River Deep

by Bryan Gruley

Attorney Devyn Payne is left navigating thin ice as her small-town community fractures in the wake of a shocking crime in River Deep, the second in the Bitterfrost thriller series from Edgar nominee and Pulitzer Prize–winning author Bryan Gruley.

"This first-rate novel is a study in suspense"—Ken Jaworowski, Edgar-nominated author of Small Town SIns

Fighting for the cold, hard truth

Attorney Devyn Payne expects a quieter life when she returns to her hometown of Bitterfrost. Until the bodies of two eight-month-old boys are pulled from the icy depths of the local river. Was it a tragic accident or something more disturbing?

The twins’ distraught parents survived the car crash, but their mother, Catriona Dulaney, was driving. Now she’s charged with killing her babies, and her admission of guilt has leaked online. It should be the most straightforward case Devyn prosecutes all year. And yet, to her, it doesn’t add up.

With time dwindling ahead of the trial, Detective Garth Klimmek questioning Cat’s role in the tragedy, and a suspicious outsider loitering around town, this crime might just be the tip of an iceberg. Devyn’s put two Dulaneys behind bars before. This time, whose side will she take—and what will it cost?

This suspense-drenched drama is perfect for fans of Dennis Lehane, the TV show Mayor of Kingstown, and small-town thrillers by Tim Johnston and John Sandford.

354 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication July 7, 2026

About the author

Bryan Gruley's seventh novel, RIVER DEEP, tells the story of Catriona Dulaney, a mother accused of drowning her twin infant sons; Devyn Payne, the attorney who winds up in the middle of Dulaney's case; and Garth Klimmek, the detective investigating the boys' death. William Kent Krueger calls RIVER DEEP "a spellbinding tale of the chaos that engulfs a small Michigan town in the wake of a terrible tragedy. A master of suspense and brilliant architect of the unexpected, Gruley has given readers a topnotch thriller, complete with hockey mania and a glimpse of the best and worst faces of humanity."

Gruley is also the author of the Starvation Lake trilogy, including his Edgar-nominated debut, STARVATION LAKE, as well as two novels set in Bleake Harbor, Michigan. A lifelong journalist, he shared in The Wall Street Journal's Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He lives in northern Michigan with his wife, Pam.