Part of Series
“Tell me, Ms. Wernick, are you familiar with the term Badger Games ?” Months after returning home to the mountain community of Big Bear Lake to heal after suffering through a terrible car accident, Erika Wernick is settling back into small town life. Her body is healing while she spends more time with her mother and old friends. A return to the life she once knew, made possible by trading her position on the desk at The Seattle Times for a staff role at the local paper. A position that allows her to reintegrate with the community where she grew up and provides a space to highlight the work she is doing with The Hobby Lobby. A group of law enforcement retirees who use their newfound freedom to examine hobby cases they picked up over their careers, along with several other new ones tossed their way thanks to the spotlight provided by Erika. The most recent example of this is a double murder that occurred four years ago. An apparent crime of passion that took place at a casino and resort during the state’s annual 4th of July bash, the killer found with the murder weapon in hand. Or so the world was led to believe. Put on the case by the retired detective who started – and was told to stop – investigating long ago, Erika and the crew delve into a case that quickly unravels into something much larger than anticipated. Taking them from the scorched sands of the southern California deserts to the hallowed halls of the state capital, they discover those same powers who didn’t want things examined years before still exist. As do the lengths they are willing to go to keep secrets buried in the past…
Author
I originally hail from the midwest, growing up in the heart of farm country, and still consider it, along with West Tennessee, my co-home. Between the two, I have a firm belief that football is the greatest of all past-times, sweet tea is really the only acceptable beverage for any occasion, there is not an event on earth that either gym shorts or boots can't be worn to, and that Dairy Queen is the best restaurant on the planet. Further, southern accents are a highly likeable feature on most everybody, English bulldogs sit atop the critter hierarchy, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with a Saturday night spent catfishing at the lake. Since leaving the midwest I've been to college in New England, grad school in the Rockies, and lived in over a dozen different cities ranging from DC to Honolulu along the way. Each and every one of these experiences has shaped who I am at this point, a fact I hope is expressed in my writing. I have developed enormous affinity for locales and people of every size and shape, and even if I never figure out a way to properly convey them on paper, I am very much grateful for their presence in my life. To sum it up, I asked a very good friend recently how they would describe me for something like this. Their response: "Plagued by realism and trained by experiences/education to be a pessimist, you somehow remain above all else an active dreamer." While I can't say those are the exact words I would choose, I can't say they're wrong. I travel, live in different places, try new foods, meet all kinds of different people, and above all else stay curious to a fault. Here's hoping it continues to provide us all with some pretty good stories...
