Crab Bait

Alaskan salmon fisherman Nels Dagsen's body is discovered clutching a stolen Tlingit halibut hook, and small town police officer Dan Fields finds his loyalties torn between the police chief who bucked public opinion to hire him and his high school sweet heart, who has shunned him for twenty years. Village gossip escalates and the investigation is buffeted in one direction, and then another by politics, rumors, and lost memories. Dan's role in the investigation becomes precarious when an editorial accuses Dan and Lilly of complicity, and the chief of police sidelines him, leaving the investigation to follow a persuasive trail of gossip that leads straight to Lilly. Dan is forced to choose between the police department and his belief in Lilly's innocence, even though he realizes his actions may mean the end of his career. Crab Bait is a not-so-delicate blend of The Deadliest Catch and Northern Exposures meets Agatha Christie on a hormonal spike. The novel explores Alaska, the commercial fishing industry, and the Tlingit culture with an emphasis on the devastating effect of small town gossip - on the investigation, on Dan and Lilly's relationship twenty years earlier, and on Lilly's mother's death years before that. A bit edgier than a cozy and a bit more humorous than a Hillerman novel, Crab Bait would be enjoyed by anyone interested in Alaska, commercial fishing, Native American culture, or mysteries in general.