Subtle Deceptions

Jaded confidence man Gabriel Karne is on the run. A literal snarling, slobbering guard dog nips at his heels. If he makes it over the chain-link fence, he vows to skip town for friendlier climes. Somewhere no one knows his name. It will be fine. Everything will be fine. Less than twenty-four hours on the island and Gabriel's had a nasty confrontation with two local good ol’ boys, earned a trespassing citation from an infuriating but compelling forest ranger, and offered to search for a missing person. So much for lying low.

Gabriel Karne is back. The plan? Lie low on Heartstone Island and wait for the dumpster fire that is his past life to burn itself out. So far, so good. Until it isn't. Gabriel has avoided Ranger Man for days, made a few important repairs to his sailboat, and put a dent in the stack of dime-store mysteries Elton loaned him. Life is at least okay. Eight days in and his strategy crumbles like a wet cookie. His ex-partner-in-crime returns, but this time he is very dead. And wearing a baby blue tracksuit, which somehow makes his murder even worse.

Gabriel Karne is cautiously optimistic. Life seems to be settling down into a nice even keel. It’s a new year and the former con artist has a permanent-for-now address. No more rickety sailboats and living out of go-bags for Gabriel Karne. No surprises. No dead bodies. Romance-wise, he and Ranger Man are easing into being a couple. A lifetime of habits is hard to break for both of them, but they’re getting there. Gabe even has a job. Will he regret agreeing to it? Probably but it’s almost legal, so baby steps.