The bright red fish are gone from a sports fishing destination lake in Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains, and the Nez Perce Tribe and the government want to know why. Biologist Jess MacKinnon tears into the mountains on her motorcycle to solve the mystery. She takes the place of a government scientist, Ben Fletcher, who drowned in that very same lake. Jess knew Ben, and not just professionally—but that’s a secret.
There are a lot of secrets in the tiny mountain town of Still Lake, including one that puts Jess in danger: Ben’s death was no accident. With help from a quirky private investigator who describes herself as “not neurotypical,” Jess solves the mystery of Ben’s death and the mystery of the fish. She comes to terms with her own past, too, including her connection to Ben Fletcher, his privileged parents, and the biases of social class that destroyed their relationship.
Based on a real-world environmental disaster, THIRSTY CREEK is a murder mystery and ecological mystery combined, a story about human arrogance, greed, and unintended consequences.
Fifty percent of proceeds from THIRSTY CREEK support the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland, a place-based nonprofit in Wallowa, Oregon.
The bright red fish are gone from a sports fishing destination lake in Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains, and the Nez Perce Tribe and the government want to know why. Biologist Jess MacKinnon tears into the mountains on her motorcycle to solve the mystery. She takes the place of a government scientist, Ben Fletcher, who drowned in that very same lake. Jess knew Ben, and not just professionally—but that’s a secret.
There are a lot of secrets in the tiny mountain town of Still Lake, including one that puts Jess in danger: Ben’s death was no accident. With help from a quirky private investigator who describes herself as “not neurotypical,” Jess solves the mystery of Ben’s death and the mystery of the fish. She comes to terms with her own past, too, including her connection to Ben Fletcher, his privileged parents, and the biases of social class that destroyed their relationship.
Based on a real-world environmental disaster, THIRSTY CREEK is a murder mystery and ecological mystery combined, a story about human arrogance, greed, and unintended consequences.
Fifty percent of proceeds from THIRSTY CREEK support the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland, a place-based nonprofit in Wallowa, Oregon.
Jennie Bricker lives in Portland, Oregon, where she practices natural resources law, writing, yoga, and the flugelhorn. She has published nonfiction magazine articles and academic pieces, as well as short stories and microfiction. THIRSTY CREEK is her debut novel.
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 978-1-963115-65-9
Publication Date: December 16, 2025
