Set in Michigan’s famed Upper Peninsula (U.P.), Shadow of the Wolf Tree continues the story of Grady Service, an experienced detective with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Straddling Native American, Scandinavian, and American cultures, Grady patiently investigates the shotgun murder of an Indiana fisherman while simultaneously tracking answers to a myriad of mysteries in his district.
Grady Service as DNR Detective
Appropriately, Grady has a special gift that gives him an edge in DNR cases since he can see abnormally well in the dark, allowing him to track people and animals who would rather not be found.
With another “gift”, Grady seems to attract just about any unattached female colleague no matter how they differ from each other. Women seem to harbor crushes on him, from tough IRS agent Zhenya Leukonovich, who refers to herself in the third person, to the newly-transferred Conservation Officer Dani Denninger, who relentlessly attempts overly cute flirting techniques which only manages to turn Grady off from her charms.
While investigating an illegal wolf baiting, Denninger nearly loses her leg in a complex series of traps centered around a large tree in a configuration known as a “wolf tree.” After Denninger bows out of the case due to the injury, the previously self-contained Michigan State Police Detective Tuesday Friday begins to flirt with Grady while both are on the job.
Fortunately, author Joseph Heywood quickly tones down the heavily one-sided patter and evens out the banter, allowing Tuesday to remain likeable and Grady’s partnership with her seems to benefit him both professionally and personally thanks to her own unhindered talents.
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Takes Center Stage
Filled with colloquialisms from both the U.P. and the unusual slang term of “Big Nap” for Indianapolis (normally called “Indy”), Heywood manages to lend authenticity without distracting readers from the intensifying plot in a unusual environment populated by self-reliant characters who bond with the variations of the district.
Heywood's depiction of these families who purposely seek solitude, including a few who are as shady as a thick maple canopy, add pop to the story and keep Grady from becoming too close to an all-knowing figure. While Heywood never argues that these are the only types of people who live in the most secluded areas, he revels in their easy-going games that serve as high amusement on a dull day but aggravate time-constrained Grady.
Heywood deftly explains the admirable underfunded work of the conservation officers while focusing on the case and Grady's many dilemmas.
Readers who enjoy Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon series will find similarly engrossing scenery and characterizations but from a definite male point of view, primarily because of Grady’s preoccupation with the women who populate his world. Grady, resourceful with a periodically gruff demeanor, uses his strategic planning and his hard-won experience to uncover secrets in Michigan’s cache of reclusive characters.
Heywood, Joseph. Shadow of the Wolf Tree. Lyons Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-1-59921-900-4
Bonnye Good - Bonnye Busbice Good received an Editor's Choice award for her article on Your Historic Home's Interior Design Secrets and has also written ...
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