THE GUIDE by Peter Heller

Twenty-five-year-old Jack is still grieving the death of this best friend when he accepts a job as a fishing guide at a VIP resort.  His first client is a famous singer named Alison, although he has never heard of her.  Soon they become wary of the whole operation, as some of the other clients are not fishing and come to breakfast looking pale and unhealthy, as opposed to how normal they looked the day before.  Spa treatments don’t usually have such a negative effect.  Alison and Jack team up to discover what is going on behind the scenes, particularly at a compound next door whose owner fires shots at trespassers.  Clues abound, and we readers may catch on a little sooner than Jack and Alison do, but once they start stirring the pot, mayhem erupts.  This book is a fast read, particularly since it is difficult to put down and not particularly intricately plotted.  I love Peter Heller thrillers, and this one is no exception, even when he waxes poetic about his love of nature.  I particularly enjoyed the dynamic between Jack and Alison and her ability to hold her own when the going gets tough.  She’s not too shabby with a fly rod, either, so that Jack admires her for all of the above.  She also has a pretty good voice, which Jack barely gets the opportunity to enjoy, what with all the other excitement.