I used to read mystery novels incessantly. If you had looked at my reading list a decade ago it would have been chock full of John Sandford, Lawrence Block and Stuart Woods. I have to admit there was even a James Patterson novel or two thrown in there. I was also a sucker for true crime books.

However, when my first child was born I found it harder and harder to read stories about crime and murder. To read about a parent meeting their demise or a child coming to a violent end was just too much for me. I need a break from the genre.

As of this past week I am responsible for ordering mystery novels for the library. Hence a return to the genre I once loved. Starvation Lake, a solid debut by Bryan Gruley, was a great place to start. This is a solid thriller set in the northern part of lower Michigan. A disgraced reporter returns to his hometown to edit his local paper. Years ago, as the goalie for the local hockey team, he had allowed the winning goal in the state championship. He subsequently became the town goat and had a falling out with his coach. Years later his coach died in a snowmobile accident. The resurfacing of that snowmobile brings question to whether or not it was an accident.

Worth a read if you like mysteries.