Ice Hunter (Woods Cop Series #1)

by Joseph Heywood

Overview

In a brilliant debut to a thrilling series, Grady Service gets news that his nemesis, the head of an incestuous clan of poachers, is to be released from prison. But something even more sinister is afoot in the Mosquito Wilderness. Service must call upon his every reserve to track, stalk, and capture the “ice hunter.”

For more on Joseph Heywood and the Woods Cop Mysteries, visit the author's website.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762777075
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	09/24/2008
Series:	Woods Cop Series , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	572,472
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Joseph Heywood is the author of The Berkut, Taxi Dancer, The Domino Conspiracy, The Snowfly, and the Woods Cop mystery series. He lives and writes in Portage, Michigan, and frequents the wilds of the Upper Peninsula.

Read an Excerpt

The dog shadowed Service around the cabin in the early morning, staying close and watching, but not interfering.
"Take her along with you today," Kira said sleepily from the bed. "She'll be good company."
"I can't. It's against regs."
"Don't be so contrary. Just tell her what you want. She's better trained than you."
His legs felt rubbery. His fear of dogs was entirely irrational, but it had always been there; he had tried several times to conquer it, to no avail."Okay," he said, pushing open the front door. The mastiff followed him out. When he opened the passenger door, the dog jumped up and sat down. It was embarrassing to be a conservation officer afraid of dogs.
"You'll do as I say," Service said to the dog as he slid behind the wheel.
The dog woofed softly, taking him by surprise. "You don't understand a damn word I say. That was coincidence."
The animal woofed again and stared at him.
"This is my truck and I'll do the talking." Damn Kira.
Nantz's truck was already there when Service pulled in. Her feet were sticking out the driver's window. The sky was suggesting gray, morning twilight under way.
"Skeeters will make you their breakfast," he said, tickling one of her bare feet.
Her feet recoiled slightly. "I've got a lot of testosterone," she said. "It keeps skeeters and men away."
He smiled. "I doubt that. . ."

Editorial Reviews

Conservation officer Grady Service feels a special connection to the Mosquito Wilderness in Michigan's heavily forested Upper Peninsula, so when a serial arsonist shows up there, as well as the body of a man belonging to a notorious family of poachers and ex-cons, he takes the affronts personally. A second-generation officer of the Department of Natural Resources and a Vietnam veteran, Grady uses his tracking talents to corral the killer. Heywood, author of such thrillers as The Snowfly and The Berkut, builds his surrounds slowly, peopling them with memorably idiosyncratic characters and conveying an overall sense of reverence for nature. An engaging read and promising series debut. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Conservation Officer Grady Service thinks nothing could be worse than the early release of Limpy Allerdyce, incorrigible poacher and attempted murderer, who's returned from prison to the pristine vistas of Michigan's Upper Peninsula just in time for the busy summer season. Then the body of Limpy's son is pulled from a fire with a bullet in the back. Heywood (The Snowfly, 2000, etc.) spices Grady's debut with signs of corruption deeper than a midwinter snow stretching all the way from industrial polluters to the statehouse.

Kirkus Reviews

"Crisp writing, great scenery, quirky characters, and an absorbing plot add to the appeal of this memorable first entry in a promised series of Woods Cop mysteries."
--Wall Street Journal

"Heywood spices Grady's debut with signs of corruption deeper than a midwinter snow stretching all the way from industrial polluters to the statehouse."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Heywood builds his surrounds slowly. . .peopling his novels with memorably idiosyncratic characters and conveying an overall sense of reverence for nature. An engaging read and a promising series debut."
--Library Journal

From the Publisher