Product Details
Touchstone, March 2009
Trade Paperback, 384 pages
ISBN-10: 1416563628
ISBN-13: 9781416563624
Description
In the dead of a Michigan winter, pieces of a snowmobile wash up near the crumbling, small town of Starvation Lake -- the same snowmobile that went down with Starvation's legendary hockey coach years earlier. But everybody knows Coach Blackburn's accident happened five miles away on a different lake. As rumors buzz about mysterious underground tunnels, the evidence from the snowmobile says one thing: murder.
Gus Carpenter, editor of the local newspaper, has recently returned to Starvation after a failed attempt to make it big at the Detroit Times. In his youth, Gus was the goalie who let a state championship get away, crushing Coach's dreams and earning the town's enmity. Now he's investigating the murder of his former coach. But even more unsettling to Gus are the holes in the town's past and the gnawing suspicion that those holes may conceal some dark and disturbing secrets secrets that some of the people closest to him may have killed to keep.
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"[A] smashing debut thriller. Gruley...knows how to drag you kicking and screaming into a story so gripping that you'll probably devour it in one gulp."
-- Chicago Tribune
"His characters are genuinely flawed and, Carpenter especially, honestly likable. Gruley's gripping plot unfolds like a piece of investigative journalism..."
-- Minneapolis Star-Tribune
"Gruley deftly juggles several intricately related plots, and conveys the beauty and picturesque shabbiness of a northern Michigan town."
-- The Detroit News
"Gruley's outstanding debut effortlessly incorporates his inside knowledge...into a tale of violence and betrayal that will remind many of Dennis Lehane."
-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Many good crime novels appear every month, but few have the depth and poignancy of Starvation Lake, which deserves comparison with Dennis Lehane's Mystic River."
-- Booklist (starred review)
"A terrific first novel about what it means to be a journalist. Full of insider knowledge about hockey and great local color, this is not to be missed."
-- Library Journal (starred review)
"A great debut from a major talent."
-- New York Times bestselling author, Harlan Coben
"Bryan Gruley's Starvation Lake introduces a welcome, human voice to crime fiction readers."
-- George Pelecanos
-- George Pelecanos
"Starvation Lake is a wonderful surprise! It is one of those books that won't shake its grip. Bryan Gruley is off to a phenomenal start!"
-- Michael Connelly
"A great debut from a major talent."
-- New York Times bestselling author, Harlan Coben
"Bryan Gruley's Starvation Lake introduces a welcome, human voice to crime fiction readers."
-- George Pelecanos
"Starvation Lake is a wonderful surprise! It is one of those books that won't shake its grip. Bryan Gruley is off to a phenomenal start!"
-- Michael Connelly
"A terrific debut by a talented author to watch...Starvation Lake is a smorgasbord of colorful local characters, a great sense of place, hockey, PBR, small-town newspapers...but most of all...a little town with big secrets. Authentic and thought-provoking."
-- C.J. Box, author of Three Weeks to Say Goodbye and Below Zero
"Starvation Lake is a tremendous read, a twisting ride peopled with vivid characters and a wonderfully evoked sense of place. You heard it here first--Bryan Gruley is here to stay."
-- Marcus Sakey, author of The Blade Itself and Good People
"Bryan Gruley digs into the frozen ground of northern Michigan and unearths a gem. Tough story-telling and compelling writing, Starvation Lake is a wonderful debut."
-- Michael Harvey, author of The Chicago Way and The Fifth Floor
"Like Gus Carpenter, his small-town newspaper hero, Gruley has an eye for the telling detail and a nose for a great story. The hours you spend in Starvation Lake will fly by with this exciting debut. A terrific book."
-- Kevin Guilfoile, author of Cast of Shadows
"A terrific debut. Gruley is a gifted stylist who wraps a first-rate mystery into a gritty and discerning portrait of small-town America with insights worthy of a Sinclair Lewis novel."
-- Ken Wells, author of Meely LaBauve and Crawfish Mountain
"You can see the journalist's eye for detail in every passage. A deeply atmospheric book that hooked me from the start. I can only hope there is more from Bryan Gruley and protagonist Gus Carpenter for many years to come."
-- Ace Atkins, author of Wicked City and Devil's Garden
"Starvation Lake is like a slap-shot from the blue line: powerful, deadly accurate, and a hell of a surprise. A truly impressive debut from Bryan Gruley."
-- Steve Hamilton, author of A Stolen Season and A Cold Day in Paradise
"Gruley's debut is generously plotted and rewardingly solid on character and atmosphere."
-- Kirkus
Library Journal, September 29, 2011
...the loose ends at a quick, snappy pace. Both exciting and affirmative, this cozy thriller is gentler than Bryan Gruley’s “Starvation Lake” mysteries but might appeal to his readers for the setting and sense of place. ADDITIONAL MYSTERY ...
Kirkus Reviews, September 27, 2011
...work you’ve neglected in the past. For instance, I hadn’t found time for either of journalist-turned-author Bryan Gruley’s Gus Carpenter novels (The Hanging Tree and Starvation Lake) prior to this month’s Bouchercon, but after ...
National Post, November 25, 2009
...people who won't read books. Q: Do you have any favourite up-and-coming authors? A: The first is Bryan Gruley, he put out a crime novel called Starvation Lake - It's his first novel and it focuses on the mysterious death of a youth hockey ...
Gaylord Herald Times, July 17, 2009
...GAYLORD -- Saturn Booksellers in downtown Gaylord will host Bryan Gruley, author of best-selling Northern Michigan mystery Starvation Lake at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 23. Gruley will read from and sign copies of his book at the event ...
Washington Post, May 13, 2009
...STARVATION LAKE By Bryan Gruley Touchstone. 370 pp. Paperback, $14 Coming-of-age tales generally center on the teenage years, but Bryan Gruley's first novel charts the sudden awakening of 34-year-old Gus ...
Hampton Union, May 3, 2009
...Starvation Lake Bryan Gruley Touchstone Chicago Wall Street Journal bureau chief Gruley has hit on a winning combination for his debut novel visceral amateur hockey and in-your-face small-town newspapering. Narrator Gus ...
Columbus Dispatch, March 29, 2009
...In his debut novel, Bryan Gruley delivers a seamless tale of revenge, redemption, secrets and lost hope set in a struggling Michigan resort town. Starvation Lake used to be a place residents were proud of ...
MarketWatch, March 11, 2009
...Getting Started Technology Features Barron's Roundtable Teaching Money Values in SchoolDrastic Times May Not Require Drastic Measures Bryan Gruley's 'Starvation Lake' They Want Their DVDs A Bumpy Run for Ski Resorts Heather Raffo on '9 Parts ...
Detroit News, March 2, 2009
...Bryan Gruley, Chicago bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal and former Detroit News reporter, has written his first novel, 'Starvation Lake,' a mystery set in northern Michigan. It's about ...
Individual.com, March 2, 2009
...Northern Michigan's waters and woods inspire a steady stream of words. 'Starvation Lake,' a new book by Bryan Gruley of The Wall Street Journal, is the latest local entry. The title alone gives it an advantage. A peculiar and memorable ...
Lansing State Journal, March 1, 2009
...Crime author visits Schuler » The Get-A-Clue Mystery Reading Group welcomes 'Starvation Lake' author Bryan Gruley for a discussion on Wednesday (see Ray Walsh's review). Gruley will be on hand at 7:30 p.m. at Schuler Books and Music at ...
Toronto Star Online, March 1, 2009
...Starvation Lake: A Mystery By Bryan Gruley (Touchstone, 370 pages, $18.99) A Mystery By Bryan Gruley (Touchstone, 370 pages, $18.99) Here's an irresistible combination a finely crafted tale ...
Chicago Tribune, February 28, 2009
...Bryan Gruley is the Chicago bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, but don't expect any business secrets in his smashing debut thriller. Gruley has either played or is obsessed ...
Bay City Times, February 25, 2009
...BY KURT ANTHONY KRUG Special to the Gazette Journalist Bryan Gruley endured 26 rejections before Simon & Schuster purchased his first novel, ''Starvation Lake,'' in a three-book deal. ''People have asked me, 'Why did you take a detour into ...
Bryan Gruley's Books
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The Skeleton BoxDoes Gus Carpenter really want to know what’s inside the skeleton box? In Anthony– and Barry Award–winning author Bryan...Read More -
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The Hanging TreeA shocking discovery once again sparks fear in the small Michigan town of Starvation Lake—sure to appeal to fans of Harlan Coben and Dennis...Read More
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