Silence Invites the Dead — Scott Gregory Miller

"Silence Invites the Dead" opens in the storm of the Rwandan genocide that drives a Canadian journalist into a funk of regret and renouncement. Seven years later, Myles Sterling, still haunted by this past experience, accepts an invitation to join former Rwandan colleague Colonel John McTaggart in Candle Lake, Saskatchewan, where life is peaceful and the fishing is good. To his horror, Sterling arrives to find police dragging his friend_s corpse from the icy lake waters. This murder pulls Myles Sterling down the trail of a suspect casino development proposal, drugs, and violence. The further he looks, the more trouble he finds.

Scott Miller_s hard-boiled and principled protagonist, Myles Sterling, is a complex lead character who is blazing a new trail for mystery readers through Canadian crime drama. Miller_s suspenseful prose teases the imagination in a story where everyone becomes a suspect - until they wind up dead. The characters are as diverse as they are interesting: from an eccentric albino artist, to the Cree policeman who patrols the wild north. Layering the dimensions of northern politics and ethical dilemmas, Miller sets the stage for greed, power, and revenge. This is a skilful debut to a new "Detective"series.