The Melancholy Howl

Allison Coil Mystery #5

by Mark Stevens

Circling vultures lead hunting outfitter Allison Coil to an angry man tied to a tree. The man will answer none of Allison's obvious questions. Devo, a frequent ally of Allison's and the leader of a group of scrappy devolutionists, has gone missing. Allison's best friend, Trudy Heath, finds herself intrigued by the overtures of a retired rock star who has put down roots to grow tomatoes. And Trudy's boyfriend, newspaper reporter Duncan Bloom, is tempted by an opportunity to resolve his bleak finances by taking a flyer on Colorado's fastest growing industry, retail marijuana. Allison's trail across The Flat Tops Wilderness leads to an airplane wreck, a murder, and a cunning conspiracy. The Melancholy Howl braids interweaving threads of mystery as Allison, Trudy, Duncan, and Devo's followers test the definition of family and the dangerous boundaries of trust.

376 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2018

About the author

"No Lie Lasts Forever" was published by Thomas & Mercer in June, 2025. A sequel is due in 2026.

Lake Union published "The Fireballer" in 2023. It was my first non-mystery. It's about a pitcher for The Baltimore Orioles.

My previous five books are all part of The Allison Coil Mystery Series, set in the Flat Tops Wilderness in Colorado.

Number one, "Antler Dust," was published in 2007 and made the best-seller list on The Denver Post. The sequel, "Buried by the Roan," was published in 2011.

The third, "Trapline," came out in 2014 and won the Colorado Book Award. "Lake of Fire," number four, was published in 2015 and was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award. Kirkus Review called that book "irresistible."

"The Melancholy Howl" (No. 5) was published in 2018. Kirkus Reviews called it "smart and indelible."

I’ve worked as a reporter for The Christian Science Monitor in Boston and Los Angeles, covering a variety of events and issues from the economy, commercial fishing, the environment, politics and all the colorful people and events of southern California.

I've worked for The Rocky Mountain News and Denver Post, also with the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour. For six years, I produced field documentaries across the United States and Latin America.

Reviews

[Elite Group · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What were the vultures waiting for?”

Allison Coil owns a business that provides hunters with the opportunity to live in reasonable comfort while fulfilling their quota of shooting elk. She has been checking up on her latest group of bow hunters when she spots vultures hovering overhead. She leaves her faithful companion and trusty horse, Sunny Boy, and makes her way to the top of Turret Peak, where she discovers a man tied to a tree and at his feet, a deer carcass, (killed out of season). The man refuses to tell Allison his name or how he came to be tied up. Allison takes the decision to leave him tied up and get back to “civilisation” so that she can alert the authorities. (There is no network coverage in the area)

Unfortunately, when they return with her, they discover that he’s been murdered horrifically, but to add to the mystery, they find a crashed plane that reeks of weed.

Duncan Bloom is desperate to clear his debts, and when he meets Clay Rudduck, he decides to take a chance of joining his “group” to cash in on the legalisation of marijuana in Colorado. He hasn’t told his partner, Trudy Heath, that he is knee-deep in debt. He’s hoping that even by breaking every code of conduct as a reporter he will be able to make enough money before his crazy plan is discovered.

Trudy Heath has agreed to do a television series with a famous rock singer, Sam Shelton, on using ingredients collected from the wild, in the kitchen. This will bring her fame, but at what price?

There seem to be several plots that are unconnected running through the book. One of these is that Devo (hunter/gatherer, who has been surviving in the wilderness of the mountains for several years, along with his followers) has gone missing. In fact, he and his clan are completely off the radar since they’ve been forcibly removed from their mountain hideout.

I love Mark Stevens’ novels because I know that I’m going to need all my concentration to tie the pieces that pop up, to tie into a satisfactory conclusion. But before that happens, I’m going to once again get deeply involved in the lives of Allison, Colin (her boyfriend) Trudy, Duncan and Devo. The protagonists of this series are people who I feel I know as well as my dearest friends. I care what happens to them, and therefore my energy becomes wholly involved in their lives and mishaps. There are only a handful of authors whose books stir me like this.

Treebeard

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

[Tom Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great setting in the mountains. Several mysteries for Allison and Trudy and the other series characters to resolve. The action revolves around the legalization of marijuana and keeps us guessing to the end. A great series and well worth your time.

[Charlie Quimby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every time I sit down to write a review of a Mark Stevens novel, I feel a disclaimer coming on: "I don't read mystery adventures or series books, so if you do, take my opinions with a grain or two of salt."

But despite the disclaimer, here I am, reading another installment of the Allison Coil Mystery Series. The only explanation I can offer is that I read Mark Stevens.

The Melancholy Howl well represents what Stevens does well.

First, his tale about the dark side of legal marijuana in Colorado is an unexpected take on the subject. Usually the state and the travel industry put forth a benign picture of the new industry. Policy wonks talk about the new revenue stream that's funding schools and other public interests in the generally tax-averse state. Retired hippies and older folks tired of getting jerked around by big pharma find a guilt-free calm place.

Stevens, whose line of work requires recurring motives for murder, looks at it differently. He has the reader consider local corruption, compromised values and how bottom-of-the-barrel economics intersect with human greed further up the totem pole. In each novel, he gives issues in the contemporary west an unstinting and well-researched look.

Second, he moves a cast of characters through his novels and manages to develop them with each new story. Their back stories feel real and their evolution occurs because of what they experience, not because formula demands a certain character type.

Third, Stevens is a better writer than the mystery series authors of my recent attempts. He paces action and story development well. When he lets his characters talk at length, the dialog seldom drags and rarely gets too cute. And he's good at slipping in observations that remind you there's a clever author directing everything that happens here.

I don't know if the mystery in The Melancholy Howl will please readers who read for the puzzle. The complications in this story were neither obvious nor surprising—a lot like most stuff that happens in life—but the consequences are definitely more heightened.

The most shocking thing for me in this tale was the newspaper reporter's decision to invest in a retail marijuana scheme, a serious ethical failure involving a sympathetic character. The lapse was sort of resolved before the end, but it's the kind of detail that will likely arise again in the complex moral universe Mark Stevens is building around Glenwood Springs and the Flat Tops Wilderness.

[Mindy Sink · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first book in the Allison Coil series so all of the characters were new to me, but this did make me want to go back and read the first four books in the series to get to know them better.

As someone who lives in Colorado I found it so smart how the author showed all sides of the marijuana industry in his characters--those who use for health benefits, those who use recreationally, those who see it as a modern day gold mine--without taking a clear side. It's a complex issue and it's reflected in this tightly woven mystery.

For anyone who enjoys a good mystery and loves Colorado scenery, this is a must read.

[Miriam Dunbar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 5 of the Allison Coil series explores illegal activities in the marijuana industry. Allison and Colin find a wrecked plane that had been transporting marijuana, with a dead body inside. Meanwhile Trudy is helping to make a TV show about finding beneficial plants in the wilds, but her costar turns out to be untrustworthy. Devo, the de-evolutionist, has gone missing, so Allison realizes she is the best person to find him. Newspaper reporter Duncan Bloom begins to see strange connections relating to the downed plane, marijuana dealers, and older people that are using the drug for medicinal reasons. Lots of suspense and believable characters make the book an engrossing read.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Melancholy Howl is packed with plot, with twists and turns that match the terrain where the story unfolds. This story is told with tight prose, but doesn’t fall short of masterful storytelling. I loved this line…Darkness caved to the gentle nudge of dawn.
The story concluded with a question from one of the key characters in the story - and left me with a question: When will the next book be released? I’m ready for more!

[Jerri · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I loved the first four books in this series, I didn't even finish this one. It was all over the place with characters and rabbit trail storylines. I couldn't keep track of everything the main character (Allison Coil) was poking around in. Maybe it was just too long between books 4 and 5. Maybe I'm not in the right mood to try and pick up where it left off. Maybe I'll come back to it later. Maybe.

[Cindy Conway · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started reading this series and loved it. I liked the characters and location, Colorado. I was kind angry that I couldn’t read the third book without getting it audible. That doesn’t work for me, I read at night in bed, I can’t listen. So I went to read this book. It was very distracting. Hard to keep story lines straight even though the sort of weave together. This was a frustrating book for me.

[Mark Pleiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-crafted page-burner that combines current events from the American West with the drama and intrigue of classic mysteries. Mark Stevens captures the language and landscape of the Colorado Western Slope with an intensity possessed by few writers in his space. The Melancholy Howl is perhaps the best substitute we have for a weekend getaway into the mountains when such a trip simply isn't possible.

[Peg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent story

Very hard to follow at times. A decent story but confusing and not because of who was guilty, but because it was hard to follow sometimes. It wasn't bad but I won't be following the author any time soon.

[Michael Eckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look to the Land

Delightful kinship with the mountains and folks of the Rocky Mountain Front Range. Living the Colorado
Springs area, this set of novels gives a vision of life in the high country.

[Doreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

10/10/18 3.5 stars. Full review tk.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book in a good series. It’s different from the others, but still tells a gripping story and fits well within the defined world. I definitely enjoyed it. Nice stuff.

[Michael A Wisniewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Good bOok, continue s the series. Filled with realistic characters, and a great location in a Forrest setting to boot.