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The Demon Dragonfly & the Burning Wheel    

Take a wisecracking Mickey Spillane-type detective named Laurence Speke (maybe) living in Depression-era Port Arthur, add taciturn Lappe Finns and Nipigon Bay Ojibway, throw in a Nazi or two with European royalty … and you have the ingredients for an entertaining thriller that never lets up its runaway pace.

Thunder Bay writer Peter Fergus-Moore is a friend of mine and has contributed to Lake Superior Magazine in the past. For his first work of fiction, he has crafted an imaginative, lively tale that makes a fun, exciting read from first page to last. With a precise ear for dialogue and a flair for imagery that packs a wallop, Peter takes the reader on a ride through Lake Superior landmarks. Who knew the Lakehead to be so rife with suspense and intrigue?

Peter already is at work on a sequel with, he promises, even more surprises. Local fans will be waiting.

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Lake Superior Scenic Adventures Minnesota’s North Shore 

Bradley A. Plets has a series of DVDs highlighting ships, railroads and lighthouses around the Great Lakes and now he’s turned to the sights and sounds along Lake Superior. Volume One covers Minnesota’s shore.

The quality of the images is good, with fun touches like a freighter gliding from behind the tower of old Central High School in Duluth. A few parts, as might be expected, are outdated - the Grampa Woo no longer sails the shore - but the narrated tour provides facts and history. For me, though, the real value comes from the options to see the images with only music or with the natural sounds of wind, waves, horns, chimes and, yes, occasionally traffic. Slipped into the DVD player, no matter where you are, you can have a “window” onto Lake Superior while you clean the house, read a good book or sit back and watch the ships go by.

- Konnie LeMay

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S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald, Requiem for the Toledo Express:  
A Search for Truth

Requiem for the Toledo Express goes deeply into what may have contributed to the loss of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. The book is by Raymond Ramsay, an architect for the shipyard that built the Fitzgerald. His research team included volunteer retired engineers and ship captains with an inside knowledge of the Fitzgerald and its harsh life as one of the fastest ore carriers on the lakes.

In great detail - too much probably for those with only a casual interest in the vessel - the book goes into how the ship was built, repeated hull repairs and updated freeboard regulations, its odd characteristics in handling in heavy weather and the pressures of being dubbed “Toledo Express.”

Many pictures from the shipyard, technical drawings and charts contribute to the information and interest.

The author was on the design team for the Fitzgerald and saw it from keel laying and sea trials through its short 17 years of carrying cargo at a record pace. He has a great way of imparting his knowledge, usually easy for us laymen to understand, all the while not forgetting that the Fitzgerald is not just a legend, but was a workplace, and is now a grave site for an experienced and dedicated crew of 29 brave men.

- Steve Branstrom

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Lake Effect: A Deckhand’s Journey on the Great Lakes Freighters 

Born, raised and still living near Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, Richard Hill grew up, like many of us near the Big Lake, seeing freighters as a natural part of the horizon. For a short time, he joined his brothers working on the boats; for a long time he has held the memories.

This book reflects his work as a young seaman from the perspective of his older self. He has a wonderfully comfortable storytelling style that draws the reader and welcomes you into his adventures and misadventures. It’s a great journey to take along with Rich.

- Konnie LeMay

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Deck Hand: Life on Freighters of the Great Lakes  

This is the second recently released book from a Great Lakes seaman. Mickey Haydamacker details workings of the boats and offers good stories about his time as a deckhand.

The snapshot photos, and often irreverent information about them, bring a sense of the camaraderie. A good read for boatnerds or curious lake residents.

- Konnie LeMay

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