A Kirkus Reviews’ Best Indie Book of 2023
Trempealeau
(Book One, Trempealeau Stories)
Publication Date: January 9, 2024
436 pp., paperback $19.99, ebook $9.99
“Umhoefer’s debut novel blends elements of science fiction, mystery, and apocalyptic thrillers in a storytelling tour de force. . . . Overall, the brilliance of this novel lies in the way in which the author draws out the mystery, leading readers along with a winding trail of breadcrumbs that slowly reveals the jaw-dropping truth. . . . It’s the sheer audaciousness of the story that powers this page-turning novel, which offers some bombshell plot twists.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) read full review
“Riveting. . . . Trempealeau [is] packed with surprise and delightful twists and turns that make it unpredictable and hard to put down . . . blending thriller elements with post-apocalyptic sci-fi atmosphere as it follows the discovery of a structure that will change the world.” —D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review read full review
“Thrilling sci-fi littered with dazzling secrets. . . . a great choice for those looking for authentic characters, well-paced suspense, and plenty of twists and turns.” —Independent Book Review read full review
“Author Umhoefer … spins a highly imaginative tale of science fiction, fantasy and political intrigue. Much of the charm of this novel, billed as “Book One” of the “Trempealeau Stories,” is the sense of place—the loving descriptions of the western Wisconsin. . . . Three trowels for this epic fantasy.” —William Gresens, Book Reviewer, Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, UW–La Crosse read full review
Generations have protected a secret in Western Wisconsin.
After the commander of Skylab reports a massive circular structure in the snow-covered ground in the winter of 1974, two curious teens begin hunting for this elusive geological phenomenon on the Minnesota–Wisconsin border. They’re unaware that they’ve stumbled upon a generations-old secret reluctantly revealed to the U.S. government and young geologist Lawrence Marten during World War II and defended with deadly violence.
Paul Meadows is just fourteen when his friend, Pete Flottmeier, disappears on a solo search for the circle.
Jennifer von Guericke was also a child inspired by the mystery—her farm marked the epicenter of the circle described from space. Her father’s disappearance soon after the Skylab report tore apart her family, and now, twenty-nine years later, in 2003, Jen has returned home to bury her estranged mother.
Jennifer meets Paul Meadows, still lost in his search for his boyhood friend. Now a new generation, led by Trempealeau County cheesemaker Steve Schleusener and 86-year-old professor Lawrence Marten, must decide if they will defend the awesome secret of the circle, or help Paul and Jennifer learn the truth.
But the secret is stirring. Mysterious earthquakes, building in strength, are shaking the globe, and the truth in Trempealeau threatens not just one Earth, but two.
