Book Review: Catch and Keep

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Catch and Keep     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Ronald Weber
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Write Way, May 2000, $22.95, 248 pp.

Freelance reporter Allison Thorne is working on a story about the Catch and Keep Alliance. The organization of homeowners along Illinois’ Borchard River wants the repeal of some fishing laws. The journalist hopes to spice up the seemingly boring story by finding a tie between the association and a local militia group. On the day that Allison is to submit the story, she fails to show up prompting her concerned editor to ask Fitzgerald for help.

Fitzgerald is a former police reporter for the Detroit Free Press who retired after winning two million dollars in the lottery. He is currently writing a book while residing in a snug little cabin on the banks of the Borchard River. Fitzgerald gladly agrees to help his former co-worker. He drives to Allison’s home in Ossining only to notice the door to her trailer is open. He enters to find Allison slumped over her computer with a bullet in her head. Unbeknownst to Fitzgerald as he goes after a killer is that someone will murder again to keep secrets from being exposed.

Fishing enthusiasts will love CATCH AND KEEP, a mystery novel that explores the fascination people have with this sport. Fitzgerald is an unusual character who hides much of his inner self from the audience yet his air of intrigue keeps the reader turning pages in the hope of gaining insight into his personality. The mystery is entertaining as Ronald Weber works his creative juices to gleefully describe a populated back wooded area.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner