Douglas Obert was born in Mora, Minnesota. He spent his childhood catching panfish from the Ann River, swimming in Snake River and Fish Lake and hiking and exploring the woods and marshes of this wonderful north central Minnesota region. It was his love of this part of the country and its inhabitants that inspired him to write "Knife Lake." "Knife Lake" is the story of John Beckman, an emotionally wounded Viet Nam veteran now private detective who is hired to solve a missing person case. The story takes place primarily in the St. Paul/Minneapolis metropolitan area with excursions into the north central woodlands. Join John Beckman as he travels in his rusted International Harvester Scout through the snow swept streets and highways of Minnesota to solve a most perplexing case.