A Matter of Motive — Michael Hachey

Newly appointed police chief Dexter Loomis suspects he's in over his head when murder strikes Higgins Point, Wisconsin. When the ex-engineer signed on for deputy duty, he never expected the murder of the mayor's daughter to land in his inexperienced lap. Luckily, he's got help from friend and state crime bureau detective Ann Summer, who's willing to teach the reticent new lawman the ropes...in exchange for a little help with a case of her own.

It seems the tiny resort town has a surprisingly seedy underbelly hiding drugs, dirty money and death. Could the tragic suicide of Ann's father in a lakeside cabin outside of town be connected to something more sinister? As the bucolic veneer of Higgins Point wears dangerously thin, Dexter and Ann zero in on a motive for murder...and a killer lying in wait.