Stuart Stark, a prosecutor in the Massachusetts DA's office, is ambitious, honest, graduated at the top of his class at Harvard Law, and he has just won a high-profile murder case. Marti Butz was murdered by her husband Raymond Butz. During the five times he was questioned, he was not given his Miranda rights. The sixth time he lawyer- ed up but in jail he confessed the horrific murder with grisly details to his cell mate, which included strangling her and then taking her on a boat and chopping up her body with a saw and tossing her remains and the saw in the water never to be found. Stuart Stark convicted him at the highest profile trial in New Bedford history. Stark's reputation was soaring when the case was overturned by the Court of Appeals due to "unfortunate circumstances, a quirk in the law and dictated by precedent", Butz walked out a free man. And though all his fellow attorneys in his office warned him "no body, no case", Stuart Stark lost his case and his job in the same week.

His ambitious and classy wife, Katherine, has her hopes set on the outcome of the Molson Case, a personal injury case, that she hopes will give them the bigger home on the beach, a second apartment or condo in Boston or Manhattan and a luxurious lifestyle. It's what she has been planning for since their marriage. Social status to Katherine is everything and she will do anything to obtain it.

Clay Buchanan and Stuart Stark met at the University of Oregon. Fighting Ducks.Though not friends, they had one class together in Civil Procedure II. Stark was ambitious, did things by the book, while Buchanan was lazy, cheated on exams and chased the girls. Now partners in their law firm, Buchanan, Stark and Associates, Clay brings in the clients using very unorthodox methods and Stark does all the work.

At a birthday party given by Katherine to celebrate his 40th, Clay stepped up on their coffee table and announces his special gift to Stuart. A week vacation in the Alaskan wilderness to discover his manhood and Clay would join him there in a cabin owned by one of their wealthy clients. When Clay backs out at the airport, Stuart begins his adventure alone. There is no cabin, food or transportation. He is abandoned, alone and not an outdoors man. After a week, near death, he is saved by passing trapper, Blake. Together they find shelter as winter sets in. Snowed in Stuart has time to re-examine his life. Who is behind this sabotage? Why? It is time to go back. Time for revenge. Time for pay back. Time for a sequel?

IMPASSE is a thriller. A story of survival and the satisfaction of revenge, sweet revenge. Royce Scott Buckingham writes a non-stop action driven plot that made me a temporary nail biter and instant fan. I look forward to reading his next as he makes me feel like I am there in the midst of a thrilling adventure. Great job, Mr. Buckingham!