Bryan Gruley

Jimmy Baker loves ice hockey, but after a life-changing incident on the ice during his playing days, he returned to his hometown of Bitterfrost, Michigan. There, he dedicated himself to the game in a new way: as the Zamboni driver for the Ice Kings. He is very particular about Zelda, the Zamboni machine, which is so popular that there’s even a fan club called Zelda’s Zealots. On one Saturday each month, Jimmy takes children for rides on the Zamboni, a special event he calls "Zaturdays show more with Zelda."

Devyn Payne had been a white-collar defense attorney, expecting to make partner at Eagan MacDonald after seven years. Realizing it was not to be after a pivotal vote failed, she returned to Bitterfrost to work independently, a small-town lawyer representing the accused.

Detective Garth Klimmek with the Bitterfrost Police is still known as Claw-Hammer Klimmek, a case that has haunted him for five years. A case taken to trial and won by Devyn Payne.

Three lives in Bitterfrost intersect, each with reputations, but it is Jimmy Baker with the most to lose. Since the morning after a brutal crime is discovered, Jimmy’s memory has a lot of lost hours, leaving him uncertain about his own guilt.

The novel is presented in 4 parts. Vivid, atmospheric writing immerses the reader into the dynamics of family drama, the present influenced by the past, power plays by the influential, the red herrings of the investigation, the faceoffs in the courtroom, and the unexpected penalties that lead to a riveting conclusion. The engaging characters, with their relatable struggles, warm the chill of winter. The twists are as fast as the best ice hockey players on the ice and as sleek as the goal you never even saw on the net. This thriller is a natural hat trick for the reader who loves ice hockey, a multi-faceted investigation, and the clash of conflict in courtroom drama.

Thank you Bryan Gruley, Severn House, Kaye Publicity, and LibraryThing, for the opportunity to read an eARC of this novel. show less

I was immediately drawn to this book by this cover -so moody, so mysterious. And the name – Bleak Harbor – is a tip off that maybe this coastal town has some secrets that aren’t all sunshine and rainbows. Perfect for that beginning of fall read, where summer is waning and the leaves are just starting to turn, and instead of beach reads, you want something a little darker.

At first, this book seems pretty straight forward – a boy goes missing, and his family is desperate to find him. show more But then, little by little, all these secrets spill out, there are twists and turns, all woven together so well that the reader never sees them coming. And you never feel like something just came out of left field – it all masterfully falls into place, and the reader is drawn to finish the book as fast as possible, just to see what the heck happens next! And the characters were perfect in that perfectly human way – not without flaws, this was not a glossy magazine type family despite that their connections to the town founders. This is a family with secrets.

As a Michigander, I love that Gruley is a Detroit native and that the setting is a small town on the water in southwest Michigan. Everyone loves to find bits and pieces of places and things that they know and are familiar with in a story, and it was neat to see references dropped in to cities I have visited. I especially liked the addition of a Mexican restaurant named Xochilmilco – I am only guessing but perhaps named for one of the most popular Mexican restaurants in Detroit.

I also liked how Gruley wrote Danny. He didn’t stick to a stereotyped version of someone who has autism, and in fact, addresses these stereotypes a few times within the book itself, and challenges the reader to change their perception of what they think autism is. I am not personally very familiar with the diagnosis, so I can’t speak to the accuracy of Gruley’s depiction, but I do like how he writes the character of Danny.

Overall, I loved this book. I found it exciting, and I couldn’t wait to see what would come next. It was chock full of mystery and surprise, and it was exactly the type of book I have been craving. show less

Oh man! I really enjoyed Bitterfrost by Bryan Gruley and would like to thank LibraryThing and KayPublicity for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review. I was hooked from the first page and remained so throughout the novel. The main characters are very likable (and some supporting cast NOT) and the plot has several layers to it that the author developed nicely: crime, personal issues/mistakes/failures, small town mentality and culture, sports and the controversial topic of CTEs (to show more name a few). I am not a hockey fan, yet I still found myself looking forward to getting back to my kindle! I enjoyed the dissonance of rooting for a suspect I “felt” was innocent and yet DNA, among other things, would say otherwise. And the ending? Wow! I kid you not. I went to turn the page and it was blank, so I kept tapping my screen, only to find blank pages! I thought my kindle was broken! I was sorry to find that it wasn’t. show less

This is the second of the Gus Carpenter and Starvation Lake mystery series, and it's every bit as good as the first outing. The eponymous tree is the place just outside of town where lovers of all types express their commitment by pairing off shoes and boots and skates and whatnot and hanging them from various branches. And then, one night, a woman is found hanging along with the footwear. A woman who grew up in the area and who fled her checkered past, only to return to Starvation Lake show more shortly before she ends up in the tree. Is it murder or suicide? Gus, the reporter for the small local newspaper, sets out to find the answers and, as was the case the last time around, has to do battle with people and special interests whose other concerns and priorities often clash with Gus's. I really, really like this series already, but I can't help but wonder how many stories Gruley can find in this small Michigan town. I suppose if half of Cabot Cove could be killed off during J.B. Fletcher's run, it's possible to imagine that there could be a long series here, as well; but while I would like to see that happen, I don't know how it can be done realistically. (And really, who *doesn't* laugh at the body count in Cabot Cove?) Beyond that, kudos to Gruley, as well, for making serious inroads into making me a hockey fan. I'm a baseball-football-hoops guy for the most part, and while I've been to a few hockey games over the years, they were more of an excuse on my part to drink beer, and my sheer ignorance of the game kept me from enjoying them very much on anything other than the most basic level. But Gruley's love of hockey is once again evident here and is interwoven into the story in a way that is very appealing. So if I ever find myself at a hockey game and see Bryan in the stands, I'll have to buy him a beer. :) show less