Book review: ‘Driftless Deceit’ by Sue Berg

By LARRY BALLWAHN | Wilton

Sue Berg is a local author (she lives in the Viroqua area). This book is the third in her “Jim Higgins Mystery” series. Jim Higgins is the sheriff of La Crosse County in Wisconsin, located on the western side of the state in the Driftless Region. Many, but not all, of the things she names exist.

At age 52, Jim was about to become a new father. It had been a surprise. That’s not the only surprise for Jim, as he was about to gain and lose a sister that he didn’t know about and gain a 4-year-old grandniece to care for. Life was full of surprises.

The end of life often comes as a surprise also. Funeral director Jeremy Bjerkes and his new intern, Layne McNally, were not expecting to be shot dead, but they were. The shooting took place in the morning in the Bjerkes and Oates Funeral Home on the south side of La Crosse. It was a double homicide that required notification of the families and hopefully identification and capture of whomever was responsible.

Jim Higgins had to notify the families. Layne McNally’s parents were devastated. Jeremy Bjerkes’ wife’s reaction was mystifying. “For someone who had just lost her husband, she had an uncanny control of her emotions, bouncing from sorrow to seduction in seconds.” Her behavior warranted further investigation.

Further investigation turned up something interesting. As a physical trainer for the university athletic department, Mrs. Bjerkes dealt with college men and women. She had been accused of making sexual advances toward three young men. She was quick to point out that the accusations had been withdrawn. Jim didn’t know why the accusations had been withdrawn, but as far as he could tell, her behavior hadn’t changed. That didn’t prove anything regarding her husband’s violent death. But there was more.

There were at least rumors that Gloria Bjerkes used her charms and buff body to seduce a priest in Genoa. And it seemed that she had had her way with Steven Hanratty, a former UW gymnast and an employee of the Kwik Trip main office. Even though there was no evidence of her involvement in her husband’s murder, it seemed to Jim that she must be involved in some way.

“Driftless Deceit” is more involved than Sue Berg’s earlier books in the series. Like them, though, it must be read to be appreciated. What happened that Jim had a sister that he didn’t know about? Who are the support staff in the sheriff’s department who help Jim solve crimes? Why would anyone kill a funeral director and his new intern? Was Jeremy Bjerkes’ wife involved? For that matter, was she a “sexual predator”? These questions don’t even deal with Jim’s new family, though the book does.

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