Trial by Fury (John J. Malone Mystery 5)

The little town of Jackson, Wisconsin, hadn't had a murder in 32 years. That was before Jake and Helene Justus, who are fishing for a hunting license, arrive at the county courthouse just as an unknown party elects to shoot ex-Senator Pevely. Rather than ask embarrassing questions of any of the town's leading citizens, bumbling Sheriff Kling dec... more »ides that the new arrivals are likely suspects and throws Jake into jail. Helene sends to Chicago for help, and the couple's best friend, the little lawyer John J. Malone, is shortly on the scene.
Small towns have large secrets and as soon as the trio begin to investigate, skeletons start turning up -- and not just in closets. In the course of tracking down a murderer, Helene organizes a search for Jake, Jake learns the hazards of Dollar Gin, and Malone, who has laryngitis, faces down a lynch mob with the assistance of Hercules, the wonder bloodhound.