Heaven's Fury »

Stephen Frey is a principal at a northern Virginia private equity firm. He previously worked in mergers and acquisitions at J. P. Morgan and as a vice president of corporate finance at an international bank in New York. Frey is the bestselling author of over 15 novels, including The Successor and Forced Out.

On its surface, Bruner is no different from any other peaceful town in rural, northern Wisconsin, but all is not what it seems. In the days and hours before an ominous approaching snowstorm, local sheriff Paul Summers struggles to cope with a strange series of events, including the arrival of a mysterious group of criminals, the suspicious disappearance of a fellow townsperson, and rumors of evil cult activity, not to mention difficulties at home.

Publishers Weekly

Neither this crime novel’s setting—a rural Wisconsin town consisting of arrogant, wealthy weekenders and impoverished locals—nor its protagonist (the self-involved, brooding Sheriff Paul Summers) gives Michael McConnohie much to work with in terms of accent or character. And he doesn’t get much more help from a contrived plot in which Summers goes out of his way to become a suspect in the apparently ritualistic murder of the daughter of the wealthiest and nastiest of the power elite. Still, McConnohie is a professional: he adds a smooth, engaging vocal polish to the book’s rougher edges and even manages to make the hapless hero sound worthy of our interest. An Atria hardcover (Reviews, Aug. 23). (Sept.)