The setting of the story, Porcupine County Michigan, is in many ways a character in the story as well. Kisor does a great job of capturing the people and history of this far away (mentally if not geographically) place. He explores the motivations for the people who grew up there, and the newcomers who moved there, with obvious care and fascination. He delves into their history not just their daily lives touching on the complex events that led to this part of the country being populated with so many Finnish immigrants. In many ways these details are not strictly necessary to the plot of the mystery but they make the story richer and deeper. Too often mysteries involve simple characters that are almost caricatures, Kisor creates real people with a history.

So as the mystery continues to play out, the relationships of the characters develop and interconnect. Martinez wrestles with his divided identity and his place in this hard-headed and yet close-nit community as he pursues a relationship with Ginny. As their relationship develops, bits and pieces of information and clues are coming together that point toward a more sinister explanation for the death of Mr. Passoja. To keep the story from getting bogged down, Kisor throws in some twists and turns. These plot twists, despite their often unexpected nature, slowly turn up the heat on the story without seeming gratuitous or ridiculous. Kisor also mixes in some modern issues like race, the drug war, the Soviet oppression, and even sex but it doesn't feel forced or out of place. Because the characters are real the issues are real. Kisor certainly isn't preachy or moralizing, but his characters do wrestle with complex social issues.

Take an intriguing mystery, add in well developed characters, and place it in a unique setting and you have the ingredients for a good old fashioned story. And at its basic level that is what is enjoyable about Season's Revenge. Despite only being a couple of hundred pages, it is a good story with believable and interesting characters and a subtle portrait of a unique part of this country. I know Mr. Kisor is probably a busy man but I am sure his readers are eagerly awaiting his next book. In my opinion, Steve Martinez - and the folks of Porcupine County - would make a fine central character in an ongoing mystery series.