David Riley Bertsch

Death Canyon David Riley Bertsch

In this first book in a debut thriller series, attorney-turned-fishing-guide Jake Trent's idyllic life is upended when he finds himself at the center of a series of grisly killings set around picturesque Jackson Hole. It's early summer in Jackson, Wyoming. Former East Coast prosecutor Jake Trent, now a local fishing guide, is wading through a swift current of local politics, introspection, and tragedy. Four seemingly unrelated deaths have occurred in one day--unheard of in the scenic valley. A skier perishes in a freak late-season avalanche. A French couple is discovered mutilated on a remote trail in Grand Teton National Park--presumably by a bear. On the Snake River, Jake himself finds the body of an expensively attired tourist fisherman. Meanwhile, a series of small earthquakes--not to mention a bitter dispute between land developers and a cult-like group of environmentalists--has left the townspeople uneasy. Before long, the plausible explanations for each death dissolve. Could there be a sinister connection between them? When fresh evidence points to him as a suspect, Jake is put on the defensive. Is someone out to frame him? Can he keep his past demons at bay while he tries to discover the truth behind the mysterious deaths? Defying the police, Jake teams up with park ranger Noelle Klimpton, a loner beauty, to get to the bottom of this series of disturbing events. The trail leads right to the region's crown-jewel attraction: Yellowstone. What they discover will put all their lives at risk ...