Environmental Thriller Asks Tough Questions About Morality

Big Lake Troubles by Jeffrey D. Boldt

Filled with warmth and humanity, rich with interpersonal relationships and moral conflict, and teeming with care for the environment.

“Coal itself was at the heart of the next calamitous turn of events, as it was for the whole planet. Fighting coal had its own set of consequences. The powers that be wouldn’t give it up easily.”

In Lake Superior City, Wisconsin, coal is destroying the environment around Blue Lake. A group of environmental lawyers is put on the case to shut down a 5-year permit for a coal transshipment facility. How far are they willing to go to protect the environment and win the case?

Big Lake Troubles is the must-read sequel to Jeffrey D. Boldt’s Blue Lake. This legal and environmental thriller stars Jason Erickson and his partner Grace Clarkson, alongside a cast of characters as they fight for their futures while grappling with their own personal hardships.

An Enthralling Legal Thriller

Jason Erickson is at a crossroads in his life. After the tragic shooting that took away the love of his life, Tara, he is left traumatized. He must decide between his more ambitious side which wants to save the world from environmental catastrophe, or nurturing the side of himself still left grieving Tara. 

When his new partner, a savvy lawyer named Grace Clarkson, is given a chance to fight the permit renewal of an enormous coal shipment and storage facility, she thinks of Jason. What better way to get Jason back on his feet and out of retirement than a gripping new case?

They already have a stack of complaints from local neighborhood, environmental, and climate action groups about coal dust blowing over the lake, and numerous air emission violations that have led to dangerous health conditions for local children.

But this retired Judge isn’t sure he is up to the challenge of fighting the permit. The pressure from Grace to be both a romantic and business partner feels like too much for Jason. His decision puts their relationship at stake when Grace teams up with her ex and a man named Earl who Jason hoped to leave in the past.

The team’s focus turns to the massive pile of coal at the facility, hidden from public view and blocked by vicious guard dogs. Rumor has it, the coal is not being treated properly to prevent dust from filling the air. The spray is too expensive, and big corporations like cutting corners. If only the lawyers could get photographic evidence or some kind of coal sample to confirm their hunch…

Will they have to play by the rules in order to win the case, or should they sink to the same level as their opponents and commit a few crimes in order to get the proof they need?

“Sometimes doing the right thing isn’t so black and white.”

Complex Issues and Nuanced Characters

Author Jeffrey D. Boldt has had a long career in Environmental Law. It’s easy to imagine that Jason Erickson and the plot of Big Lake Troubles are inspired by Boldt’s experiences in the field. Jason is a dreamer and an intellectual, who cares deeply about the issues plaguing our society today, whether that be climate change, the unhoused population, or other pressing social and political issues. 

Boldt has created complicated, nuanced characters with rich stories and inner lives. The moral dilemmas that Jason and other characters face are some of the most compelling moments of the novel, echoing dilemmas and questions of everyday people contemplating climate change and feelings of helplessness.

As characters question their roles in the future of the world, they also question their roles in their own futures. Do their actions align with their values? Do their relationships align with their goals? 

Of course, in a novel about the environment, the landscape is a major player in the novel, too. Everywhere they go, the main characters admire the beauty of the natural world around them. The author paints vivid and evocative pictures with his words of each landscape, allowing the characters to take a breath during the tensest moments if only to admire the surrounding scenery.

Inspires Us to Take Action

Readers who are put off by the idea of a cold, procedural law novel: have no fear. Big Lake Troubles is filled with warmth and humanity, rich with interpersonal relationships and moral conflict, and teeming with care for the environment. It is a book that will serve as a great companion for the next few years of uncertainty for our climate, our future and our political atmosphere.

Big Lake Troubles, much like Blue Lake, serves as a reminder that the fight for climate change is an ongoing fight, not solved in one case or one day, but in small steps. Will coal and big corporations always win? Or is there hope for the underdog trying to fight for good? In Big Lake Troubles, Jeffrey D. Boldt reminds us of what really matters in life and inspires us to take action, even in small ways.