Who poisoned Nick Fagan? Nick Fagan died from eating the veal morel at The Arboretum, one of the finest restaurants in northern Michigan. His wife, Molly, said it was an accident, but was it? Molly hires Burr Lafayette, a brilliant but troubled lawyer, to help her collect on Nick’s life insurance policy. But the life insurance company refuses to pay and says that Molly put poisoned mushrooms in Nick’s veal morel. The Charlevoix County prosecutor arrests Molly and charges her with first-degree murder. Burr finds himself dragged into another murder case. A man at loose ends, Burr is the ...

Who strangled Jimmy Lyons at the Pink Pony? The world-class Port Huron to Mackinac sailboat race has just finished at Mackinac Island. As soon as the boats dock, the sailors head for the legendary Pink Pony, including Jimmy Lyons and his crew. But the night takes a grisly turn. Jimmy is found dead the next morning in the bar, strangled by a string of Christmas tree lights. Murdo Halverson, Jimmy's former partner and one of the crew, is arrested for the murder. But each of the crew, had a reason to kill him. As did his wife, Jane. Burr Lafayette, recently divorced and the deposed head of the...

Brian Dunn killed his wife with a deer rifle in the basement of their home. The police thought it was an accident. But was it? Brian remarried, moved from Petoskey, Michigan downstate to Grosse Pointe and started a new family. Six years later, an ambitious prosecutor finds new evidence and hunts Brian down. The police burst into Brian's house while he's decorating the Christmas tree with his new wife and their five-year-old daughter. They haul him away and charge him with first-degree murder. Burr Lafayette, the deposed head of a major Detroit law firm, is recruited by his beautiful ex-...

Who buried Helen Lockwood in a shallow grave on South Manitou Island? Helen Lockwood's boat was found drifting off Sleeping Bear Dunes with no one aboard. A year later her body was found in a shallow grave on South Manitou Island. She'd been in court, fighting with the Park Service who had condemned her family's four hundred-acre orchard to make it part of the new Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Burr Lafayette, her lawyer, had kept the Park Service at bay for seven years, with no end in sight. Until Helen disappeared. After her body was found, her husband, Tommy, was arrested for ...

Ever wonder what that creepy department store clerk does when he goes home? When Max Harmon took the detective job in Rohm, he figured it was a nice little all-American town and a great place to spend his days until retirement. Boy, was he wrong! The department is riddled with antiquated, sexist, misogynistic, good old boy ideas and favors. His partner is as close to worthless as he can be, his predecessor killed himself, and the Chief of police is a yes many for the mayor and city council. What could go wrong? The one saving grace is Max makes the acquaintance of the retired Chief of ...