Ray Elkins is the sheriff of a rural county in northern lower Michigan, where the Lake Michigan shoreline draws seasonal visitors and the small-town communities keep their grudges close. Aaron Stander introduced him in Summer People in 2000, and Elkins has been policing the same territory for over two decades across twelve novels.
Elkins is a patient investigator who knows his county and the people in it. He handles the kinds of cases that grow out of local life: land disputes, old family feuds, the friction between longtime residents and outsiders who arrive with money and expectations. The beautiful northern Michigan landscape is never just a backdrop in these books. The seasons shape the crimes, from summer tourist conflicts to winter isolation.
Stander writes Elkins as a steady, observant lawman, more interested in understanding people than in dramatic confrontations. His cases are solved through attention to detail, local knowledge, and the trust he has built in the community over years of service.
Reading Order
See the complete Ray Elkins Mystery reading order for all books in the series.