The Royal Wulff Murders - (Sean Stranahan Mystery) by Keith McCafferty (Paperback)

About the Book

Fans of C.J. Box, Craig Johnson, and Carl Hiassen will love this witty debut mystery set on the banks of Montana's Madison River, written by McCafferty, the award-winning survival and outdoor skills editor of "Field & Stream" magazine and resident of Montana, home to the world's most fanatical fly fishing community.

Book Synopsis

The first novel in the clever and fast-paced Sean Stranahan Mystery Series. A Death in Eden, the seventh in the series, is now available.

When a fishing guide reels in the body of a young man on the Madison, the Holy Grail of Montana trout rivers, Sheriff Martha Ettinger suspects foul play. It's not just the stick jammed into the man's eye that draws her attention; it's the Royal Wulff trout fly stuck in his bloated lower lip. Following her instincts, Ettinger soon finds herself crossing paths with Montana newcomer Sean Stranahan.

Fly fisher, painter, and has-been private detective, Stranahan left a failed marriage and lackluster career to drive to Montana, where he lives in an art studio decorated with fly-tying feathers and mouse droppings. With more luck catching fish than clients, Stranahan is completely captivated when Southern siren Velvet Lafayette walks into his life, intent on hiring his services to find her missing brother. The clues lead Stranahan and Ettinger back to Montana's Big Business: fly fishing. Where there's money, there's bound to be crime.

Review Quotes

"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

"Sportsmen will find the one-of-a-kind novel captivating, intelligent, and at times uproarious." --Field & Stream

"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. . . . 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 readers begging McCafferty for more." --Tom Lavoie, Shelf Awareness

"[A] thoroughly entertaining debut . . . McCafferty blends plenty of fly-fishing lore with a host of intriguing characters . . . Only the sharp-eyed observation of the medical examiner suggests the body was a murder victim rather than an accidental drowning. The eventual identification of the victim helps link Stranahan's task to that of the sheriff. The vivid Montana setting is a plus." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Blue Ribbon is what they call a trout stream of extremely high quality and that's what I call Keith McCafferty's The Royal Wulff Murders--the debut of a frighteningly knowledgeable and wonderfully entertaining series." --Craig Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of The Cold Dish and Hell is Empty

"A fish story with a homicidal hook . . . An entertaining debut." --Kirkus Reviews

"Two chapters in and you know you are in for an interesting read . . . Each scene is set up with a fisherman's patience, with the wind, water and wildlife of Montana becoming as important as the human characters we follow . . . The Royal Wulff Murders should be on any outdoorsman's reading list." --Suspense Magazine

"What a fine and thoroughly satisfying debut novel! There's so much to enjoy here--a fresh sense of place, a cast of compelling characters, and a plot line with as many twists and turns as a Montana trout stream. Even if you know nothing about fly fishing, you're going to love this book. Mark my words: From this day forward, you'll be buying everything Keith McCafferty writes." --William Kent Krueger, author of Northwest Angle and Iron Lake

About the Author

Keith McCafferty is the survival and outdoor skills editor of Field & Stream, and the author of The Gray Ghost Murders, Dead Man's Fancy, Crazy Mountain Kiss, which won the 2016 Spur Award for Best Western Contemporary Novel, and Buffalo Jump Blues. Winner of the Traver Award for angling literature, he is a two-time National Magazine awards finalist. He lives with his wife in Bozeman, Montana.

Keith encourages you to visit him at keithmccafferty.com