Intriguing plots, complex characters, and a vivid landscape are the foundation of Archer Mayor's award-winning New England thrillers. Now in this suspenseful new novel two investigations will lead Mayor's popular hero Joe Gunther to the shady realm of Internet chat rooms, where relationships are formed and broken, and nothing is as it seems. News travels fast in the small state of Vermont. In this tight-knit society, police officers and investigators proudly maintain a kinship that transcends the boundaries of their jurisdictions. When an unidentified body is found in the peaceful town of Brattleboro, local police and the Vermont Bureau of Investigation both appear at the scene. But before investigator Joe Gunther can begin to gather evidence of murder, a family emergency sends him to his hometown, where the lives of his mother and brother have suddenly been threatened. Gunther reaches out to a network of police officers who know him only by name and reputation as he attempts to discover the source of this imminent danger. Meanwhile, his investigative team chases an elusive murderer who has no apparent ties to the victim. In a state that is more like a neighborhood community, secrets are difficult to keep, and it's sometimes impossible to know who can be trusted. Gunther soon finds himself opposing criminals more menacing than any he has ever encountered in order to save those he holds closest to his heart. Archer Mayor lives in Newfane, Vermont. He writes full time and volunteers as a firefighter/EMT. He is also a death investigator for the state's medical examiner and a part-time police officer for the Bellows Falls Police Department. Mayor has lived all over the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and has been variously employed as a scholarly editor, a researcher for TIME-LIFE Books, a political advance man, a theater photographer, a newspaper writer/editor, and a medical illustrator. He won the New England Independent Booksellers Award for Best Fiction in 2004. He has also written short stories, two books on American history, and many articles. You can learn more about Mayor at www.archermayor.com. Chat By Archer Mayor Grand Central Publishing Copyright © 2007 Archer Mayor All right reserved. ISBN: 978-0-446-58258-2 Chapter One "Made it, Ma. Top o' the world," Leo quoted theatrically, his words shrouding his head in the cold night air. "What would you think if I went out like that?" His mother twisted around in her wheelchair to look at him balefully. "I don't understand why such a wonderful dancer would do a movie like that." Leo smiled down at her as he pushed her gently along a shoveled path, across the broad courtyard before Dartmouth's Hopkins Center for the Arts, universally nicknamed The Hop. "I warned you, Ma. I told you it wasn't Yankee Doodle Dandy ." "You said it was a gangster movie," she persisted, "not an ode to a psychopath." Leo burst out laughing. "Wow. You make it sound pretty deep. I just liked it when he shot the car trunk full of holes to let the guy inside breathe, or when he went nutso in the prison dining hall after finding out his mother died." She faced forward again as they neared the curb. "How did I end up with such a disturbed child?" she asked meditatively. "Hey," he told her. "You got one son who's a cop. Stands to reason the other should go to the dark side. It's nature's balance." He went to pass by her on his way to unlock the car, when she grabbed his wrist in a quick-moving, wiry hand. This time, her expression was soft and appreciative. "I've been doubly blessed, Leo," she told him. "Both my boys are just right." He leaned over and kissed her wrinkled cheek, warm in the evening's chill. "I love you, too, Ma. I hear they're playing Polanski's Repulsion next week." She tapped the side of his head playfully as he moved away. "Oh, now, that sounds like a comedy." "You have no idea," he admitted. She watched him bustling about, unlocking doors, starting the engine to get the heater going. It wasn't all that cold, even though it had been dark for several hours. Dartmouth's trademark Green was coated with a new layer of snow, which shimmered under the glow of dozens of traditionally designed streetlamps. These, along with the formal brick buildings looming darkly beyond them, and the enormous library's beautifully lighted clock tower at the far end, lent the entire scene a timelessness, as if she might have been waiting for her son to hook up a horse and sleigh instead of a Subaru. "All set," he said, stepping behind her once more and easing her chair off the sidewalk to where it nestled beside the car's open door. She reached out and took hold of the two handles Leo had attached just inside the opening, one high and one low, and nimbly used them to assist herself inside. Her legs were too weak to support her, but they did move, which was a godsend in situations like this. She was already attaching her seat belt by the time