In the Absence of Honor — Jim Proebstle

When Jake Lorenz retreats to his family's cabin in the North Minnesota woods for the winter, he s looking for peace, quiet, and time to reflect on the loss of his wife and his job. But instead, he finds destruction and death--a gruesome murder scene on his very doorstep. The more he discovers about the death, the deeper he is drawn into a shadowy struggle for land, wealth, and power. There are forceful men who don t want him to search any further: the corrupt tribal council that controls the nearby Ojibwe casino, the secretive and antisocial plutocrat who owns half the peninsula, and the ruthless Indian Mafia, to name a few. But to save the community he loves, which is set in this harsh and lovely wilderness, Jake must battle personal demons and the deadly forces of man and nature to learn the truth.

With origins dating back 200 years and outcomes that could appear in tomorrow's newspaper, In the Absence of Honor whisks readers through a tale of conspiracy, fraud, deception, and betrayal--that reverberate from a small northern community and Indian reservation to powerful forces in Washington, D.C.