Turtle Lake by Robert Milne

The Wild Card Syndrome

True Events Inspire New White-Collar Thriller Turtle Lake

TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN— Jim Peters is the definition of a meticulous mastermind.                                                                        

Tackling corruption from a cabin on Turtle Lake, he relies on attack tactics inspired by predators of nature around him—even down to pigeons—to stop a scheme that would end in the fraud of 22,000 employees at his company. 

Unfortunately, Robert (Bob) Milne’s novel Turtle Lake: The Wild Card Syndrome is based on a true and terrifying situation. 

“What drew me to write Turtle Lake was a serious matter at hand. The Detroit prosecutor and others in law enforcement urged me to write this story ‘for the public safety,’” Milne explained. “Information similar to this storyline was disclosed to me by a nice businessman who was proud of what his company had accomplished. I realized he shouldn't tell anyone about his company because, if I were a crook, I could extort enormous sums of cash and get away with it. My wife convinced me to write a book about it to expose the dangers of similar plans being used against honest people.”

Milne originally developed the story in the 1980s, overcoming a learning curve with typing on a 1990s 5-½” floppy disk computer.  Drawing on both the true account given to him by the businessman, as well as his youth as an Eagle Scout leading to a lifelong study of wildlife, the story came together naturally, despite its uniqueness.

Advance Praise

“I'm not aware of any other book or movie that relies so much on nature to pull off a caper like this. Even the precise timing of a yearly natural phenomenon plays a role,” he explained, touching on the true rarity of these nature-based patterns employed in stories such as his. “The Wild Card Syndrome refers to things that happen but are totally unpredictable and unavoidable. 'The greatest plans of mice and  men go up and come crashing down again.’ This syndrome plays a major part in Turtle Lake.”

As a lifelong chess player, concert pianist, as well as a student of nature, he understands what it means to play the unconventional long game. Its function as a story, as well as a warning message to corporations and the general public, has resonated and has proven successful based on early endorsements. 

"Turtle Lake should be published for the public safety and to put an unsuspecting business community on notice as to what a character like Jim Peters could do to them." —Dan Petrella, Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor, Detroit, MI

"Turtle Lake is the most interesting book I've ever read. The book combines laws of nature that cannot be denied with everyday events we take for granted and spins them into a wild tale of drama. The relevance of the golden eagle that lives on the island elevates Turtle Lake from simply being a novel to a piece of literature." —Alberta Craft, book reviewer, Toronto, ON

The Author

Bob Milne has been hailed throughout his 60-year career as one of the best ragtime/boogie-woogie piano players of all time. A solo concert performer, he traveled all over the world playing for dignitaries and celebrities as well as small town audiences. He was given the title of National Treasure by the Library of Congress and deemed an Ambassador of Music by the U.S. Department of State. Bob’s extraordinary musical abilities were the subject of numerous brain studies, which have inspired a popular RadioLab podcast. 

Little did they know that Bob was also a talented writer. For years he wrote articles about his saloon-playing days for music publications. Many of these stories were compiled into a book called The Journeyman Piano Player: Adventures in Gracious Dining. Bob has written reams of poetry, some of which became lyrics to songs that he composed. The longest piece of poetry he ever wrote was the lyric book for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a grand opera he composed and orchestrated.

Mr. Milne has been fascinated by nature his entire life. At a young age he realized that instincts are present in all species of birds, mammals (including humans), and literally every living thing in nature. He has used this information countless times over his lifetime to predict what the human species will do in future situations.

Bob is now retired from the long piano tours and is enjoying his woodland home. Today he spends his time studying nature in the woods. Signed copies of his book may be purchased through his website.

The Book

Turtle Lake: The Wild Card Syndrome

Robert Milne

172 pages, 6” x 9”, B/W

Crime / Thrillers / Suspense

ISBN: 978-1-968761-62-2, $24.95 (Hardcover)

ISBN: 978-1-968761-63-9, $17.95 (Softcover)

Publication Date: 09/07/2026

Mission Point Press

Copies are available for preorder at Bookshop.org, Amazon, and other online retailers. On its September 7 publication date, it will be available for purchase wherever books are sold. For information or to arrange for signings and events, contact the author through his website at www.robertmilneauthor.com.

.