Guest review by: Becki Bayley
The last time homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite was in Cedar Grove, it was to see her sister’s killer put behind bars. Now she’s returned for a respite and the chance to put her life back in order for herself, her attorney husband, Dan, and their new daughter. But tragic memories soon prove impossible to escape.
Dan is drawn into representing a local merchant whose business is jeopardized by the town’s revitalization. And Tracy is urged by the local PD to put her own skills to work on a new case: the brutal murder of a police officer’s wife and local reporter who was investigating a cold-case slaying of a young woman. As Tracy’s and Dan’s cases crisscross, Tracy’s trail becomes dangerous. It’s stirring up her own haunted past and a decades-old conspiracy in Cedar Grove that has erupted in murder. Getting to the truth is all that matters. But what’s Tracy willing to risk as a killer gets closer to her and threatens everyone she loves?
By the time Tracy left Ed Witherspoon’s home, the sky had turned a dark gray, and a fresh two inches of snow blanketed the ground and the hood of her car. The snow had also muted Cedar Grove in a peaceful silence. Inside her Subaru, Tracy reconsidered their conversation, as she did after each interview. Her dad would have said Witherspoon had been, well, Witherspoon – the man who never gave a straight answer. More important than understanding Witherspoon’s careful avoidance of her questions, however, was figuring out why he had tried to do so.
Tracy Crosswhite is staying in her hometown for a bit, and agrees to help her dad’s best friend - the interim chief of police - look into the untimely death of the actual police chief’s wife. But investigating that death soon leads to possible connections with two others.
Official synopsis:
Dan is drawn into representing a local merchant whose business is jeopardized by the town’s revitalization. And Tracy is urged by the local PD to put her own skills to work on a new case: the brutal murder of a police officer’s wife and local reporter who was investigating a cold-case slaying of a young woman. As Tracy’s and Dan’s cases crisscross, Tracy’s trail becomes dangerous. It’s stirring up her own haunted past and a decades-old conspiracy in Cedar Grove that has erupted in murder. Getting to the truth is all that matters. But what’s Tracy willing to risk as a killer gets closer to her and threatens everyone she loves?
This was well enough written that it was a great stand-alone, even as the 7th in the series! After reading other books by the same author, it is not a surprise.
Tracy is a detective on maternity leave since having her first daughter a few months earlier. Her husband is an attorney with the flexibility to return to her parents’ home where she grew up, so they can remodel and potentially sell, or set it up as their own second property in their hometown.
The last time Tracy was in Cedar Grove was surrounding the legal trials of the man who was convicted of murdering her sister. Now, the murder of another girl around the same time is being looked at again, since two subsequent homicides may be related.
Small town stories are always fascinating, while the characters have known each other forever, and think it means they truly understand everyone and their motivations. Of course, this is never the whole story.
The untangling of the murders, and a legal trial involving property and the success and future of the small town, made for an intricate story with engaging characters. The book earned 4 out of 5 stars, and the others in the series could be expected to be equally entertaining. The strong female characters, small town setting as essentially its own character, and family drama will make it a good read for a wide audience.
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Becki Bayley is a wife and mother who enjoys compelling stories, reading as an escape vehicle, and good snack foods to enjoy simultaneously. Check out some of her other reads and family activities on Instagram, where she posts as SweetlyBSquared.
