Lake on the Mountain - (Dan Sharp Mystery) by Jeffrey Round (Paperback)

About the Book

Dan Sharp, a gay missing persons investigator, accepts an invitation to a wedding on a yacht in Ontario's Prince Edward County. But the event doesn't go as planned. A member of the wedding party is swept overboard and Dan finds himself deep in troubled waters as he searches for possible killers not only in the present but also 20 years earlier.

Book Synopsis

2013 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Mystery -- Winner

When missing persons investigator Dan Sharp attends a wedding, he finds himself investigating more than one murder.

Dan Sharp, a gay father and missing persons investigator, accepts an invitation to a wedding on a yacht in Ontario's Prince Edward County. It seems just the thing to bring Dan closer to his noncommittal partner, Bill, a respected medical professional with a penchant for sleazy after-hours clubs, cheap drugs, and rough sex. But the event doesn't go exactly as planned.

When a member of the wedding party is swept overboard, a case of mistaken identity leads to confusion as the wrong person is reported missing. The hunt for a possible killer leads Dan deeper into the troubled waters and private lives of a family of rich WASPs and their secret world of privilege.

No sooner is that case resolved when a second one ends up on Dan's desk. Dan is hired by an anonymous source to investigate the disappearance, twenty years earlier, of the groom's father. The only clues are a missing bicycle and six horses mysteriously poisoned.

Review Quotes

... [a] strong and interesting character.-- "The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix"

Round draws readers deep into Dan's physical and psychological worlds, balancing his protagonist's faults with his gifts as an investigator and father.

-- "Publishers Weekly"

A psychological treat.-- "Reviews by Amos Lassen"

Canadian writer Round packs plenty of plot into this new mystery series-- "Richard Labonte"

Round has an extraordinary sense of place, ear for dialogue, rapid pacing, and a skillful way of layering his plots.-- "Stage and Page (online)"

Sharp and his teenaged son, Kedrick, are characters whose company readers will enjoy despite the darkness that infuses the novel.-- "Quill and Quire"

Such devotion to his work makes Rounds writing absorbing for readers. You sympathize with Sharp, even as he falls into a whiskey-drenched hell, and you wait for him to rise again.-- "Xtra!"

The writing is raw, the emotions are taut and author Jeffrey Round brings it together in a breathtaking conclusion.-- "Hamilton Spectator"

About the Author

Jeffrey Round has published five previous novels, including the Bradford Fairfax Murder Mysteries. He has also written plays, directed short films, and served as a producer and writer for Alliance-Atlantis and CBC. Lake on the Mountain won the 2013 Lambda Award for best gay mystery. Round lives in Toronto.