A DEATH ON CROOKED LAKE is the story of the murder of a wealthy and arrogant man who has moved to a peaceful lake in upstate New York as owner of one of the region's premier wineries. His arrival quickly upsets the lives of many of the lake's residents. The question facing a vacationing college professor who discovers the body and the young woman new to her job as local sheriff is who among the victim's many enemies hated him enough to kill him.