Divorced for some time, Jay has had little opportunity to spend much time with his young son, David. He decides to combine a little business with pleasure by taking David with him when he travels to Mineral Lake to complete his real estate transaction. David is eager to accompany his dad and see some of the places about which he has heard numerous stories.

Sensing his young son's impatience, he agrees to let David try out the swing set at the hotel across from the bank thinking that he can watch the boy through the bank window. However, when he emerges, David is nowhere to be seen. A little while later, Jay receives a phone call informing him that his son has been kidnapped. A demand is made for one hundred thousand dollars in exchange for his son.

Nobody Drowns in Mineral Lake is a plot driven novel. The story takes place in 1974 when Jay returns to the place he had spent his boyhood summers. A prologue tells the story of a body found in Mineral Lake sixteen years before which will presumably have an impact on the present day events. To find out how the body in the lake is related to the kidnapping of Jay's son keeps the reader turning pages.

In addition, the reader gains some insight into Jay's temperament and feelings. As a former summer resident and a Jew, Jay is not well liked by many of the people who live in this small gentile community year round . How he copes with his position as an outsider while trying to deal with the kidnapping of his son, makes for an enjoyable reading experience. The reader gets a good feel for the sentiments of the townspeople as well as Jay himself. Some of the major forces in town, such as Mayor Maggie Murphy, a three hundred pound, opinionated self-serving old woman, and her skinny hen-pecked son, Sean , although somewhat stereotypical, are interesting characters. The crusty, outspoken newspaperman, Sam Jackson, seems typical of the breed dedicated to presenting unbiased views of local events in spite of much opposition from the local powers .

Nobody Drowns in Mineral Lake provides a few enjoyable hours of entertainment. And the reader is left with points worth pondering: The suffering that Jay was forced to endure because he was an outsider seems unjust. However, the locals' viewpoint that rich folks moving in would change their peaceful village for the worse is worthy of consideration.

--Andy Plonka