Roland was an anthropologist whose area of expertise was Native American cultures. His cabin is located on Windigo Pond, so named because it was purportedly "haunted" by a windigo or cannibal. The local tribe, the Buckskins, have avoided the area because of the alleged presence of this unpleasant spirit, though most Buckskins contend the cannibal does not exist.

However, with the disappearance and presumed death of Roland Targo, several more militant Buckskins want the land to revert to tribal control. In their minds, they had merely leased the land to Roland and it would become theirs again upon his death. Challenging their rights is a religious sect that has settled on land adjacent to Roland's. They contend that Roland had become a member of their sect which practices communal property, so at Roland's death the land belongs to them.

Jason had been brought up by his uncle in the cabin on Windigo Pond and played and studied with the Buckskin children. When he returns as an adult, he finds quite a different place and atmosphere. The Buckskins he knew as a child are at odds with the local authorities over lands and hunting rights. When a gnawed skull is discovered and determined to be that of Roland Targo there is even more antagonism.

Jason desperately wants to know who killed his uncle as well as what has caused such great hostility between Whites and Buckskins.

Cannibal Lake is a collection of misaligned parts that do not fit together to comprise a credible whole. First there is Roland Targo, a well respected member of a small community who has been missing for six months. The local police conduct an initial unsuccessful search for the man and then shelve the case. Concurrently, Roland's nephew Jason, whom he had essentially raised and with whom he had a close relationship, shows no undue concern for six months. Granted Jason was physically not able to go searching for his uncle, but presumably he was not in a coma and was aware of his relative's disappearance. One would expect he would at least make a few phone calls and rattle a few chains to keep the search active.

Further, when Roland's remains are found only the skull is located. It is winter, not summer, when the animal predators are less active so one might expect to find a few other skeletal remains beyond the skull. Jason's relationship with local law enforcement seems odd as well. Instead of treating him warily as the outsider he has become since he moved away, they welcome, even encourage his participation in the investigation.

The quality of the writing, while acceptable, is nothing out of the ordinary. One is not struck by the author's command of the language or unique way of presenting his tale. It is all rather mundane. As the plot unfolds, the reader can easily predict the outcome. The characters are not particularly engaging. There is nothing about Jason that makes me either like or hate him. The introduction of the windigo, a supernatural creature, does little to heighten the suspense. We know it does not really exist and that acts attributed to it are the product of humans. The attempt to create tension through the obvious unease between Whites and the Buckskin tribe fails miserably. Jason supposedly had close relationships with several Buckskin youths as a child. If those feelings no longer exist, there needs to be a rational explanation for their disappearance.

Even Jason's comparison of the solving of the crime to a jigsaw puzzle shows a lack of understanding. Jason alleges that one has to have the corner pieces to start a puzzle. What happened to collecting pieces of like color or odd shapes? Or, indeed, has Jason never seen a round jigsaw or one with unfinished edges?

Too many plot inconsistencies in addition to situations which overstretch credulity are the downfall of Cannibal Lake.

--Andy Plonka