The Ghost Trees

By Thomas P Hopp

The victim, cedar-tree poacher Bradley Olafsen, was found dead beside traces of a freshly removed cedar log and police detectives have fingered an old derelict found raving nearby. Henry George, a native with a grudge against modern society, stands accused of killing Olafsen to avenge the death of the tree. George's mad utterances about ghost tree spirits and his hatred for the dead man make it look like an open-and-shut case. But is it? Something otherworldly lurks among long-dead stumps around the murder scene.

Police are sure they've got their man, but McKean's brilliant mind sees beyond the obvious—which leads him into danger. He uses modern biotechnology tools to establish a thread of DNA evidence linking the cut tree to a shingle-splitting factory operation that uses wood of questionable sources. There, McKean identifies other suspects, but the police aren't buying it. No one has ever used DNA to solve forestry crimes.

McKean's suspects are on to him now and it's not long before his life is threatened. Somehow, the resolution of this tale of murder among the stumps of a long-dead forest will revolve around the shamanistic wisdom of old Henry George, McKean's wits and scientific skills, and answers that can only be found in a fern-choked grotto where the spirits of forest giants seem to watch the comings and goings of men, remembering Chief Seattle's famous words, "The dead are not entirely powerless."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas P Hopp
• Release date: Jun 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301183180

Thomas P Hopp

Thomas Patrick Hopp routinely imagines the unimaginable. He writes science fiction and mystery thriller novels that draw on his background as a scientist and scholar of the natural world in all its glory and terror. His stories have won multiple literary awards and garnered him a worldwide following. He is a member of both the Mystery Writers of America and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and served for several years as President of the Northwest Chapter of MWA. Tom is also an internationally recognized molecular biologist. He discovered powerful immune-system hormones and helped found the multi-billion-dollar Seattle biotechnology company Immunex Corporation. He advised the team that created Immunex’s blockbuster arthritis drug Enbrel. He developed the first commercially successful nanotechnology device, a molecular handle for manipulating proteins at the atomic level, which is used by medical researchers around the world to study human cells and every major microbe known to science.Tom’s NORTHWEST TALES are thrillers set against backdrops of disaster, whether natural or man-made. Earthquakes, eruptions, and epidemics are grist for these gripping adventures. Tom’s mystery stories follow Dr. Peyton McKean, a super-intelligent sleuth known as “The Greatest Mind Since Sherlock Holmes.” Viruses, microbes, and evil geniuses form the core of his opposition. Tom’s DINOSAUR WARS science fiction stories read like “Star Wars meets Jurassic Park.” Featuring laser-blasting space invaders and huge beasts from the past, they follow Yellowstone Park naturalist Chase Armstrong and Montana rancher’s daughter Kit Daniels, who struggle to survive in a world where dinosaurs live again. Most of Tom’s tumultuous adventures are suitable for readers young and old.

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