Crimes and secrets from the past challenge the tranquility of a small Oregon community in the 1970s in this latest in Baron Birtcher's Ty Dawson mystery series.

Ty is a Korean War veteran and cattle rancher who also serves as sheriff of Meriwether County, Oregon. It's spring and Dawson is focused on the roundup and the branding of cattle on his spread when he's distracted by the report of an illegal shooting of an eagle from a helicopter.

Investigation of this crime leads him to a complex including a recording studio where preparations are underway for a concert and filming to debut the third album of Ian Swann, an up-and-coming singer-songwriter. Dawson is disturbed by the potential impact crowds drawn from outside by the concert venue will have on the town of Meridian. Those worries will increase in the coming days as Ty's wife and daughter are hired to help with film production and the singer is assaulted.

Flashbacks hint at the tragedy looming in the future and heighten tension. Despite Ty's efforts to increase security at the concert, blood is spilled and it is only by digging into the past he is able to unravel the skein of secrets and identify the killer.

Oh, and the culprits who killed the eagle are nabbed, too.

Birtcher's previous experience in the music business lends credence to the gripping plot. His engaging characters and eloquent prose remind me of the best of James Lee Burke. There are three other books in this series, so I guess I have some catching up to do.

If you're looking for a mystery in a rural setting in the not-so-distant past you won't go wrong checking out Knife River. Highly recommended.