Shadow of the Wolf Tree

6/20/10 A determined, strong-willed hero is at the heart of an intriguing crime novel in which the main character gets help in tracking down a devious killer in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Shadow of the Wolf Tree by MSU graduate Joseph Heywood (Lyons Press, $16.95) is the seventh in his popular Woods Cop series. It stars Grady Service, a conservation officer/detective for Michigan's Department of Natural Resources.

From the first page, the reader knows Service is going to face challenges, when he's described as

...the sort of rare individual in law enforcement who seemed to naturally attract trouble, and in one way or another always seemed to overcome it

Service doesn't go looking for problems - he's fishing with a retired cop when his dog comes back to camp with an old human skull, then another.
Service has to investigate, but soon that's the least of his concerns. When a booby-trap kills a fisherman and a fellow cop is injured by a nasty trap, Service worries about eco-terrorists.

Service is frustrated by few results and complications in the three cases.

Heywood is at his best when describing locations and when there's action. Despite the high body count, this tale is merely satisfactory; his earlier efforts are far more enjoyable.

Ray Walsh
This article also appeared in the Lansing State Journal on June 20, 2010