Strange things are happening to the black bears of the Upper Peninsula. Grady Service is stumped until a Korean-born professor is murdered by cyanide-laced figs that contain two freeze-dried bear gall bladders. Sexy and suspenseful, Chasing a Blond Moon also introduces a new twist in Grady’s personal life: he meets a son he never knew he had. Once again, Grady Service, the hard-boiled conservation officer of this superb series set in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, has a weird case on his hands. Strange things are happening to the black bear population. Grady Service can’t pin the phenomenon on anyone or anything until a Korean-born professor from Michigan Tech is murdered by cyanide-laced figs—and two freeze-dried bear gall bladders are found among the figs. Service is certain that poachers are at work, killing bears to fuel the Asian market for traditional medicines. The animal-parts market is highly organized, and its practitioners are ruthless and dangerous. Grady’s nemesis, Michigan’s governor, has cut budgets so severely that there are not enough conservation officers to cover the state. Service finds himself filling in for colleagues, chasing illusive poachers who leave little evidence, and wrestling with the usual cast of eccentric and entertaining characters. And there is a new twist in Grady’s personal life: he meets a sixteen-year-old son he never knew he had. Sexy, suspenseful, and full of action, perfect dialogue, and unforgettable characters, Chasing a Blond Moon confirms Heywood as one of the finest of his day.

We go back in time twenty-five years to meet Service as a young conservation officer. Still fresh from Vietnam, but on home turf, Service has been tapped for an unusual assignment that threatens to be his last. Full of outrageous characters and the verisimilitude the series is known for, Running Dark is a wild and riveting ride. For more on Joseph Heywood and the Woods Cop Mysteries, visit www.josephheywood.com

A string of protests by animal-rights activists appear to have culminated in a double murder at a wolf lab, which releases into the wild a rare animal: a blue wolf. To the Ojibwa a blue wolf means luck; but if captured or killed, Armageddon. Grady Service is in a race against time as an elusive poachers' ring chooses its final target: the blue wolf. For more on Joseph Heywood and the Woods Cop Mysteries, visit www.josephheywood.com

Before she went missing, Susan Clements was hiking with her daughter on one of the most popular trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, less than a mile from Clingmans Dome. When Nancy East’s search and rescue team joined the effort to find her, she learned Susan was a mother to three children who adored her. What Nancy didn’t know then was how much the search for Susan would impact and influence her own life’s path afterward. Two years later, Nancy and her good friend, Chris Ford, set out to improve the speed record of hiking all 801 miles of trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park while raising funds for hiker safety and preparedness. While chasing the record, the duo faced tropical storm rains, swollen, unbridged creek crossings, injuries, night hiking, and wildlife encounters. Their arduous journey also became intertwined in one of the most rare human-bear tragedies in the park’s history. Maintaining a positive mental attitude was their superpower through it all. The enormous feat of endurance was one of the most grueling endeavors that Nancy, a mother and everyday athlete, had ever faced. However, the hardest things she had endured were in her past. The strength she gained from those experiences was now moving her forward, one difficult step at a time. Chasing the Smokies Moon is a story of grief, hope, empowerment, and love, and the thread that binds them all. ADVANCE PRAISE FOR CHASING THE SMOKIES MOON "If you think that setting trail records is about speed and hubris, Nancy East will prove you wrong. It is not her success, but her vulnerability that will encourage you to keep moving forward when the next step feels impossible. It is not her impressive miles, but rather her insightful reflections that allow you to recognize feelings of gratitude and connectedness in the midst of pain and loss. And it is not her attributes as a hiker, but her roles as a mother, spouse, and friend that make this book a valuable resource for anyone who is trying to navigate through relationships - and adventure." --Jennifer Pharr Davis, author of The Pursuit of Endurance: Harnessing the Record-Breaking Power of Strength and Resilience “I have always thought of Nancy East as somewhat of a real life superhero -- this harrowing and transparent account of her FKT attempt and SAR fundraising effort has certainly solidified that sentiment!” --Steven Reinhold, Backpacker Magazine, Brand Ambassador “Chasing the Smokies Moon is a deep dive into the depths of a Fastest Known Time record attempt. East relays with humor, profundity, and humility the highs and lows of an intense journey through the Great Smoky Mountains and human connection." --Heather Anderson, author of Mud, Rocks, Blazes: Letting Go on the Appalachian Trail “This story is more than just a recounting of an incredible feat of endurance and perseverance, it is an insightful and revealing look into the mind and soul of multi faceted adventurous woman.” --Kevin Fitzgerald, former Deputy Superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

One legendary insect--enormous, white, and exceedingly rare--attracts trout of such size that they couldn’t possibly exist in the world as we know it. But in Heywood’s classic novel, such things can and do exist. Protagonist Bowie Rhodes, UPI reporter and expert fly fisherman, had learned of the snowfly early in his childhood. It hatches every seven to ten years, never on the same river twice, bringing to rise trout so huge they would have to have lived forty years or more; trout so wily that they never allow themselves to be caught--or even seen; trout so hungry for this fly that they will risk exposure to rise for the hatch. The snowfly is the sacred quest of the most obsessed trout hunters, existing--it seems--only in myth and in a lost manuscript. Rhodes’s reporting brings him to such sites as the jungles of Vietnam, the labyrinth of Brezhnev’s Soviet Union, and a poisoned Canadian wasteland of uranium mines. His hunt for the manuscript, meanwhile, takes him deep into his own heart of darkness. Richly imaginative and sensual, the world of The Snowfly has more mystery lurking beneath the surface waters than our own. Or does it?

One legendary insect--enormous, white, and exceedingly rare--attracts trout of such size that they couldn’t possibly exist in the world as we know it. But in Heywood’s classic novel, such things can and do exist. Protagonist Bowie Rhodes, UPI reporter and expert fly fisherman, had learned of the snowfly early in his childhood. It hatches every seven to ten years, never on the same river twice, bringing to rise trout so huge they would have to have lived forty years or more; trout so wily that they never allow themselves to be caught--or even seen; trout so hungry for this fly that they will risk exposure to rise for the hatch. The snowfly is the sacred quest of the most obsessed trout hunters, existing--it seems--only in myth and in a lost manuscript. Rhodes’s reporting brings him to such sites as the jungles of Vietnam, the labyrinth of Brezhnev’s Soviet Union, and a poisoned Canadian wasteland of uranium mines. His hunt for the manuscript, meanwhile, takes him deep into his own heart of darkness. Richly imaginative and sensual, the world of The Snowfly has more mystery lurking beneath the surface waters than our own. Or does it?

In a brilliant debut to a thrilling series, Grady Service gets news that his nemesis, the head of an incestuous clan of poachers, is to be released from prison. But something even more sinister is afoot in the Mosquito Wilderness. Service must call upon his every reserve to track, stalk, and capture the “ice hunter.” MEET GRADY SERVICE: former Marine, renowned tracker, conservation officer, and the last person any errant hunter wants to cross. In Ice Hunter—the first of a series of mysteries set in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and celebrated for its intricate plots and outrageously unforgettable characters—Service defends his turf with the tenacity of a bear and the wisdom of an ancient. He shuns all creature comforts and consumerism and is most at home stalking the Mosquito Tract, his self-designated wilderness. Times are not easy for Service. As the summer season opens, he gets news that his nemesis, the despicable leader of an incestuous clan of poachers, is to be released from prison. But something even more sinister is afoot—something that inspires untold greed, involves giants of industry and politics, and renders human life dispensable. Service must call upon his every reserve to track, stalk, and capture the “ice hunter.” Full of grit and wilderness lore, Ice Hunter pulls you in and won’t let you go.

We go back in time twenty-five years to meet Service as a young conservation officer. Still fresh from Vietnam, but on home turf, Service has been tapped for an unusual assignment that threatens to be his last. Full of outrageous characters, Running Dark is the fourth book in the Woods Cop Mystery series and is a wild and is a riveting ride. For more on Joseph Heywood and the Woods Cop Mysteries, visit the author's website.

Just when longtime Michigan conservation officer Grady Service is certain that he’s seen it all, he learns once again that he hasn’t. After so many decades protecting his state’s natural resources, here he still is, undercover yet again—not in a case he's developed, but dumped into a case by the Feds (with his governor’s approval). And as time passes, he can’t figure out if what he’s buried in is truly a religious nationalist militia group set on overturning the U.S. Constitution, or one man’s cash cow, a sort of half-ass redneck Ponzi aimed solely at fattening a single bank account. The newest Woods Cop Mystery, #12 in the legendary series, is another soaring brainchild of Joseph Heywood, author of the Woods Cop and Lute Bapcat Mysteries, both of which explore a way of life lived by Michigan game wardens over many different decades, from the Bapcat mysteries of the early 1900s to Grady Service and compatriots in contemporary times.

A treasure chest of stories for Joseph Heywood fans, featuring the women game-warden colleagues of his mystery series star Grady Service. With Heywood’s trademark ability to capture the eccentric characters of the Michigan wilderness, his wonderful ear for dialogue, and his vivid descriptions of hunting, fishing, and outdoorsmanship, these stories will delight Heywood fans and entice any reader who loves stories about the great outdoors or law-and-order. The game wardens in these stories not only have to contend with poachers, drug smugglers, and violent criminals, but they must also confront the challenges of being women in a wilderness law enforcement fraternity traditionally dominated by men.