Hunter’s Heart Ridge

Stewart brings us back to a time of tumult: mid-1960s rural Vermont. In this sequel to Agony Hill, we are reintroduced to Detective Frank Warren, a good guy whose efforts at law enforcement—assisted by Trooper “Pinky” Goodrichsend—see the two of them traipsing up and down the county at all hours. This book opens as one of the visitors to the Ridge Club, a hunting and fishing lodge exclusively for rich and distinguished men, is found dead, on the same day that deer season opens. A mere coincidence, right? But Frank suspects that there may be more than someone accidentally shooting themselves while cleaning their rifle. So he and Pinky launch an investigation that tangles them up in the Ridge Club members when a violent snowstorm comes along to isolate them even further. This closed-circle narrative is wonderfully well-done, deeply satisfying, and a compelling portrait of a community undergoing change. Readers who enjoy these books will also appreciate Julia Spencer-Fleming, William Kent Krueger, and Ausma Zehanat Khan.