From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. Gruley's outstanding debut effortlessly incorporates his inside knowledge of both the newspaper business and his hockey avocation into a tale of violence and betrayal that will remind many of Dennis Lehane. After crossing an ethical line while writing an investigative series for the
Detroit Times, reporter Gus Carpenter has returned to his hometown of Starvation Lake, Mich., to work for the local paper, whose stories mostly reflect the pedestrian and placid nature of smalltown life. That changes when evidence surfaces that the town's legendary hockey coach, Jack Blackburn, who disappeared after an apparent snowmobile accident a decade earlier, was actually murdered. Carpenter's reopening of the case, which has personal resonance for him (he'd been the goalie for the amateur boys' team Blackburn coached), shakes all sorts of skeletons loose. Gruley, the
Wall Street Journal's Chicago bureau chief, has a gift for making all his characters, from the leads to the bit players, realistic.
(Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist*Starred Review* Gus Carpenter’s big-city journalistic career has gone down in flames, and he returns to Starvation Lake, a faded resort town at the northern end of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. There, he faces another ignominy: everyone in town remembers that he is the goalie who gave up the winning goal in the state ice-hockey championship more than a decade before, and many relate the town’s economic slide to that loss. Soon after his return, evidence that might explain the mysterious snowmobiling death of Gus’ coach is found, and as de facto editor of the local paper, Gus must pursue the truth—but the cost of redemption is high, for everyone. Starvation Lake is a wonderfully polished and assured first novel. Gruley’s portrayal of a struggling small town in a harsh environment rings with authenticity. His characters are believable small-town archetypes; some are self-aware, some are in denial, others are oblivious. The plot is convoluted, but Gruley maintains the suspense very effectively. Ice-hockey scenes not only advance the plot but also offer insights into the sport’s culture and its importance to small, very cold towns. Many good crime novels appear every month, but few have the depth and poignancy of Starvation Lake, which deserves comparison with Dennis Lehane’s Mystic River. --Thomas Gaughan
Review"[A] smashing debut thriller. Gruley...knows how to drag you kicking and screaming into a story so gripping that you'll probably devour it in one gulp."--
Chicago Tribune"His characters are genuinely flawed and, Carpenter especially, honestly likable. Gruley's gripping plot unfolds like a piece of investigative journalism..."--
Minneapolis Star-Tribune"Gruley deftly juggles several intricately related plots, and conveys the beauty and picturesque shabbiness of a northern Michigan town."--
The Detroit News"Gruley's outstanding debut effortlessly incorporates his inside knowledge...into a tale of violence and betrayal that will remind many of Dennis Lehane."--
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Many good crime novels appear every month, but few have the depth and poignancy of
Starvation Lake, which deserves comparison with Dennis Lehane's
Mystic River."--
Booklist (starred review)
"A terrific first novel about what it means to be a journalist. Full of insider knowledge about hockey and great local color, this is not to be missed."--
Library Journal (starred review)
"A great debut from a major talent."--
New York Times bestselling author, Harlan Coben
"Bryan Gruley's
Starvation Lake introduces a welcome, human voice to crime fiction readers."-- George Pelecanos
"
Starvation Lake is a wonderful surprise! It is one of those books that won't shake its grip. Bryan Gruley is off to a phenomenal start!"-- Michael Connelly
"A terrific debut by a talented author to watch...
Starvation Lake is a smorgasbord of colorful local characters, a great sense of place, hockey, PBR, small-town newspapers...but most of all...a little town with big secrets. Authentic and thought-provoking."-- C.J. Box, author of
Three Weeks to Say Goodbye and
Below Zero