Cold Tracks

Ex-Seattle cop Frank Carver's new job patrolling Oregon's Neskanie National forest begins to get complicated when he and local ranger Ginny Trask start investigating the death of an immigrant who has possible criminal connections

Shortly after Ginny Trask, fire dispatcher in Longmont, Ore., discovers the mutilated body of Nino Alvarez in Neskanie National Forest, an autopsy reveals that the victim was bludgeoned to death. In this skillful debut mystery, first in a projected series, Trask and law enforcement officer Frank Carver investigate the homicide. Although Alvarez seemed to have had no enemies, the duo learns that he had recently been fired for embezzling company funds. They also discover he was really an illegal alien with a wife and children, information which Alvarez had told his pregnant lover just before his death. Trask and Carver believe they've found the killer until another murder proves them wrong. In the meantime, the secret life of the deceased proves dangerous for everyone who knew him, as the murderer stalks Trask's young daughter. Wallingford's eye for detail, her fine use of local color, and this intriguing pair of detectives--a burned-out cop and a beautiful young widow--promise future entertaining reading.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A lively first effort that pairs the aching-for-quiet Neskanic (Oregon) National Forest security officer Frank Carver with the much younger widow and fire-dispatch ranger Ginny Trask, who finds the grisly remains of Nino Alvarez, a Christmas-tree plantation worker. As Frank and Ginny track through Nino's life, they find relatives with no green cards; a secret affair of the plantation owner's neurotic, unstable daughter (now pregnant); another murder rigged to look like suicide; and persistent sass from Maureen, a secretary who may have been spotted on an overnight with Ginny's married boss, Len Whittaker, who, unlike most people, seemed to dislike Nino intensely. Meanwhile, there are fires to fight, vehicles to search, pine needles to examine, and a missing photograph to worry about before Ginny and Frank wrap up this saga of blackmail and murder. A promising debut, with interesting scenic detail and an engaging pair of sleuths. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Set in Oregon's Willamette Valley, this first novel (by a librarian) establishes a series featuring ex-cop Frank Carver and fire dispatcher Ginny Trask. The pair meet when Ginny discovers parts of a body while on patrol in the Neskanie National Forest: newly hired Carver takes charge of the investigation and asks for Ginny's help. As Ginny and Frank interrogate suspects, they uncover embezzlement, possible drug involvement, philandering, a little mutual admiration, and even a few Bigfoot clues. Not utterly convincing, but interesting enough to keep the pages turning.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.