough for you? In Wolf Bog, a lake dries up with a summer drought, and being a mystery, you know what they find! Leslie Wheeler brings us the third book in her Berkshire Hilltown Mystery Series, so let’s go on a hike with her main character Kathryn Stinson. Who knows what might turn up?
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Synopsis:

Itâs August in the Berkshires, and the area is suffering from a terrible drought. As wetlands dry up, the perfectly preserved body of a local man, missing for forty years, is discovered in Wolf Bog by a group of hikers that includes Kathryn Stinson. Who was he and what was his relationship with close friend Charlotte Hinckley, also on the hike, that would make Charlotte become distraught and blame herself for his death? Kathrynâs search for answers leads her to the discovery of fabulous parties held at the mansion up the hill from her rental house, where local teenagers like the deceased mingled with the offspring of the wealthy. Other questions dog the arrival of a woman claiming to be the daughter Charlotte gave up for adoption long ago. But is she really Charlotteâs daughter, and if not, whatâs her game? Once again, Kathrynâs quest for the truth puts her in grave danger.
Praise for Wolf Bog:
âWheelerâs deep sense of placeâthe Berkshiresâilluminates a deftly woven plot and a quirky cast of characters that will keep you glued to the pages until the last stunning revelation. Itâs always a pleasure to be in the hands of a pro.â
Kate Flora, Edgar and Anthony nominated author
âWhen a long-lost teenager turns up dead, a cold case turns into hot murder. A deliciously intriguing Berkshire mystery.â
Sarah Smith, Agatha Award-winning author
of The Vanished Child and Crimes and Survivors
Book Details:
Genre: Mystery/Amateur Sleuth/Suspense
Published by: Encircle Publishing
Publication Date: July 6, 2022
Number of Pages: 336
ISBN: 164599385X (ISBN-13: 978-1645993858)
Series: A Berkshire Hilltown Mystery, #3
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Read an excerpt:
Charlotteâs brow furrowed as she stared at the bog. âThereâs something down there. A dead animal orâŠ?â She raised her binoculars to get a better look.
âWhere?â Wally asked. She pointed to a spot on the peat at the edge of the water. Wally had barely lifted his binoculars when Charlotte cried, âOh, my God, itâs a body!â And took off toward it.
âNo, donât go there!â Wally grabbed at her, but she eluded him. When Charlotte was almost to the bodyââif thatâs what it wasââshe began to sink into the bog. She waved her arms and twisted her legs, trying desperately to get out, but her struggles only made her sink deeper.
Kathrynâs heart seized. They had to rescue Charlotte, but how without getting stuck themselves? Brushing past Wally, Steve started down the slope. Wally caught him, pulled him back, and handed him over to Hal Phelps. âYou stay put. Everyone else, too. Iâve had experience hiking around this bog, and I think I can get her out. Stop struggling and try to keep calm,â he called down to Charlotte. âHelp is on the way.â
Wally made his way carefully to where Charlotte stood, caught in the mire. He tested each step before putting his full weight on it, backtracking when he deemed the ground too soft. When he was a few yards away, he stopped.
âThis is as far as I can safely come,â he told Charlotte. He extended his hiking pole and she grabbed it. Then, on his instructions, she slowly and with great effort lifted first one leg, then the other out of the muck and onto the ground behind her. Wally guided her back to the others, following the same zigzag pattern heâd made when descending. Charlotte went with him reluctantly. She kept glancing back over her shoulder at what sheâd seen at the waterâs edge.
Kathryn trained her binoculars on that spot. Gradually an image came into focus. A body was embedded in the peat. The skin was a dark, reddish brown, but otherwise, it was perfectly preserved. Bile rose in her throat.
Charlotte moved close to Kathryn. âYou see him, donât you?â Her face was white, her eyes wide and staring.
âSee who?â Wally demanded.
âDenny,â Charlotte said. âYou mustâve seen him, too.â
âI saw something that appears to be a body, but–â Wally said.
âSo there really is a dead person down there?â Betty asked.
âIt looks that way,â Wally said grimly. âBut letâs not panic. Iâm going to try to reach Chief Lapsley, though I doubt Iâll get reception here. Weâll probably have to leave the area before I can.â
âWe canât just leave Denny here to die,â Charlotte wailed.
âCharlotte,â Wally said with a pained expression, âwhoever is down there is already dead.â
She flinched, as if heâd slapped her across the face. âNo! Iâm telling you Dennyâs alive.â She glared at him, then her defiant expression changed to one of uncertainty. âDead or alive, Iâm to blame. Iâm staying here with him.â
***
Excerpt from Wolf Bog by Leslie Wheeler. Copyright 2022 by Leslie Wheeler. Reproduced with permission from Leslie Wheeler. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:

An award-winning author of books about American history and biographies, Leslie Wheeler has written two mystery series. Her Berkshire Hilltown Mysteries launched with Rattlesnake Hill and continue with Shuntoll Road and Wolf Bog. Her Miranda Lewis Living History Mysteries debuted with Murder at Plimoth Plantation and continue with Murder at Gettysburg and Murder at Spouters Point. Her mystery short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies. Leslie is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, and a founding member of the New England Crime Bake Committee. She divides her time between Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the Berkshires, where she writes in a house overlooking a pond.
Catch Up With Leslie:
www.LeslieWheeler.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @lesliewheeler1
Twitter – @Leslie_Wheeler
Facebook – @LeslieWheelerAuthor
ENTER TO WIN:
This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for Leslie Wheeler. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.
Hi Teresa! Thanks for hosting me on your blog! I apologize for writing a day late, but a big chunk of yesterday was spent getting to the Berkshires for the weekend from the Boston area, and the traffic was bad. Anyway, like how give me a personalized intro, also that the blog can be read as a podcast–very clever. Thanks again, from both me and Wolf Bog!