Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The wilderness of Door County, Wis., "the Midwest's magnificent answer to Cape Cod," provides the backdrop for Skalka's tight, lyrical first novel. Homicide detective Dave Cubiak, in drunken despair after the accidental deaths of his wife and daughter, flees Chicago for Door County, where he becomes a park ranger. Just before the Fourth of July Festival, six people die in quick succession. J. Dugan Beck, head of the Peninsula State Park citizens advisory board, is bent on keeping things quiet so as not to jeopardize the summer tourist trade; he pressures the reluctant Cubiak to dig into the deep-seated personal enmities that seethe beneath the surface of the long-standing debate between those who favor conservation and those who prefer development. To the author's credit, Skalka matches the untamed nature of the peninsula to the roughness of its inhabitants rather than contrasting its natural beauty to human violence. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Summer tourism in Door County, WI, dominates the local economy, and a serial killer isn't going to help. Six unexplained-and dramatically different-deaths mar the normally tranquil atmosphere. Despite the crime wave, the local big man around town insists that the upcoming Fourth of July festivities not be curtailed. This guy has big development dreams, and he's not about to let a few deaths slow him down. The state park has added former cop Dave Cubiak to its staff as an assistant ranger, but he's a drunken mess, grieving over the tragic deaths of his family back in Chicago. Thankfully, Cubiak is shaken out of his morass in time to focus on the present-day drama. Through careful questioning he learns more about the locals, seeing that multigenerational histories carry long vendettas. VERDICT Skalka's debut shows tremendous potential. Once readers get past a couple of grim opening chapters, the novel just takes off. The author concocts a satisfyingly complex plot while showcasing one of the main characters, Wisconsin's beautiful Door County. A great match for Nevada Barr fans. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
