A Climate for Death: A Sam MacDonald Mystery

by R.T. Lund

A private plane grazes an historic lighthouse and crashes on a snow-covered precipice a hundred feet above Lake Superior. There's a dead pilot on board, but three VIP passengers are missing. A deadly snowmobile accident on the same night and alarming discoveries in Isle Royale National Park a day later add to the challenges confronting local sheriff Sam MacDonald, a former Secret Service agent, who is no stranger to evil. The FBI, NTSB and others head to the crash site in remote Lake County, Minnesota, where the solitude of the North Shore is disrupted by events that could have national and international repercussions. The coldest winter in fifty years is just one of the circumstances that create a climate for death.

Chilean mining interests, a charismatic environmentalist candidate for Congress, and a former President who wants to make America great again add intrigue to a political thriller that's a must read for anyone who wants to see the MAGA MAN GET WHAT HE DESERVES!

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

262 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 30, 2020

About the author

R. T. Lund grew up in Duluth, Minnesota, the gateway to the North Shore of Lake Superior. When he was twelve, three teenage brothers from his neighborhood were swept into the lake from a concrete pier during a raging Spring gale. None of them was ever recovered. There began his fascination with the awesome, unforgiving lake.

Lund has worked as a lawyer and corporate CEO, but at heart he is a storyteller, a Minnesota mystery writer, and the big lake has a role in each of his stories. Minnesota may be the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," but the coldest, deepest, darkest, most foreboding lake is home to more bodies, shipwrecks and secrets than all the rest combined. With a background in literature and law, Lund combines the backdrop of his beloved Minnesota with flawed characters and unexpected turns that he hopes will keep readers turning the page. His second novel, “A Climate for Death,” was the winner of the 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Award in the Thriller category, and his newest book, "Avenging the Dead," the third and final installment of his Lake Superior Trilogy, is now available for purchase.

Reviews

[Píaras Cíonnaoíth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A completely involving mystery thriller...

A Climate for Death by R.T. Lund is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn characters and settings. The author weaves a well-crafted political suspense thriller with plenty of twists and turns that kept me engaged from the opening chapter. The story unfurls in small acts, at first feeling slight to touch, then building in emotional substance. Into the spaces between the words, the author breathes a pulsating intensity that rolls like a motion picture camera that had me on the edge of my seat.

The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘A thousand miles off course, a private plane grazes a historic lighthouse and crashes on a snow-covered precipice a hundred feet above Lake Superior. There's a dead pilot on board, but three VIP passengers are missing. The FBI, NTSB and others head to the crash site in remote Lake County, Minnesota, where the locals are dealing with one of the coldest winters on record… A deadly snowmobile accident, an upstart candidate for Congress, and alarming discoveries in Isle Royale National Park add to the challenges confronting local sheriff Sam MacDonald as the solitude of the North Shore is disrupted by events that could have national and international repercussions. The weather is just one of the circumstances that create a climate for death.’

I enjoyed the story, character development, and dialogue. There were plenty of plot twists that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the story in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much.

If you are looking for a well-written mystery thriller with amazing characters and a gripping plot then ‘A Climate for Death’ will not leave you disappointed. Highly recommended.

[Jeff Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I especially enjoy reading a complicated and twisty crime-based conspiracy thriller and A Climate For Death didn’t disappoint. I decided to read A Climate For Death after finishing R.T. Lund’s other thriller, Treachery. Needless to say, I’m now a certified fan.
A Climate for Death opens with a plane crashing into a lighthouse in the middle of the night, in the far north, in the middle of winter. The murdered pilot is the only occupant. An excellent chess match of an investigation unfolds in an intriguing series of masterful investigative reveals and moves. Of course, the investigation is hampered by, and aided by the extreme weather. The characters and their motives (good and bad) are well developed, have good depth, and support the story nicely. For me, A Climate for Death was an entertaining read with a believable, contemporary plot. Five stars R.T., five stars. Jeff Bailey, author of the conspiracy thriller, Not On My Watch.

[Brandon Roy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whoever formatted this for Kindle did a bad job unfortunately. It took me out of the story alot. It would have a sentence at about halfway down then a large white space then authors name. The next page would be the next word in the sentence.

There were weird gaps between letters and more.

That said it started out intriguing and the parody of the current POTUS was fun but it just had too much. Plane crashes, Chilean Cartels, Local sheriff's, state police, FBI, Secret service, P.I.s, forest teams, several different crimes that sort of come together.

It just has too much noise that I didn't feel was handled well. I lost track of who some of the people were, others were brought in to explain one thing or give one clue and then gone.

Just kind of a mess.

[Anne Majcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plenty of action and intrigue in this book!
I read this over a few very cold days in January after receiving a free copy through a Goodreads giveaway. Couldn’t help appreciating the similar weather conditions that played an important role in the story. Also enjoyed the obvious political parallels although the very real issues reflected there are sobering to say the least.

[Valery · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Climate for Death by R.T. Lund is a well-written and engaging book that opens with a harrowing plane crash. The bizarre thing is that three of its passengers are missing. This scene sets the stage nicely for an involving and detailed story. The scene-setting is impeccable, you get a great sense of time and place, the wintry cold, while the characters are well-drawn and developed. The plot is developed slowly and is quite in-depth, pulling you in and keeps you reading. There are plenty of challenges for sheriff Sam MacDonald as he works to figure everything out. For a political suspense thriller, it doesn't get much better than this novel. All of the missing pieces come together nicely at the end to round out an exceptional story. Great book and builds upon the character of Sam MacDonald. Highly recommend.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars. I thought this book was clumsy; too many “players” to keep track of: FBI, CIA, Duluth PD, Lake County PD, Sheriffs and more. I could not keep them all straight as to who was doing what in the investigation. The ending, in my opinion, was anti-climactic; altogether making very little sense. I wanted to love this book as I grew up on The North Shore. Sadly, this was not the case. And, I wanted to rave about it to my FB Group, SILVER BAY MN MEMORIES where I post books I’ve read having to do with Northern Minnesota and the surrounding area. I probably wouldn’t give a shout out to anyone to run and buy this book. Get it from the library, like I did.

[Sandass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing, complex,murder, mystery, corruption

There are way too many people for me to keep up with. Most are criminals or the type who'd associate with them.
I don't even know how many people were murdered. Seven, or so, I think.
I enjoyed the cops, FBI, CIA, and Sheriff's. They were hard working and ethical for the most part.
The lake country in which the tale is set sounds lovely, even though it's bitter cold.
I especially liked the way that POTUS was portrayed. What an absolute jerk.

[George Laymark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The setting felt vivid, and I liked how Lund built tension without rushing things. Sam MacDonald is a likable detective clever, a bit sarcastic, and easy to follow. There were a few minor moments where the dialogue felt a little stiff, but nothing that ruined the experience. Overall, it’s a solid mystery with enough twists to keep you turning pages. I’d recommend it to fans of thoughtful, character-driven crime stories.

[George Laymark · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were moments where I could see the potential. A few of the suspense scenes actually had me glancing over my shoulder, and the setting felt eerie in a good way. But overall, it felt uneven. Some characters were thinly sketched, and a couple of plot twists were way too predictable. It wasn’t a total loss, but it mostly left me underwhelmed.

[Lori Byrd · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good thriller starting with a mysterious plane crash. A very well written book with a wonderful story. I got a little lost with the amount of characters and who they all were to each other. That’s my problem though.

[Robert w. Groh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many names and jobs to keep straight

Very confusing with all the names and places and jobs made it hard to sort out and make sense of it and it did not get any better as it went along sorry

[Denny · Rating 5 out of 5]

#1 KINDLE

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good mystery

My first read of RT Lund and I really enjoyed it. There are just so many characters that I was lost a few times with who was doing what. The story moves fast and gets you waiting to see what happens next. A great story line and a fantastic ending. I recommend this read to all.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a lot of potential. I liked the mystery of the plane crash. However, I felt like the book had too many characters to keep track of, and many of the characters didn’t contribute meaningfully to the story.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apologies for just now reviewing, but you know, life! This book was fast paced and I finished in just a few days. It did have so many characters. I started to keep track, but quickly gave up. I was able to follow the storyline, regardless of this. Thanks for the opportunity.