Payback (Five-Star Review: ForeWord Reviews)

An accident . . . or murder? A prominent writer is fatally shot during a commemorative mock battle at which live ammunition was prohibited. Pete Thorsen gets dragged into the ensuing investigation when a close friend prevails upon him to represent one of the murder suspects. Trouble soon erupts on all fronts. Pete butts heads with his old nemesis, Sheriff Franklin Richter; the evidence against his client mounts daily; and his love interest turns on him when she learns he's working on the suspect's case. Pete doesn't give up easily, however, and he presses forward with his personal investigation out of loyalty to his friend and a feeling that something isn't quite right. Slowly he uncovers the real motive behind the murder--and must fight to stop a killer who's determined to keep him quiet.

Robert Wangard is a crime-fiction writer who splits his time between Chicago, where he practiced law for many years, and northern Michigan. Payback is the fourth in the Pete Thorsen Mystery series. The first three--Target, Malice and Deceit--were widely acclaimed by reviewers. Wangard is also the author of Hard Water Blues, an anthology of short stories. He is a member of Mystery Writers of America, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and other writers organizations.