Comments   Summary   Excerpt   Reviews

Summary: The body was lying the snow near the river, almost naked and definitely dead. As the wind creates drifts, sure to obliterate any tracks, and the cold grips Rutherford, Minnesota, Jake Hines looks up at the overpass and wonders ... It's not only the murder that has Jake concerned. His girlfriend, Trudy, the crime seem expert with the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, who ought to be at the scene, is stuck in a snowdrift somewhere. The BCA is understaffed -- the Rutherford PD is understaffed -- and the corpse is being covered by snow. But there's no snow inside the victim's when they find it, just a blood spatter pattern. With that and the thin gold chain and woman's wedding band found near the victim's body, Hines can begin connecting the dots. When a second body is discovered with a similar wound, a picture starts to emerge, an image etched in passion, betrayal and fear. With the publication of Triple Play, the first in the Jake Hines series, Elizabeth Gunn was recognized and praised for her handling of character, plot, and procedure. In Five Card Stud, she deals a perfect hand.