Pennsylvania Anomie: A Harley Fremont Novel

Harley Fremont and her K-9 partner, Gemma, are called when twenty-four men attend camp but only twenty-two are accounted for. The five-mile trail between camp and the hotel on the outskirts of town is complicated. It’s not a forest-made trail that is easy to follow; it is rocky in places, making tracking difficult. The trail is also riddled with tree branches and roots, making the hike dangerous. Plus, the trail has a dozen man-made off-shoot paths with their own man-made off-shoot paths. The trail condition leads people to think the two missing men simply lost their way back to the hotel. The truth is not as simple.

The twenty-four men are in northwest Pennsylvania to attend the “Be a Man Camp” on the Allegheny National Forest. Although they hail from different states, most have found something in common: their decision to attend the camp was driven by a lack of friendships with other men. They feel disconnected from their lives, starting from when the pandemic hit, and continuing into their current lives. Each man has made the decision to pay $10,000 to attend the long weekend of camp. The camp, consisting of psychological and physical exercise, provides the gift of a brotherhood to those who can pass every test along the way. Those who fail during camp take the trail from camp back to the hotel.

Harley and Gemma are tasked with locating the missing men. They learn that several more men failed at camp and took the same trail system, yet only two have disappeared. It’s up to Harley and Gemma to save the missing men.