Slipknot

"Slipknot" is a mystery with an ecological twist, featuring Gavin Pruitt, Willapa County Sheriff and Deadhead. Black Bear Ridge, the last 1,000 acres of old-growth forest in Southwest Washington State, is up for sale. But when world-famous ecologist John Carpenter is murdered and his Environmental Impact Statement goes missing, the mystery is set in motion. Pruitt s small town ways come under national scrutiny: How could a Deadhead get elected county sheriff in the first place? How could he possibly solve this crime? The suspects mount: a radical environmental group ANGER (A Noble and Green Earth will Remain); multi-national logging companies; an Asian timber cartel; and locals who see the old-growth as their economic salvation. Yet besides a ripping good mystery, "Slipknot" reveals the inner and outer character of Sheriff Gavin Pruitt. A Deadhead from the sixties, Pruitt may now be a cop, but he has not forgotten his roots. Daily, Pruitt s dilemma is how to continue changing the establishment even as he has become the establishment. Pruitt loves the Grateful Dead, but he especially loves the lyrics to their songs, using them to help him makes sense out of what can often seem a chaotic and brutal world. Pruitt also deals with the loves in his life: his daughter, his girlfriend, and the mysterious and alluring Olwen Friday, a recluse living in a magical home on the edge of Black Bear Ridge. Plot twists begin to reveal a parallel to how people treat one another and how they treat the environment. Pruitt may or may not solve the crime nor save the forest, but his voice will resonate with readers as strong, soothing, and sane.