ICE hunter

A Woods Cop Mystery

(hardbound)

by Joseph Heywood

 

The intensity with which Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Grady Service pursues his job makes this first entry in Heywood's (The Snowfly) new series a standout. The book shares some traits with an urban police procedural, but the milieu Michigan's Upper Peninsula and focus on the environment differentiate this investigation. A 47-year-old native of the region and divorced Vietnam vet, Service is fiercely independent and passionate about the land. The section of the U.P. that Service cares most about is the Mosquito Wilderness Tract. That's where he was, patrolling along the river, when he encountered an odd, wary older man with a camera, a hammer and a notebook. Soon that very spot is the site of two suspicious fires, after which a local poacher is found shot dead in the back. County detectives look into the murder, but Service can't shake his suspicion that the tract is facing some sort of threat. When a handful of rocks he picks out of the ashes turn out to contain diamonds, Service must race against time to find out what's really behind the murder and arson. Under Michigan's pro-development governor, just a whisper that diamonds may lie in the bedrock could threaten the pristine wilderness area. A strong sense of place, a protagonist with a moral commitment to his job and a fleshed-out community of hard-working conservation officers and their colleagues in law enforcement make this a promising beginning to the series.
 

Reviews:

"Crisp writing, great scenery, quirky characters, and an absorbing plot add to the appeal of this memorable first entry in a promised series of Woods Cop mysteries."

--Wall Street Journal

"Heywood spices Grady's debut with signs of corruption deeper than a midwinter snow stretching all the way from industrial polluters to the statehouse."

--Kirkus Reviews

"Heywood builds his surrounds slowly. . .peopling his novels with memorably idiosyncratic characters and conveying an overall sense of reverence for nature. An engaging read and a promising series debut."

--Library Journal

 

About the Author

Joseph Heywood was born 10-18-43 in Rhinebeck, NY, son of a career USAF officer. My dad was from Rhinecliff, New York on the Hudson River in Dutchess County, and my mother is from Mize, Mississippi in Sullivan County. Talk about unlikely connections! Here’s an even more unlikely one. My mother’s maiden name was Hegwood and she had only to change one letter to convert to her married name.

1965 graduate of Michigan State University (BA-Journalism). I played on the Michigan State Lacrosse Club for three years, crease attack, tri-captain in 1965. I was in the last class of mandatory ROTC for land grant universities and predictably chose the Air Force.

1965-1970, USAF Instructor Navigator, KC-135 tanker, honorably discharged as captain. Vietnam veteran. Air Medal with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters.

Graduate studies, Western Michigan University, 1974-75, completed course work for MA in English Literature; no degree.

I worked for The Upjohn Company [now Pfizer], 1970-2000, retiring as vice president for worldwide public relations.

I walk every day in all weather conditions, and have hunted and fished Michigan since 1958, mostly alone.

My Woods Cop mysteries are based on the lives of Upper Peninsula conservation officers, and for going on seven years I’ve spent about one month a year on patrol with officers, in all kinds of weather, all times of day and under sundry conditions. I’ve worked in all 15 Upper Peninsula Counties as well as in another 15-16 counties BTB (Below the Bridge).

 

Visit Joe's Website