Lieutenant Joe Gunther is in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom investigating a minor embezzling case. It’s a pleasant distraction and a chance to reconnect with old friends, but when a house fire reveals itself to be arson, compounded by murder, Gunther can’t help but investigate. He quickly finds himself enmeshed in a web of animosity between put-upon townspeople, the state police, angry parents, and members of a reclusive sect.
Murder follows murder, yet no one seems to be telling Gunther the whole truth—not even his childhood friends. And truth is what he desperately needs if he’s to stop the killings.
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“Mr. Mayor writes invigorating outdoor action scenes, and his authoritative handling of forensic procedures has us marveling at his thorough knowledge of knife wounds and body burns. The formal beauty of this ugly detail is matched in tone by the crisp dialogue and tense confrontations he writes for characters who don’t care to waste words or squander emotions. For a writer so new at this game, Mr. Mayor has astonishing control of his craft.”
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New York Times