Michigan Mood

Author Bryan Gruley has written a fine mystery series that takes place in the small Michigan town of Starvation Lake. All three mysteries feature Gus Carpenter, editor of the paper and local boy who has returned home in disgrace. We are introduced to Gus in Starvation Lake, where he investigates the murder of his former coach. In the second book, The Hanging Tree, "Gruley captures the hardscrabble life of a recession-rocked small town and the deep interrelationships of the inhabitants while delivering complex, intriguing characters caught up in trouble." (Copyright 2010 Booklist )In the third novel, The Skeleton Box, Gus unearths very old secrets connected to the disappearance of a nun years before. The theme of secrets, old and new, and small town life appears throughout the series. Also interesting is the exploration of newspapers and journalism. The author is an award-winning Chicago bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal. A good read and compelling writing! ML