RIVER DEEP

BRYAN GRULEY

River Deep by Brian Gruley is as interesting as any novel this reviewer has read in quite some time. Add to that the going on of a minor league hockey team, and you have a setting that will have readers asking for more.

River Deep is the second in a series set in northern Michigan. Much of the action focuses on a court case between two families with a long, contentious history and on the aforementioned Ice Kings, the minor league hockey team. Some of the action takes place in Detroit; however, the majority occurs in northern Michigan. Many of the old players are back from the first novel, and the lead detective is like so many law-enforcement personnel, burned out and ready to retire. Many subplots and sidebars will keep the pages turning. Numerous questions remain unresolved and may not be answered unless this talented writer produces a third book in the Bitter Frost series. Whether there is a third entry in this intriguing and twisty series or not, readers will enjoy Bitter Frost. Though this book can be read as a standalone, readers will benefit by reading the first in the series. Not only will it increase familiarity with the characters, but it will also open their eyes to how talented and wonderful a storyteller the writer truly is.