Coldwater Revenge

James Ross ’75, JD ’82

Ross’s previous novel, 2020’s Hunting Teddy Roosevelt, follows the former president on an African safari in which he’s in danger of becoming the prey. Here, the author unspools a mystery in a small Upstate New York town that shares a lake (and a long history of cross-border smuggling) with a French-speaking community in Québec. It’s fall 2002, and two brothers—one a Manhattan lawyer on vacation, the other the sheriff in their hometown—team up to investigate the murder of a local man whose body is found in the lake. Along the way, the lawyer reconnects with his high school flame, who’s the victim’s sister—and who works at a biotech company that may be involved in the crime; the firm has been engaging in shady deals to stave off bankruptcy, and the dead man recently broke into its building. “Memorable characters drive an atmospheric thriller,” says Kirkus, noting that “the story never lingers as it forges ahead to a gratifying conclusion.”