The forests around Dockerty, Newry County, hide many secrets.
Some were never meant to be unearthed, one is still waiting to be buried. At the edge of the woods near the Warren farm, a man hangs in a tree. Two arrows pin him to the trunk.
“Hunting accident?” Orwell wondered.
The sergeant shook his head. “One in the belly, maybe. Two in the belly, that’s pretty good shooting.”
Orwell Brennan, Dockerty’s chief of police, is partial to classic Motown, autumn sunrises, and most kinds of pie. He dislikes ceremony, squabbling with the Mayor, and being told to stay clear of matters that don’t concern him.
It doesn’t matter if it’s murder or a hunting accident, the dead man in the tree is the responsibility of Metro Homicide. Orwell has been ordered off the case. He would be happy to do just that if the pat solution he’s been handed made sense. But there are far too many unanswered questions to suit him. No matter whose toes get stepped on, he can’t and won’t let it go until he knows what really happened.
Marc Strange is a writer and actor. He is co-creator of the hit television series The Beachcombers, and between 1972 and 1990 wrote, directed, and/or story edited over seventy episodes. He has appeared in many Canadian and Hollywood feature films and television series, most recently ReGenesis. Strange is the author of Sucker Punch, a Joe Grundy Mystery (Dundurn, 2007) and Body Blows, a Joe Grundy Mystery (Dundurn, 2009). Sucker Punch was shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel.
Published: May 2010
ISBN: 9781550229264
Dimensions: 6 x 9 in.
Pages: 352
“Take nothing for granted in this smoothly written series debut from Edgar finalist Strange (Body Blows), who springs out several surprises. Fans of Giles Blunt and Louise Penny may enjoy.” — Library Journal
“A down-home, folksy tale of murder and greed. It's well-paced, the dialogue hits the right tone and the colours of the story gently remind you of the Beachcombers. It's as deadly as that second arrow.” — Hamilton Spectator
"Excellent first in a new series from Edgar-finalist Strange . . . Readers will appreciate the freshly drawn setting, especially the farms and woods outside Dockerty, as well as the vivid characters capable of startling revelations.” — Publishers Weekly