Battered physically and psychologically in the wake of a horrific car accident, Erika Wernick takes a leave from her post as a reporter at the Seattle Times to return home to Big Bear Lake to recover. Intent on nothing more than holing up in the mountains to let herself mend, she is begrudgingly pulled along by her uncle to join him and his friends for their morning coffee at the local shop. Thinking it is nothing more than a few recent retirees in need of filling the time, it isn’t until she arrives that she discovers the gathering is of a much different nature. Joining her uncle, the former town sheriff, is Craig Cobb, a past detective with LAPD, and Lou Tobias, a medical examiner from nearby Riverside. Together, the three men form the Hobby Lobby, a term of affection given to the group that meets each morning to help each other through the various hobby cases each picked up over the course of their careers. Initially seeing the men as nothing more than a curiosity, it isn’t until Erika learns of the tragic death of a former classmate that she begins to put stock into what they do. Seeing a lot of herself in the girl she hasn’t spoken to in years, she begins to prod at the supposed suicide, looking past the macabre surface at the details surrounding the incident. Details that hint of far greater influences beginning to circle the idyllic mountain town than any of them could have ever imagined…

“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…