Late in August, Steve is called to investigate an incident involving the death of one of the county’s most prominent citizens. Paul Passoja, an eighty-year-old entrepreneur, had been camping in a remote area of the county called Big Trees. Two middle aged friends had not heard from him in several days and went to check on him. They found him dead, apparently gored to death by an angry bear.

The official cause of death was determined to be a heart attack, but the attending physician said his circulatory system was in good shape for a man of his age, and the attack was probably brought on by fright at the thought of being mauled by a bear. His brain exhibited signs of Alzheimer’s disease. The law enforcement ruling on the case was death by misadventure, but Steve has trouble accepting this explanation. Though Passoja was obviously beginning to experience symptoms of senility, he had been a woodsman all his life and would have instinctively known not to leave any food around to attract wildlife.

Though told to abandon the case, Steve cannot resist further investigation. He finds that Passoja, a wealthy businessman, was not very popular among the local populace. Some of his wealth had been gained at the expense of the poor immigrant population. In order for these people to obtain lake or roadway access to their parcels of land they had to pay Passoja exorbitant prices for small bits of land. In addition, Passoja was a sexual predator forcing his attentions on young, vulnerable women. In essence, there was no shortage of people who rejoiced at Passoja’s death and therefore could be considered murder suspects.

While the plot of Season’s Revenge presents some unique elements (How often is a bear the murder weapon?), the general construction and execution of the story is uninspired. The clues to the culprit are gradually uncovered as the victim’s personal history is unraveled.

The plot moves slowly as the author embarks on numerous digressions elucidating the background of various characters, and the history of this portion of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. These side excursions are interesting and educational in their own right and are presented by an author who has a good command of the language. However, this information is basically irrelevant to the story line. In fact, the novel is touted as “a seasonal mystery” the season being Christmas. Since the majority of the action takes place several months prior to December, the weather is distinctly unChristmasy, and there is little activity related to the Christmas season, there is little reason to brand this novel as such.

Mr. Kisor gets considerable mileage out of his hero, Steve Martinez. By birth a Lakota Indian, he was adopted and reared by a Hispanic couple who were devout Christians. The author explores the indigenous Indian culture (Ojibwa) and contrasts it with his hero’s Lakota heritage as well as Hispanic traditions, and the Finnish immigrant population that have settled in the area. Again the material is fascinating, but not all that germane to the plot. The book serves better as a behavioral study than an action adventure, despite the promising opening scene describing a man who has been attacked by a bear.

With the great attention to detail that Mr. Kisor gives to the personal history of his characters, it is probably a good bet that this effort is the first in a series. We will doubtless hear more from Steve Martinez and his associate in Porcupine County. He may have to import some mayhem from the southern part of the state, however, as he has already stated with certainty that there is not much crime in the area, due to the small population and climate.

--Andy Plonka