A body hangs from a birch tree in Lester Park. There is no explanation for the man’s death, no suspects are detained. How is the death tied to the turbulent times, an era of labor unrest, political change, immigration, and the fighting of a war not of America’s choosing?

Sound contemporary? This wonderfully paced historical novel takes place across the hilly shoulders of Northern Minnesota and Upper Peninsula Michigan at the dawn of the 20^th Century. A love story. A diary of the American labor movement. A tale of heroism and combat set in the Great War, Suomalaiset  is, above all else, a thoroughly entertaining story of Finnish immigration and intrigue.

MM_D0001

A unique blend of historical fiction and romance, Ghosts, the first book of this novel takes place in WWII Yugoslavia and follows the struggles and triumphs of young Eli Kobe, a communist Partisan freedom fighter seeking revenge on the Nazi forces of occupation. Set against the brutality of war and genocide, Kobe’s story becomes interwoven with that of Marta Essen, the wife of a German SS officer, making their lives inseparable.

In The Hunter, the pace of the novel quickens. Two old men are found dead in the wilds of Northeast Minnesota. Sheriff’s Deputies Debra Slater and Dave Swanson race to save a third victim from an assassin’s judgment. A judgment rooted in an atrocity fifty years in the past. 

MM_D0002

Judge Mark Munger’s second novel, Pigs, A Trial Lawyer’s Story has become a regional favorite. Compared by readers and reviewers to Turow and Grisham, this tale of love, the law, and choices made remains a frank and thoughtful look at life in a Minnesota small town amidst the chaos of marital discord and high-powered civil litigation. Set against the rolling hills of Western Minnesota and the bustling downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Pigs is a thrilling yet intellectual look at the gritty world of trial law.

MM_D0003