A Final Crossing: Murder on the S.S. Badger by Richard L. Baldwin

I recently took a voyage to Michigan to visit my family aboard the S.S. Badger. For those of you not in the Midwest, the Badger is a large coal powered car ferry that you can ride across Lake Michigan. It’s a 4-hour journey and the boat is a lifesaver when you have two small boys and no desire to sit in Chicago traffic. I could go on about the amenities, but suffice it to say that I picked up this novel at the “boutique” and it entertained me during the trip.

Murder on the S.S. Badger had a great and interesting storyline. Peg is a passionate, but eccentric ecology professor at Michigan State University. Her passion for the environment leads her down a path of eco-terrorism as a part of the “Ring of Fire.” After a woman is found dead in Peg’s stateroom on the Badger, Lou Searing is on the case to solve the mystery.

While it was an interesting story, the novel suffered from poor dialogue and major plot holes. Peg and Len’s true love after a couple of hours, etc.

Overall, it was nice to read about so many Michigan and Wisconsin locations. Algoma also figures into the plot line, which was great. My only problem with it though was that the book said Algoma was in Door County!! Algoma is in Kewaunee County! Otherwise Algoma was a great stop with excellent food. I enjoy stories with local touches.