Summer People [Kindle Edition]

Aaron Stander (Author)

Book Description

It is late June in Michigan's gold coast resort area. The summer residents are settling in for the season and the tourists are beginning to flood the highways and beaches. But the idyllic vision of a summer at the shore is suddenly shattered by a gangland-style shooting. This murder is quickly followed by the deaths of three more summer residents, each taking place under suspicious circumstances. At times hindered by local politics and the proverbial tension between the summer people and the natives, Sheriff Ray Elkins searches for the possible links between the four victims. As he probes into their tangled lives and dark histories, he finds both the motive and the possible murderer.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Aaron Stander lives and writes in the woods of northern Michigan.

Product Details

• File Size: 297 KB
• Print Length: 268 pages
• Publisher: Writers & Editors, LLC; 2nd. edition (July 1, 2009)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003XKNWHM
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,696 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 41 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable murder-mystery January 13, 2001

By Eric Howe

Format:Paperback

Aaron Stander does an admirable job developing a sympathetic protagonist and supportive characters. All the elements for a good murder mystery are present including an appealing story line. For those looking to find a book that reminds them of the relationships within and among the peoples that are vacationers or "townies" of Summer resorts, this book examines the tensions from a unique perspective.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A first book? October 27, 2011

By Ernie Wild

Format:Paperback

If not it reads like one. The writer has constant problems weaving a plot line and a story line together in a coherent fashion. Being a former writing teacher he should be able to do this better than he does! Plot lines are easy. I can come up with a couple a day but working them into a story line is something else again. It is what separates the men from the boys (or women from the girls to be politically correct). The problem with not being able to do this well is that any weakness in the plot line sticks out like a sore thumb as the story line isn't strong enough to help conceal it. The fellow with the truck and plow blade is a good example. The device was okay but it wasn't worked into the story well at all so it just kind of sticks out there as if the writer thought it up on the spur of the moment. There are too many examples of this sort of thing going on in the book. It gives it a real herky-jerky feel. Also as pointed out by another reviewer the ending just kind of peters out. It's very weak.
This book is typical of a lot of regional mystery writers. Fun if you live in the area but thin. So three stars for "OK" is about it.

30 of 39 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Ambiguous ending February 24, 2007

By K. B. Anderson

Format:Paperback

I enjoyed the book very much up until the last few pages. There I discovered that there was indeed a possible motive for the murders; there was indeed a possible murder suspect for ONE of the murders; but was no plausible murder suspect for the other three. How the suspect for the one murder could have possibly committed the other three is left totally unexplained or even speculated upon. The book ends with the Sheriff saying, "Well, there is no statute of limitations on murder." Does that mean Mr. Stander will answer these questions and solve these murders in a future book? I guess I like my murder mysteries tied up in neat little packages, and this book did not do that for me. Mr. Stander's second mystery, COLOR TOUR, is much, much better, in my opinion. Of course I could be wrong! :)

More About the Author

Aaron Stander spent most of his adult years in the Detroit area, where he taught English and trained writing teachers. In 2000 he and his wife left college teaching positions and moved permanently to their cottage near Traverse City. Aaron is the author of Summer People, a mystery set in Northern Michigan. Color Tour, a sequel to Summer People, was released in July of 2006. Deer Season followed in the spring of 2009, Shelf Ice in the summer of 2010, and Medieval Murders in 2011. He is also the author of numerous articles, stories, poems, and reviews, and the host of Michigan Writers on the Air on Interlochen Public Radio. When not writing or thinking about writing, Aaron spends a lot of time in his kayak.