Gene Gross

In the lakefront hamlet of Okoboji in northwestern Iowa, Bart Farley’s best shot at ousting his competition for a casino license is murder and bribery. As the owner of a night club and the oversized excursion boat Maximillian, Farley is backed by a deadly criminal organization and friends who tend to crawl out of the darkest holes. But he only believes he’s untouchable…

When a vacationing FBI agent turns up dead and a young woman reports she has escaped a local human trafficking ring, players on both sides of the law start asking questions, threatening to unravel Farley’s clandestine operation. And when the cost of doing business is prison, Farley may stop at nothing to keep the doors open and the truth behind his night club buried six feet under.

The Iowa Lakes region is home to deep blue lakes, summer resorts, and a respectable community with families going back generations. But this idyllic image is shattered one night when a fisherman draws in a net with the body of local darling Virginia Lawrey. Seasoned prosecutor Michael Cain with his unrelenting thirst for justice soon gets drawn deep into the investigation. Haunted by his own past, Michael is forced to confront his own ghosts and those of his hometown—someone close has aligned themselves with the devil. Can Michael redeem himself and find the culprit before more lives are lost—including his own?