Clear-Cut Murder — Lee Wallingford

CUTTING EDGE

Neskanie National Forest law-enforcement officials Ginny Trask and Frank Carver have their work cut out for them as long as the Northwest timberlands remain a furious battlefield between environmentalists and the logging industry.

Coffee Creek becomes a hot spot as an activist group gathers to prevent the sale of land to a big timber company. The town's prodigal son, Ward Tomasovic, claims to have a compromise to keep loggers in business while preserving the resources.

But as Trask and Carver fight to keep the peace between activists and loggers, Tomasovic is shot--by a clever killer who uses the dirty conflict for an act of vengeance that's clear-cut murder.