The Gray Drake

Quinn Shepherd drowned on the Au Sable River. Was it an accident? Or Murder?

Quinn Shepherd was the best guide on the legendary Au Sable River, until he's found at the bottom of the river with the anchor chain of his boat wrapped around his ankle. Lizzie, his wife, is devastated and left alone to raise their six-year-old son. His drowning was ruled accidental, but a year later new evidence is found, and Lizzie is arrested for murder.

Burr Lafayette, recently divorced and the deposed head of a major Detroit law firm, is recruited to defend Lizzie. A man at loose ends, he's a brilliant litigator but prefers sailboats and dogs over courtrooms and clients.

The Gray Drake, the storied lodge where Quinn guided, is full of secrets, and the fabled Au Sable River won't give up the truth. All the evidence points to Lizzie, but Burr doesn't believe she killed her husband.

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Critics call Cutter’s books, “pure Michigan".

"This story has it all. Michigan's most famous river and its most famous fishing lodge combine with a beautiful suspect, a rumpled, nearly broke lawyer, and unbridled greed to keep you guessing until the end."
—Bob Linsenman, author of Water Songs.

If you like Stuart Woods and Michael Connelly, you’ll love The Gray Drake. The Gray Drake is the second book in the award-winning Burr Lafayette mystery series.

Charles Cutter is the author of the highly acclaimed five-book Burr Lafayette legal thriller series. The Pink Pony, the first book in the series won first prize in the Global Book Awards. Cutter is a cum laude graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and a graduate with highest honors from Michigan State University. Before his writing career, he was in the media business and was a practicing attorney.

Cutter is active in conservation, most recently serving as chairman of the board for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, the largest upland conservation organization in the United States. He lives with his wife, two dogs and four cats in East Lansing. He has a leaky sailboat in Harbor Springs, and a leakier duck boat on Saginaw Bay. He is currently at work on the next book in the Burr Lafayette series.