Death of a Hired Man — Eric Wright

Newly retired Toronto policeman Mel Pickett arrives at his remote Larch River cabin to find a body. The victim is Norbert Thompson, the man Mel hired to take care of the place during his absences, bludgeoned by what appears to be a piece of oak from his wood box.

While the local police, led by Sergeant Wilkie, son of Pickett's former partner, believe the crime could be part of a deadly string of recent break-ins, they also have reason to suspect the victim's sister-in-law and her new husband. Yet despite these solid theories, Mel knows it was he, not Thompson, who was the intended victim.

Mel attempts to stay ahead of both Wilkie and the killer as he begins to sort out what really happened -- a tough job since the police already have a suspect and a confession. Police work is still in Mel's blood, as he races to stop the real killer from getting away with murder.