Dead Float - (Cal Claxton Mysteries) by Warren C Easley (Paperback)

About the Book

Cal Claxton a former LA prosecutor now practicing law in Oregon s wine country and who works to fish has to pinch himself when his best friend Philip Lone Deer asks him to assist guiding a group of executives from a high tech firm in Portland. For a fly fisherman, it doesn t get any better than the salmon fly hatch on the Deschutes River, Oregon s legendary trout fishing venue. _x000D_ The execs, however, aren t coming just to fish. They re engaging in a conflict-resolution exercise where the future of the firm is to be determined. And Cal learns, too late, that the company s CEO is bringing his wife, the woman with whom Cal had a fling after their last Lone Deer-guided fishing trip. Cal soon broke it off, but . _x000D_ The trip through the remote Deschutes Canyon turns ugly when CEO Hal is murdered during the first night s camp. Everyone in the party is a suspect, especially Cal. And his knife and vest have disappeared. Does the fact that the company s value is about to explode play into the crime? What about the freight line running along the river? Could a hired killer have come and gone from the scene of the crime by hopping trains? As two local cops come down heavily on Cal, can he come up with a water-tight solution as he did in the tricky Portland case Matters of Doubt?_x000D_"

Book Synopsis

"A fast-paced, tightly woven who-dunnit that kept me guessing to the end. Easley's vivid landscapes and well-drawn characters evoke comparisons to James Lee Burke, and Cal Claxton is as determined and resourceful as Burke's Dave Robicheaux." --Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author

Cal Claxton--a former LA prosecutor now practicing law in Oregon's wine country and who works to fish--has to pinch himself when his best friend Philip Lone Deer asks him to assist guiding a group of executives from a high tech firm in Portland. For a fly fisherman, it doesn't get any better than the salmon fly hatch on the Deschutes River, Oregon's legendary trout fishing venue.

The execs, however, aren't coming just to fish. They're engaging in a conflict-resolution exercise where the future of the firm is to be determined. And Cal learns, too late, that the company's CEO is bringing his wife, the woman with whom Cal had a fling after their last Lone Deer-guided fishing trip. Cal soon broke it off, but....

The trip through the remote Deschutes Canyon turns ugly when CEO Hal is murdered during the first night's camp. Everyone in the party is a suspect, especially Cal. And his knife and vest have disappeared. Does the fact that the company's value is about to explode play into the crime? What about the freight line running along the river? Could a hired killer have come and gone from the scene of the crime by hopping trains? As two local cops come down heavily on Cal, can he come up with a water-tight solution as he did in the tricky Portland case Matters of Doubt?

Review Quotes

"Dead Float starts with a man's throat cut ear to ear and Claxton's fishing knife found nearby, and gathers momentum like the midnight freight trains nearby. As a Deschutes [River] aficionado myself, I'll never listen to those lonesome whistles again without thinking of this story, and thanking the stars it was only fiction." -- Keith McCafferty, bestselling author of the Sean Stranahan thrillers

"A fast-paced, tightly woven who-dunnit that kept me guessing to the end. Easley's vivid landscapes and well-drawn characters evoke comparisons to James Lee Burke, and Cal Claxton is as determined and resourceful as Burke's Dave Robicheaux."" -- Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author

"When someone tries to drown Cal, he uses his fishing skills to good advantage. What a showdown finish! Easley's folksy style belies an intense drama revolving around corporate greed and espionage. The second outing for this action-packed Oregon-based series succeeds in quickly bringing readers up to speed. Pairs nicely with other boomer thrillers such as those by H. Terrell Griffin and also with fly-fishing mysteries by Keith McCafferty and Victoria Houston." -- Library Journal

About the Author

Formerly a research scientist and international business executive, Warren C. Easley lives in Oregon where he writes fiction, tutors GED students, fly fishes and skis. Easley is the author of the Cal Claxton Oregon Mysteries. He received a Kay Snow National Award for fiction in 2012 and was named the Northwest's Up and Coming Author in 2017, both honors bestowed by Willamette Writers.