Iconoclast by Laurie Buchanan
Summary
A whale-watching cruise goes terribly wrong. Two lovers on deck, one sniper on shore, and no way out.
Burdened by the pressing weight of survivor’s guilt, Sean McPherson, an ex-cop, is desperate for redemption. At Pines & Quill, a writer’s retreat in the Pacific Northwest, he and his fiancée, Emma Benton, are planning their lives together. He wants to go back into law enforcement. She plans to walk again.
Georgio “The Bull” Gambino, head of a Seattle-based crime family, has a long reach. Like cockroaches, his minions infiltrate even the most inaccessible of places to do his bidding.
With Seattle to the south, the Canadian border a stone’s throw to the north, and Bellingham Bay—a gateway to the Pacific Ocean—immediately to the west, Bellingham is the ideal location for the Gambino crime family to traffic drugs, weapons, and humans. But McPherson’s in Gambino’s way, which means he must be eliminated.
The writers in residence include an Afghanistan War veteran, a professional photographer, a civil rights attorney, and a gourmet chef. But McPherson suspects there’s more going on than the joy of creating plot twists. Is one of the writers conspiring to murder outside the pages of their manuscript?
Book Settings: Bellingham, WA
Bellingham, WA: Where Pines & Quills writer retreat is located.
Fairhaven Village: This historic village is located in Bellingham, WA.
Bayview Cemetery: Where Patrick MacCullough is buried.
San Juan Islands: Mick and Emma try again to take a trip here to whale watch.
Friday Harbor: Where the whale watching cruises leave from
The Lime Kiln Lighthouse: Emma and Mick see this lighthouse on the whale watch.
Marysville: Mick and Pam make a pitstop here while driving back to Pines & Quills.
Magdalena’s Creperie: Mick and Paddy used to come here once a week.
Lummi Nation: When Mick is talking about the history of Washington he mentions how the Lhaq’temish are the first inhabitants of Washington.
Reviews
“An involving thriller with compelling characters. This propulsive novel ably expands Buchanan’s entertaining series, which is built primarily on engaging characterization.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“An absolute page-turner… Not the one to be missed. With its atmospheric setting, page-turning suspense, and luminous insights into trauma, resilience, recovery, and friendship, this thriller will hook readers and keep them hooked.”
—The Prairies Book Review