Blood Atonement: A Dahlgreen Wallace Mystery

Fly-fisherman Tenuto tends to tell rather than show in his first novel, in which characters out of central casting—a short, pompous cattleman; vicious animal rights activists; a wise retired Jewish professor; a laid-back cop; a vivacious, greedy widow; a supercilious militia leader and his tattooed gang—deliver lectures on fishing, history and the environment. Fly-fishing guide Dahlgren Wallace, a former football star and Gulf War Marine vet, works for Fred Lather, an arrogant Atlanta media billionaire who raises bison on his vast Montana ranch. A dedicated angler and naturalist who dislikes Californians and Mormons, Dahlgren is guiding a wealthy California Mormon couple when someone bludgeons the husband to death. Dahlgren, at first arrested for the crime, soon assists the FBI, which mysteriously takes over the police investigation. Suspects include just about everyone in central Montana, most of whom eventually threaten Dahlgren. A quirky FBI agent and an avid angler from a Hutterite farming community show the author can create credible characters; hopefully, the sequel will contain more of them. Agent, Don Gastwirth. (June 1)