Danny Swanson, Department of Fisheries and Oceans employee and ex-fisherman, isn’t exactly upset when he’s reassigned from a desk job in Ottawa to an at-sea job on the West Coast. His superiors think they’re punishing him for his indiscretions, but Danny is pleased to be back on the Pacific, reconnecting with his old fishing buddies. Revisiting his past life, though, is trolling up some old memories, including a troubling incident from ten years ago, when Danny and his crew pulled up a deformed fish. It was young Billy who decided to bring the odd creature to the DFO in Vancouver for examination. Billy and the fish were never seen again. Now, Danny’s buddy is on his mind when he stumbles across a photo of the fish in the DFO databases, and suddenly, Danny can’t let Billy’s disappearance get swept under the rug.

With the help of RCMP Sergeant Louise Karavchuk, Danny starts hauling old histories to the surface and delving into what he starts to believe may be a massive conspiracy. Who can Danny trust in his search for the truth? The organized, well-dressed officials of the DFO? Or his somewhat rowdy and rough-around-the-edges fishing buddies from the past?

Bruce Burrows is the mystery author of The River Killers and The Fourth Betrayal. Having spent years working as a fisherman, commercial diver, and, most recently, at-sea-observer, he is a true man of the sea. During his time as a fisherman, he wrote a weekly column called "Channel 78, Eh" about fishing on the West Coast. His collected columns can be found in Blood on the Decks, Scales on the Rails. Bruce lives on a small island off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.

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A story that's bound to intrigue anyone who has made a living from fishing . . . The dialogue, filled with banter and smart-assed commentary, captures the rough-edged style of 1950s mystery novels. —The Fisherman

A very good first book. Danny [Swanson] seems destined to return, which makes Burrows a writer to watch. —The Globe and Mail

Over all, the story was intriguing, insightful and chock full of great humour. —North Island Gazette

Conspiracy is alive and well in Burrows’s winning debut. There is plenty of technical detail for readers who love adventures like Sebastian Junger’s The Perfect Storm or David Masiel’s 2182 kHz. Burrows’s prose can be dense, but his ability to bring a mixed cast into the tale is stellar. —The Library Journal

The River Killers is engaging and informative . . . it's impossible not to be fascinated by the mess of fishing and fish stewardship. —Times Colonist

Lovers of succinct dialogue a la Elmore Leonard and witty writing like Raymond Chandler's will be impressed by Burrows' style. —Western Mariner