Frank Bennett Adirondack Mountain Mysteries Series

Small town charm. Big city evil. In a small Adirondack Mountain town, secrets are closely guarded. And outsiders with crazy ideas are not welcome. So Police Chief Frank Bennett has his hands full when a group of environmental activists shows up in Trout Run, New York, trying to close down Raging Rapids, a popular tourist attraction. Frank thinks they're all noise. Until their leader turns up with a bullet in his heart. Now Frank must figure out why this group targeted Trout Run. And how they're connected to a feral family who lives off the grid. As Frank untangles the clues, he confronts the lure of cash, the lure of power, and the lure of a happy family. Now Frank must navigate the dangerous intersection of love and greed. And one wrong turn could spell death to those he most wants to protect.

Tough love . . . or torture? A tough-love school for troubled teens opens its doors in Trout Run, New York. What could go wrong? The locals are thrilled. The North Country Academy promises more jobs and more money flowing into town. But all Police Chief Frank Bennett sees is a throng of juvenile delinquents unpacking on his turf. Then Frank's worst fears are confirmed. An Academy teacher leading a wilderness expedition is mauled to death by a bear. Evidence points to sabotage. As Frank investigates, he learns more about the school's controversial techniques: isolation, restraints, and mind control. He meets students who might be terrified . . . or might be brilliant liars. And he uncovers disturbing information about the Academy's headmaster. What is more impressive? His track record of putting teens back on the right path . . . or his skill in covering up past scandals? When an Academy student turns up dead, Frank must unravel a knot of deceit and revenge whose threads lead right into the heart of the Trout Run community. Frank's pursuit of the truth brings him up against a hard choice every good cop dreads.

Short mysteries. Big twists. The beauty of the Adirondack Mountains offers no protection from evil. Join small-town Police Chief Frank Bennett as he investigates three puzzling crimes in idyllic Trout Run, New York. In the Christmas mystery "Chainsaw Nativity," Frank's relentless pursuit of the thief who stole the Joseph statue from the town's Nativity scene brings him up against the limits of compassion. In "Losers Weepers," a locket that's lost, found, and stolen holds the secret to past betrayals. And in "Coyote Justice" Frank's simmering attraction to Penny the librarian threatens to divert him from the path of justice. These three mystery short stories explore twisting Adirondack mountain trails just as surely as the dangerous terrain of the human heart.

Now You See Him . . . Now You're Dead An escaped prisoner eludes police in the thick forests and remote fishing cabins of the Adirondack Mountains. Using his backwoods skills, he stays one step ahead of his pursuers, mocking them as he slips away. To some, Ronnie Gatrell is a folk hero, bravely resisting government authority. To others, he's a harmless prankster. Everyone in Trout Run, New York, seems to enjoy watching him play the police for fools. Everyone except police chief Frank Bennett. He knows Ronnie is dangerous and unstable, and he's determined to bring him to justice. Then the game of hide-and-seek turns deadly. Frank knows the only way he can catch Ronnie before he kills again is to figure out who's helping the prisoner stay on the lam, and why. But the price of knowledge is steep. Frank may solve his most baffling case, but lose the friends he holds most dear.

S. W. Hubbard presents the fifth book in her Frank Bennett Adirondack Mountain Mysteries.