Lake Country

Fans of such regional mystery specialists as Kent Krueger and Steve Hamilton will welcome this twisted tale of crime and punishment gone awry set in Minnesota lake country from Barry Award–winner Doolittle (Safer). Buddies Darryl Potter and Mike Barlowe lead lives of quiet desperation, drinking too much and reminiscing about the not-so-good-ol’-days in Afghanistan, where as soldiers they watched friends and foes die. When Darryl commits an improbable crime to mark the anniversary of a senseless tragedy, Mike sets out to right the wrong and save both the victim and his buddy, but things don’t turn out as planned. Mike soon has dogged reporter Maya Lamb, self-promotion king Buck Morningside, bookie Toby Lunden, fugitive hunter/thug Bryce, and a phalanx of law enforcement agencies on his trail. Much collateral damage follows with lives lost and others dramatically altered. The skillfully evoked landscape and compellingly flawed characters help make this a winner. Agent: David Hale Smith, Inkwell Management. (Aug.)