“More than just a whodunit, Dianna Hunter’s compelling new novel, Clouded Waters, takes us deep into the Minnesota north country, where the combustible mix of environmental values and the needs of business and local employment vie with each other, producing hot-blooded emotions with deadly results. Combining both mystery and romance, Hunter gives us a story that speaks to many of the deepest divisions in America today. Highly recommended.”—Ellen Hart, author of the Jane Lawless Mystery Series
"Clouded Waters is Dianna Hunter's first novel but so well made you'd think she'd been writing them all her life. Set in a small city on Minnesota's Iron Range, the story revolves around the conflict between an international corporation's desire to open a copper-nickel mine versus the will of a local newspaper's publisher to tell the whole truth to her community. Right alongside this fraught storyline, Hunter runs multiple other lines of suspense: family grief and friction, a missing person, a new woman in town, and more. The miracle is that Hunter handles all these issues at least as well as her main character handles the reins of her horse. Everything is deftly dramatized. The style is fresh and clean. Few mystery novels raise questions as significant and beautifully put as this one: 'In a universe where stars eat other stars and whole solar systems slide into black holes, what chance did love have?' "--Bart Sutter, author of My Father's War: Stories of Midwestern Men
“I’ve been familiar with Dianna Hunter’s work since her graduate school days. She writes a direct but evocative prose laced with dry humor and is committed to combining social issues with personal relationships. In Clouded Waters, she has brought these skills to a new level, weaving romance, mystery and the issues of mining in the Iron Range, including its effect on Indigenous people. Bravo.”--Linda Morganstein, author of MY LIFE WITH STELLA KANE
"[Dianna] Hunter’s debut novel weaves mystery, romance, and social justice into a beautifully written page-turner. Recommend to fans of Annie Proulx."--Lindsay Harmon, BOOKLIST
“The editor of a small-town newspaper on Minnesota’s Iron Range fearlessly pursues uncomfortable truths when a company wants to build a copper mine. The gigantic pits and steep tailings piles of iron mines are an accepted part of the landscape, but editor SB is concerned about the serious potential risks of mining for copper here. As she pursues answers to a mysterious disappearance, she’s led down unknown paths and confronts some terrifying moments. The story weaves disparate elements of northern Minnesota’s culture and history, sympathetically portraying the attitudes of those who desperately want jobs and those who want to protect the water in this rugged region. It explores relationships that go back generations, appreciates the peaceful contributions of native people, and cherishes the deep connections among women. As a neighbor of the quirky characters who populate the Iron Range, I’m delighted that a writer of Hunter’s sensitivity and style has presented them in this highly readable story.”--Stephanie Hemphill, Co-editor, Agate Magazine
