A Dark Tale of Clear Skies and Flooded Timber
Dark family secrets in the Arkansas flooded timber laid bare in new novel from acclaimed author Charlie Cutter
Traverse City, Michigan— As a native son, author Charlie Cutter has routinely cast Michigan cities as characters in his five-book Burr Lafayette series. From the tony locales of Grosse Pointe and Harbor Springs to the more rustic environments Up North, Michigan itself is central to the legal thriller books. Now, in The Hangman’s Blind, Mission Point Press, (June 10, 2025), Cutter has centered his story in Arkansas, which is also familiar terrain. “I’ve spent a lot of time duck hunting in Arkansas and know it well. There’s something mysterious about flooded timber. Duck hunting in Arkansas is a culture in itself,” he said.

The Hangman’s Blind tells the tale of a family mired in deception and succession. Archie McClure turned Belle Oak into five thousand acres of the finest rice ground in Arkansas
and the best duck woods in the country. But Belle Oak is in trouble. Archie’s grandsons, Little George, J.D., and Trip own McClure Tug and Tow, a once thriving, now failing, barge company on the Mississippi. Trip’s brothers want to sell Belle Oak to save the barge company, but he won’t hear of it. All he cares about is hunting in the flooded timber with Cash, his black lab.
Blackmail, Bargains, and Obsession
Ceila McClure, the boys’ mother, is caught in the middle, recently widowed when her husband took his own life. She’s the only one who knows why he did it, except for the blackmailer.
When Little George and J.D. put Belle Oak up for sale, Trip takes matters in his own hands. His plan to keep Belle Oak spins out of control, and he makes a Faustian bargain to save it. The flooded timber is full of lies and treachery. The deal goes bad. His mother’s secret is expensive, and someone is trying to kill Trip.
Addressing the core of the story, Cutter said, “It’s about what happens when someone wants something too much and it becomes an obsession. After the success of the Burr Lafayette titles, I wanted to develop a new voice and given my experience in Arkansas, it was a natural exploration. It’s a departure from my previous books, but I think my readers will find the story, the characters, and the setting compelling.”
In an early endorsement, Bill Castanier of The Lansing City Pulse praises the locale and storytelling, “In the tradition of Weeds, Breaking Bad, and Arkansas noir, Charles Cutter’s The Hangman’s Blind will keep you guessing until the very last page. A complex mystery by a talented and prolific writer.”
An Unlikely Path
Cutter’s background as an attorney and media professional might seem an unlikely road to becoming an author but his backstory shows a clear path. “My parents were readers. I grew up around books; my mother made sure I read all the classics. I was a finance major in college but had enough credits to be an English major as well with classes in literature, film, and creative writing. I started out writing screenplays but switched to short stories, then books. The Hangman’s Blind is a complete work of fiction though the family dynamics, culture, and settings are based on my experience there. There is one ‘real’ character based on my life—Cash, the black lab.”
Cutter is presently at work on the next Burr Lafayette title, The Lady’s Slipper about an endangered orchid in Northern Michigan. It is scheduled for release by early 2026.
Burr Lafayette
Charles Cutter is the author of the highly acclaimed five-book Burr Lafayette legal thriller series and is currently at work on its next title. The Pink Pony, the first book in the series, recently won First Prize in the Global Book Awards. The thrillers are available at Amazon and your local bookstore. Learn more about Charles and his books here.

The Author
In addition to the Burr Lafayette series Cutter has written literary fiction, short stories, and screenplays. Cutter is a cum laude graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and Michigan State University (highest honors); Cutter previously worked as an attorney and media professional. He is an active conservationist, serving as chairman of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, the nation’s largest upland conservation organization. Cutter lives in East Lansing with his wife, two dogs, and four cats, balancing life between a leaky sailboat in Harbor Springs and a leakier duck boat on Saginaw Bay.
The Book
The Hangman’s Blind
Charles Cutter
272 pages, 6 x 9 inches, B/W
Fiction; Thrillers; Siblings; Southern
ISBN: 978-1-965278-34-5, $16.95 (Softcover)
Mission Point Press, June 10, 2025
Copies are available for preorder at Bookshop.org, Amazon, and other online retailers. On its June 10 publication date, it will be available for purchase wherever books are sold. For information or to arrange for signings and events, contact the author at charles@charlescutter.com.
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