Publisher's Synopsis
Beneath the Maize is a sci-fi crime mystery with a tantalizing mix of magical realism, fantasy, and Native American folklore.
It is the summer of 1999. A little girl mysteriously vanishes in a Wisconsin cornfield during a friendly game of hide-and-seek. Over the next sixteen years, the list of missing persons in Sheboygan County only grows. GMO corn, giant mushrooms, crop circles, sinkholes, Native American folklore...could there be a connection?
Luke Kramer, a young, aspiring news reporter, teams up with UW Madison botanist Aiyanna-Nez Black Bear, a Sheboygan County sheriff's detective (Dan Meyers), and his rookie deputy (Sam Riley), to find the answer.
Aiyanna, of Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) Native American descent, introduces Luke to the traditions and legends of her people. But the situation rapidly devolves into turmoil and chaos as Luke and Aiyanna must deal with forces beyond their control from the depths of Underworld realms grounded in Ho-Chuck myth and shamanistic religious beliefs.
In the words of Detective Dan: "A modern-day legend born of desperation and love."
