FISHING FOR TROUBLE

A diner owner with a sideline in investigations looks into some fishy business.

When Ethan Johnson keels over in the Bear Claw, the only diner in Elkview, Alaska, and later dies, owner Charlie Cooke feels a responsibility to investigate even though there’s no evidence that her food killed him. For one thing, her friend Trooper Cody Graham—just Trooper to most—is already swamped with work. Ethan was one of the college students earning large amounts of summer money working at the local fish processing plant. His distraught girlfriend, Zoe Michaels, is obviously hiding something. So Charlie gives her a shoulder to cry on while trying to worm out some of her secrets. The news that Ethan died from mercury poisoning spooks the management of the fish plant because of their possible liability. Their lawyer, Charlie’s former fiance, shows up immediately and begins to stonewall the investigation. Although running her diner and spoiling her cat are already keeping Charlie busy, she teams up again with reporter Chris Doucette, whose stint in the military left him with many hidden talents. Charlie’s sleuthing hits a nerve with someone who starts sending her threatening messages. Now she and Chris need to figure out whether Ethan was killed for love or money before she becomes the next victim.

Red herrings abound in a fishy tale featuring a determined sleuth and plenty of Alaskan traditions.