Title: First Kill
Author: Michael Kronenwetter

In ten words or less: High school sweetheart asks Hank to investigate her husband's murder.

Review: Hank and Jack were best friends in high school, and both in love with Liz. Liz and Jack became a couple, but the three friends only drifted apart when jack joined the Army and served in Vietnam, and Hank avoided the draft by moving to Canada.
Years later, Jack--now a reporter for the hometown newspaper--is murdered. Hank--now a private detective--is hired by Liz to look into the death of her husband. Hank discovers a wealth of suspects: the son of a local mobster who has relocated to the area and local politicians and developers eager for city funding for a controversial project.
The north central Wisconsin setting is used to good advantage by author Kronenwetter, who lives in Wausau.

Why bother?: Solid private eye novel.