DEVIL OF THE DUNES

'DYING WELL IS THE  BEST REVENGE'

 Devil of the Dunes is not your ordinary suspense fiction. First, it takes place along the atmospheric west coast of Michigan, a hidden gem and place Good Morning America called "the most beautiful place in America." The story’s locale features the soaring cliffs of Empire, the towering dunes of Sleeping Bear, sugar sand beaches, picturesque coastal towns like Leland and Harbor Cove, the historic islands of Mackinac and Manitou, and the often deadly, stormy waters of Lake Michigan. The setting is almost a character itself.

Second, this suspense story centers on the exceptional Cadie McLeod - not your typical high school senior. One night, under a midnight moon, steps away from a bonfire’s crackling embers and Lake Michigan’s dark, rhythmic waves, Cadie McLeod vanishes. The 18-year-old high school track star with an IQ of 160 waves goodbye to drunken classmates huddled around the dying fire, enters the isolated, windswept dunes, and, like a gust of wind, in seconds she’s gone. 

Strangely, the young woman disappears on the anniversary her parents were run down in cold blood. Is there a connection?

Six years ago, Thomas and Aileen McLeod, happy and in love, walked hand in hand down Michigan’s coastal highway M22 headed for Frosty Bar. Minutes into their walk, a car laying in wait on the deserted stretch of highway suddenly accelerates and drives headlong into the young, married couple. Aileen and Thomas die instantly. As their killer drives away, he notices something sparkling on the debris-strewn concrete. He opens his car door, leans down, and grabs a ‘trophy’ from the road: Aileen’s bloody half a heart gold necklace.

In this twisty tale, the victim is not the predictable female. Unlike most crime and suspense fiction in which victims are nameless, faceless, female afterthoughts, Cadie McLeod is calm, cool, and clever. Orphaned at age twelve by a supposed drunk driver, the genius-level, budding forensic scientist is fixated on a singular goal: solving her parents’ murder. Named after the 'author' of the Nancy Drew book series that Aileen adored, Cadie draws strength from her fictional hero in her fight for life.

While Cadie works to escape her unusual imprisonment in an even more unusual manner, local hero cop Jake Brennan and his son Nick struggle against the clock to find her. Years ago, Jake rescued several children from a bus driver, but not one little girl he overlooked. Haunted by her death, Jake now tries to redeem himself by finding Cadie. The detective must hunt down several possible perpetrators, including convicted pedophile Carl Casper who dies in a way never recorded in literature before. Nick has his own reasons: he is in love with his crimson-haired, childhood neighbor. As Nick searches for Cadie, he ultimately finds himself fighting for his own life. 

The tale concludes off North Manitou Island in a raging Lake Michigan storm. On the sea-tossed mini yacht Best Revenge, a fight to the death reveals all. The killer of Thomas and Aileen and the captor of Cadie is brought to light and his dark motivations exposed. Only then do we learn the true identity of the person who killed the McLeods - the identity of The Weirdo.

Is there a connection between Cadie's disappearance and her parents' murders? What could it be? Will the mystery of their deaths finally be revealed? Will Cadie escape?  Survive?  Read Devil of the Dunes to find out!