The Skeleton Box

About the book

Anthony and Barry Award-winning author Bryan Gruley is back with the third installment of his highly praised Starvation Lake mystery series.

The small town of Starvation Lake is being plagued by a series of mysterious break-ins. Intruders are sneaking into the homes of elderly residents while they are away at Bingo, yet strangely, nothing is being taken despite the evidence of rifled personal documents.

Concern escalates to fear when one of the break-ins results in the tragic death of a beloved member of the community. Phyllis Bontrager is discovered deceased in the residence of her close friend, Bea Carpenter, who is the mother of Gus Carpenter. Bea, suffering from dementia and under the influence of sleeping medication, has little recollection of the break-in. Gus, who is the local newspaper editor, must delve into a distressing investigation: the death of a woman he has known his entire life and who is also the mother of his ex-girlfriend, Darlene.

Teaming up with Luke Whistler, a former Detroit Free Press reporter seeking a slower pace and traditional newspaper work in the north, Gus embarks on a journey to uncover the truth behind Mrs. B's demise and the "Bingo Night Break-Ins." Unbeknownst to Gus, Whistler harbors his own motives, and the secrets he is intent on revealing--linked to the historic murder of a nun--could forever alter Gus's views on Starvation Lake and his own family.