is a prequel to the Ray Elkins mystery series. If you are a reader of the series, you know that the first four books are set in Cedar County, an amalgam of the many lakes, forests, and towns found in northwest lower Michigan. In these books there are references to Ray's earlier professional life when he taught criminal justice at a large Midwestern state university. The plot in revolves around the deaths of three members of the English department. It's a younger Ray Elkins, more hair, fewer pounds, but still very grounded.