Edge of Wild by D. K. Stone

Edge of Wild is a mystery set in the beautiful Waterton Lakes National Park in southern Alberta, bordering Glacier National Park in Montana.

When Richard Evans arrives in the small town of Waterton from New York to oversee the building of a new hotel, he finds it so plagued with problems that it seems doomed to never be finished. The fact that the last manager disappeared without a trace is concerning enough, and he has to deal with the local business owners who make a concerted effort to ignore him, dissuade him, and encourage him to return to New York. When he discovers several of them have shady lease agreements with an untraceable company, they certainly insist he leave it alone.

Louise runs the town's family garage and becomes his friend and sounding board for the mysterious happenings at the hotel—things moving around, someone stalking him or entering his cabin. Lou and Richard soon become an item and are as baffled as the local police when several dead bodies begin to turn up in the surrounding forests. A remote location nestled within the mountains doesn't see crime like this, perhaps making it an ideal spot for the criminal element. Events escalate when evidence that a grisly murder previously took place in one of the hotel suites emerges. Should Richard just abandon the town, or is it too late?

It's a solid, well-researched mystery with a great sense of place. If I'm to criticize, I thought the tight-knit locals shutting him out so completely needed some dissenters. Louise had an interesting backstory and a unique talent for predictions that I would have liked more of throughout the story. At times, the story overtook the mystery, slowing the pace. However, it is well-written, and I don't hesitate to recommend it.

2016 / Tradeback / 333 pages