First published 1990
Wade Whitehouse splits his time between drilling wells, plowing snow, and serving as the local policeman in a small New Hampshire town. His personal life has fallen apart. His ex-wife keeps his young daughter away from him. He lives alone in a trailer park where winter winds cut through everything. When a union boss dies during what looks like a hunting accident near Wade's territory, everyone else accepts the official story. Wade sees murder. He decides this case will be his chance to prove himself as a real cop and maybe earn back some respect. Wade starts investigating on his own, convinced he can solve what others missed. But digging into the death pulls him deeper into obsession. His need to uncover the truth becomes tangled with his anger about his failed marriage and distant daughter. The more Wade pursues justice, the more his own stability crumbles. His investigation turns into something darker as violence and desperation take hold.
Genres: fiction, drama, mystery, crime, contemporary, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: obsession, unreliable-narrator
Setting: New Hampshire
Period: Contemporary
355 pages · Mass Market Paperback · McClelland & Stewart
Content warnings: depression, domestic-violence, violence