“Sherer takes a break from his Emerson Ward series (Death Is No Bargain, etc.) with this solid stand-alone … an unrelenting tale of personal calamity that ends on a gratifying note of hope.” —Publishers Weekly

“In a shift from his Emerson Ward mysteries (Death is No Bargain, 2006, etc.), Sherer creates a suspenseful tale of a family stressed by the conflicts murder reveals.” —Kirkus Review

“Island Life is a genuine page-turner … a portrait of a family in free fall…” —Adam Woog, Seattle Times

“Beautifully written and richly nuanced, Island Life by Michael W. Sherer transcends the usual suspense tale. No one will be able to resist rooting for Jack Holm as he fights for his son, his daughter, and ultimately his own soul when his wife is found dead and he's arrested for the crime. Full of insider details and psychological insight, this taut tale takes the reader into the darkest recesses of the human heart. Sherer is an artist, and his work is powerful.” —Gayle Lynds, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Spymaster

“Island Life is a terrific novel of a tortured husband doing his best to deal with a missing wife and his therefore motherless children. Michael W. Sherer is a seasoned pro who adopts a fascinating narrative voice: While the plot is developed through the first-person voice of Jack Holm, the reader is provided back-story through short prelude scenes of Jack with his psychotherapist, trying to work through why his wife might have left her family. A truly different and fascinating story.” —Jeremiah Healy, author of Turnabout and The Only Good Lawyer

How do you live without someone who’s been part of your life for twenty years?

Jack Holm begins to find out when his wife doesn’t return to their suburban Seattle home after shopping one day. Her absence is not unusual given her flight attendant’s job, and it’s a respite from recent marital discord, so Jack feels relief not worry. But when a day goes by with no word, then another, Jack, his teenage daughter and ten-year-old son do worry. After three days, Jack reports her missing.

Suddenly, Jack is swept up in a terrifying conflagration of events that threaten to tear his world apart. The police suspect him of foul play. Children and Family Services suspects him of abuse. And someone is spying on his kids.

Now a single dad, Jack tries to help his kids deal with their mother’s disappearance, but when he’s arrested on suspicion of murder, he stands to lose it all. The state and his mother-in-law want to take away his kids. The police want him in jail. Abandoned by friends and family, Jack has nowhere to turn, and the mounting evidence begins to make him think he might actually be a killer.

But mysterious phone calls and a CD containing child pornography that turns up in his wife’s belongings convince him otherwise. He quickly realizes the only way to stay ahead of the law and prevent his children from being put in foster care is to find out what happened to his wife. With new-found courage from a woman who believes in his innocence and the help of another outcast, Jack pursues a shadowy Japanese Yakuza crime boss from Seattle to Las Vegas and back, putting himself and all the people he loves in mortal danger.

For an exciting preview of Island Life, click on "Preview."