Crooked Lake

Crooked Lake is a romping account of love, life and murder on the Canadian Prairies. The mystery unfolds in a small Saskatchewan town where every nosy neighbor is an amateur sleuth and accusatory tongues wag freely on coffee row.

When a man is murdered on the shores of Crooked Lake, easy-going Bart Bartowski sets aside work at his fly-in-fishing lodge to come to the aid of his childhood friend whose been accused of the crime. Tempted by a beautiful young cottager and beguiled by the murdered man’s wife, Bart is dogged by RCMP detectives who want him to stay out of what they consider an open and shut case. In his perilous pursuit of whodunit, Bart reveals the heart of a small town, taking a stab at its complacency and laying bare some of its juiciest moral dilemmas.

In Praise of Crooked Lake

A great beginning to a new prairie mystery series. Global - TV

Crooked Lake offers an entertaining read, with characters we'd love to see again. The Pilot – N.C. USA

Crooked Lake is a funny book with a very likable hero, but the great strength is its firm setting in small-town Saskatchewan. Saskatoon StarPhoenix

Brunanski knows the heart of a small town and weaves a first rate mystery to boot. Stephen Scriver – Winner of the W.O. Mitchell Award

Like calamine lotion on an insect bite, this work of fiction is a balm to the spirit. Librarian Review

A Reader’s Comment

I am absolutely spellbound by the book. I am in the final chapters and I find I have to force myself to put it down at night. I am also not getting any housework done. When the baby naps, I'm off in a corner reading. Well done Nelson, it is a fantastic read! I really am absorbed in the setting and the characters, everything is so authentic.

update...

Finished the book yesterday. You had me guessing right up until the end, and even then I didn't suspect the true murderer. I find that with any good book I'm still thinking about the characters after I'm done. And Bart is a really likable character, so you can be sure I'll be tuned-in for Frost Bite. (Nelson Brunanski’s next small-town mystery). Jenny Young - Vancouver