Rex Royale — Jack Erickson

The weekend before Memorial Day, Shasta County Sheriff divers recover two decomposed bodies from Lake Britton, a peaceful vacation resort near Mt. Shasta. The first body is that of Rex Royale, a charismatic Las Vegas casino mogul who is building a controversial Indian casino on Lake Britton. The second body is that of an itinerant woman with no apparent connection to Royale.

A San Francisco Chronicle reporter, Tyler Bonnard, who discovered Royale's body, links up with freelance writer Hannah Bergren to report on the crimes. Hannah is a young widow raising preteen daughters. She wrote high-profile business stories about Royale and had an affair with him that ended days before he disappeared. Hannah kept their affair secret and fears that, if it is exposed, it will damage her reputation in the community and severely impact her daughters' social standing with friends at their middle school.

As Tyler and Hannah investigate the double murder, they uncover mysterious arsons, other missing women, and infiltrate a shady clan of rogue backwoodsmen living in a remote hunting lodge. In a violent climax, Hannah and Tyler discover that the crimes are connected to a decades-old murder covered up by one of Burney's most respected citizens.