Book Description

Linnbert "Cheese" Oliver, a hard-luck hero in the Northwest town of North Fork, is reported missing from a late-night ferry. And for Ernie, his father figure, friend and former coach, the news hits hard. Ernie's suffered too much loss and pain in his life-his wife, a state basketball championship, a serious medical malady-and he just can't accept the idea that Cheese might have taken his own life. "The Cheese" was the best basketball player Ernie Creekmore coached in his nineteen years at Washington High School and the best shooter Ernie had ever seen. The unassuming great-grandson of the town's founder, Linn Oliver could do no wrong. He was the talk of the town-until he missed the final shot in the 2000 state championship game. Working with the county's Harvey Johnston, Ernie uses his new contacts in real estate and old hoops resources to trace Cheese's movements. Meanwhile, hints at possible foul play turn up in pieces of North Fork's rough-and-tumble history in fishing, logging and railroading and the past and present violently collide in a series of heart-stopping moments that peel back layers of secrets, gold and twisted family ties that refuse to stay buried.