by Archer Mayor
Part of Joe Gunther, book 29
First published 2018
A young woman's body turns up near a ski trail in Vermont. Joe Gunther and his Vermont Bureau of Investigation team quickly arrest Mick Durocher, who confesses to the murder. The confession feels too easy. Something doesn't add up for the seasoned investigators. Meanwhile, a local business faces escalating attacks. Vandals torch a warehouse, destroy trucks, and wreck cooling systems. People die in the violence. The cases connect when the team discovers Mick once worked for the targeted company. The investigation takes a dangerous turn when VBI member Willy Kunkle needs surgery at a hospital struck by an Ebola outbreak. The timing seems suspicious. Joe pushes forward, hunting for the motives that tie these crimes together. He uncovers a web of betrayal where broken trust has poisoned relationships and turned love into deadly hatred. The detective must piece together a tragic backstory before the killer strikes again.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Vermont
Period: 21st-century
304 pages · Hardcover · Minotaur Books
Content warnings: violence