Northwoods: A Novel

A murder connected to America's opioid epidemic uncovers dark secrets in an idyllic Midwestern resort town. Eli North struggles with worsening alcoholism and unhealed emotional wounds from his deployment to Afghanistan. His marriage and career have ended, and he works for the local sheriff's department—a position he holds partly because the sheriff is his mother. She is overwhelmed managing Shaky Lake's shrinking budget and the community's battle with the opioid epidemic. The Northwoods of Wisconsin attracts vacationers with fishing, campfires, and festivals, but something sinister emerges beneath the surface. When a teenage boy's body is discovered in the lake, the investigation expands to include a wealthy enclave with a violent history, a pharmaceutical salesman, and a missing teenage girl. Eli, his mother, and a young FBI agent pursue the case in search of answers.