John M. Vermillion

John M. Vermillion was a field soldier for 24 years and afterward worked internationally as a civilian for 12 years. He finished numerous specialized military training programs. He was among the first selectees for the School of Advanced Military Studies, and later graduated from the National War College. He is a ground combat veteran. The author also served an assignment teaching at West Point.

2026: "Flathead County": Blue Gunder was supposed to be a franchise savior--a top NFL draft pick with everything mapped out. Then a medical matter beyond his control slammed the door on professional football and on the life he thought he'd earned. He reinvented himself in Flathead County, Montana, trading stadium lights for backroads and badges. As Sheriff, he's learned that the wilderness keeps secrets--and that people can be more dangerous than weather.

His wife, Dee, knows the county from a different angle. As owner of Blue Skies Veterinary Clinic she treats ranch horses, family dogs, injured wildlife--anything someone can get through her door. The work is steady, the marriage strong, and the life they're building feels grounded...until Halloween night, when Blue is called to a scene staged like a warning: a dead game warden in the northernmost forest near the Canadian border, three elk arranged in an arrow pointed the warden's body.

That same day, miles away in the far southeastern corner of Flathead County, a rancher leads Dee to three horses he's called about. Before tests, before confessions, she knows: poison. Two corners of one vast county. Two deliberate acts of cruelty. One connection that makes no sense--until more incidents follow, each one bolder and harder to dismiss as coincidence.

As Blue and Dee compare notes, the investigation drags them from remote timber to glossy new money, where a mega-wealthy recent arrival has built perhaps the most lavish manse in America--and begun reshaping Flathead County to suit his appetites. In a place where power wears camouflage, Blue must decide how far he'll go to protect his county, his marriage, and the animals--and people--sighted in the crosshairs.